ET AL., Part 3
There are a few more mini-reviews up at ET AL. No, I’m not going to tell you what they are: you can go find out for yourselves!
Although here’s a clue to one of them:
Talk about taking one for the team… »
Comments
Comment from KeithA
Time: December 9, 2007, 1:51 pm
True, Hong Kong films did not use sync sound. In fact, many of them still don’t, and many of the most famous actors never did their own dubbing (it was years before anyone heard Jet Li’s real voice, and when they did, well let’s just say it wasn’t the commanding voice of Wong Fei-hong). And the sound effects are almost always overdone, even in the original soundtrack.
Comment from Blake Matthews
Time: December 9, 2007, 3:23 pm
I prefer the exagerated sound effects to the “realistic”, Matrix-esque sound effects that some modern martial arts films (and recent re-dubbed ones) received.
Comment from lyzard
Time: December 9, 2007, 3:25 pm
Well, this just struck me as a particularly extreme example; certainly given the deliberation of most of the fights.
Comment from Blake Matthews
Time: December 9, 2007, 3:46 pm
Yeah, “Hero of Swallow” received similar criticism, with the sounds of the arms/legs swinging and the blocking/impact sounds being the same.
Anyways, I liked Jackie Chan in this one, and Tan Tao Liang was great in the end.
Comment from KeithA
Time: December 9, 2007, 3:47 pm
The better questions to ask is, “How, even in a cheap film, could anyone think those fake buckteeth were a good idea?”
Last Hurrah for Chivalry is a much better example of Woo working within the classic kungfu film genre. And being later in his career, the “heroic bloodshed” melodrama is considerably more pronounced. It’ll make you want to stare into the eyes of another man, drink wine together from a gourd, hen walk out in slow motion to fight a thousand guys while your awesome hero anthem plays.
Comment from Blake Matthews
Time: December 9, 2007, 3:52 pm
Hey Liz, is Split Second by any chance the film that has the scene with the protagonist and some other men walking around in the sewers looking for the killer, then coming across a pipe or something that they think the killer might be hiding in, then they rip open the pipe (or something) and a whole bunch of rats come out?
Comment from lyzard
Time: December 9, 2007, 3:55 pm
But, darling, I’m a *woman*. I can want all those things all I want (eh?), it won’t do me any good. Either I won’t be there at all, or I’ll show up for just long enough to die in order to send one of the male characters into a spiral of despair from which he will barely pull himself in time to take part in the final glorious battle.
Comment from Blake Matthews
Time: December 9, 2007, 4:53 pm
In that case, Liz, you need to change your name to Angela Mao, Polly Shang Kuan Ling Feng, Judy Lee, or Pearl Chung Ling, strap on a sword, and go head-kick your enemies into oblivion, including the son of gun who killed your lover, parents, brother, or some combination of the three. Yeah, you really need to find a Pearl Chung Ling fantasy (I recommend Miraculous Flower) and review it.
Comment from lyzard
Time: December 9, 2007, 5:12 pm
Better yet: how about a film where Angela Mao, Polly Shang Ling Feng, Judy Lee and Pearl Chung Ling team up and head-kick John Woo into oblivion?
(Thank you for the recommendation; noted.)
Comment from supersonic
Time: December 9, 2007, 5:15 pm
Spare a groin kicking for Yuen Wo-Ping while they’re at it.
Comment from lyzard
Time: December 9, 2007, 5:25 pm
>> Hey Liz, is Split Second by any chance….
Um, yes, I think so; to be honest it’s all a bit of a blur by now. But there are certainly enough rats on the loose in that film to keep your average rodent-ophile happy.
Comment from KeithA
Time: December 9, 2007, 7:33 pm
Lyz, you could also inspire a flawed man to achieve redemption, even if he dies in the process.
Comment from lyzard
Time: December 9, 2007, 7:44 pm
PARTICULARLY if he dies in the process. That’s just my style, baby!
Comment from Braineater
Time: December 9, 2007, 9:29 pm
“How, even in a cheap film, could anyone think those fake buckteeth were a good idea?”
Hey, it worked for Breakfast at Tiffany’s.
Comment from lyzard
Time: December 9, 2007, 10:06 pm
The question seems to be whether they are more or less offensive on an actual Asian…?
Comment from KeithA
Time: December 10, 2007, 10:25 am
One of my favorite Hong Kong movie sound effects overkill moments (besides the old “sword cuts through flesh” sound, which is sort of like screeching brakes mixes with a falling sheet of aluminum) is in Dragons Forever where the sound of fabric is outrageous. Every time some one jumps, there’s copious amounts of “fluttering fabric” sound effects. They stop just shy of dubbing it in for walking scenes, but it gets to be distracting since Yuen Biao jumps around a lot, and every time he does, it sounds like Superman just flew into the room.
Comment from Blake Matthews
Time: December 10, 2007, 12:17 pm
I like it in old kung fu movies when the guy does some open-handed style like praying mantis or snake, and they use the “sword cuts through flesh” sound for it.
Comment from Blake Matthews
Time: December 10, 2007, 3:43 pm
Sorry Liz, I have a correction to make: the film that I wanted to recommend was “Matching Escort”, not “Miraculous Flower.” Both are Pearl Chung Ling films, however, so one might just be as crazy as the other.
Comment from lyzard
Time: December 10, 2007, 3:53 pm
Ohhhhhh-kay. That would be this person (just so I exhaust all possible search options)??—
Ling Chang / Chang Ling / Liang Chun Chan / Pearl Cheong / Pearl Cheung / Ma Peng Sze
Comment from Blake Matthews
Time: December 10, 2007, 5:10 pm
Yes, that would be her. Interesting, the IMDB said that Jackie Chan choreographed the swordplay in her films. Cool. They fought along each other in “Fantasy Mission Force”. In fact, they were the only survivors.
Comment from KeithA
Time: December 10, 2007, 5:41 pm
Pearl Cheung movies are a treasure from which nothing but good stuff can emerge. And whether you see Miraculous Flower, Matching Escort, or Wolf Devil Woman (with Young Master Rudolph and his faithful sidekick Rudy), they will change your life. I think of them as a trilogy of awesomeness.
Are any of her films available on DVD? I have old Ocean Shores VHS tapes, dubbed and panned/scanned. I think they’d be pretty beautiful at their proper aspect ratio.
Comment from Blake Matthews
Time: December 11, 2007, 4:15 am
I know Matching Escort (Fury of the Silver Fox) is.
Comment from supersonic
Time: December 9, 2007, 12:08 am
I don’t think they used sync sound when making any of those early kung fu’s, so when we get terrible dubbing it may be pretty authentic to what the original audience experienced.