the grandmaster genre

Question 1

what are typical kung-fu movie characters and where do they correlate with the grandmaster?

Answer 1

• lone warrior
• calm ‘true’ masters
• arrogant young fighters (ma san)
• subservient females (most females in the movie)

Question 2

what are the typical kung-fu movie plot/situations and where do they correlate with the grandmaster?

Answer 2

• rivalry between kung fu schools/styles (north and south)
• centre stage fights between two rivals
• revenge narratives such as avenging death or upholding honour (gong yutian and gong er upholding honour of the north and getting revenge from ma san)

Question 3

what are typical kung-fu movie visual styles and how do they correlate with the grandmaster?

Answer 3

• cinematography has rapidly changing angles, mobile cameras and swish pans (angles change a lot an the camera is mobile as it corners actors)
• editing has varying speeds but is mainly fast paced edits

-mise-en-scene has traditional chinese costume, streets/alleys, arenas (fights in streets and traditional costumes)

• audio has fast paced drums, traditional strings during non-fight sequences (drums and traditional music in brothel)

Question 4

what does ‘the raid(2011)’ kung fu fight sequence look like?

Answer 4

• visceral/overwhelming
• lots of gore
• very fast paced
• typical kung fu film
• no romance
• death
• brutal fighting (use their surroundings by slamming on concrete and glass / low, cold lighting / nothing to obscure the action / lots of emphasis on sound effects of blows, screaming and groaning and smashing of glass)
• handheld camera
• prolonged sequence of violence

Question 5

how does the grandmasters fight between gong er and ip man differentiate from the raid’s fight sequence?

Answer 5

• lighting is softer
• slow motion makes it more beautiful to emphasise cultures
• less grunts, focuses on their breathing
• less prolonged, they stop to take a breath
• no blood or gruesomeness
• close ups of their faces in order to show their expressions and how they feel about each other
• superphysical scene - being above physical principles - elements of fantasy
• the loser is the one who breaks something, she’s the victor because he broke the stairs

Question 6

what did DAVID BORDWELL (2013) say about kar wai and the grandmaster?

Answer 6

“he (kar wai) revises the conventions he seizes upon, but his crossover inclinations make his films enjoyable to people who wouldn’t sit through a bruce lee film. this is no less true of the grandmaster, at once a kung fu movie, historical biopic and a muted love triangle”

Question 7

what are the problems with combining genre like Kar Wai did?

Answer 7

KUNG FU FILM
- not filmed like a kung fu film
- too romanticised for a kung fu film
- too pretty

HISTORICAL BIOPIC
- gong er isn’t a real person

LOVE STORY
- no actual love as they don’t end up together or even kiss
- he is married