Once Upon a Time In China: A Critical Study

ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA

TSUI HARK

A Critical Study

By Jeremy Mark Robinson

This is a study of the Once Upon a Time In China film series produced and directed by Tsui Hark and starring Jet Li and Vincent Zhao.

The Once Upon a Time In China series in movies comprises six features of 1991, 1992, 1993 (films), 1994 and 1997 (four of which were helmed by Tsui Hark - the first three and the fifth one, all were co-produced by Tsui), a TV series, plus other additions - and a host of cash-in movies and parodies.

The first Once Upon a Time In China installment was one of those movies where every element comes together beautifully - the legendary character and story of Wong Fei-hung, a superstar-in-the-making, Jet Li, a terrific supporting cast (including Yuen Biao, Jacky Cheung, Kent Cheng and Rosamund Kwan), ouststanding technical aspects from all departments (including historical research), grand political themes, astonishing action choreography (from Yuen Shun-yi, Yuen Cheung-yan and Lau Kar-wing), and of course white-hot direction from Tsui Hark.

Once Upon a Time In China was Tsui Hark's most-awarded movie, with wins for best director, best action choreography, best editing, and best music at the Hong Kong Film Awards (and it was nominated for best photography, best film and best supporting actor, Jacky Cheung).

Director Tsui Hark is the dragon master of Chinese cinema (Stephen Teo calls Tsui a 'lion dancer among film directors'). Yes - a master, a lion dancer, a sifu, a wizard, a dragon master.

Tsui Hark is a one-man film industry - as a glance as his list of credits will show, along with setting up his own film company in 1983, Film Workshop. Tsui Hark directs movies like a force of nature. The energy coming off the screen is stupendous. He is a fearless filmmaker, willing to try anything to get a good shot. That feeling of fearlessness, and wildness, coupled with imagination and technical brilliance makes Tsui an incredibly formidable filmmaker. There are very few filmmakers on the scene today with those qualities in such abundance. When you come back to a Tsui Hark picture after looking at other movies for a while, you realize that this guy is so passionate about cinema, so willing to try anything, to experiment, to push the boundaries of what cinema can do, of what cinema can be.

Fully illustrated, with images from the Once Upon a Time In China films and the films of Tsui Hark.

With filmography, bibliography and notes. 208 pages.

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