7/09/2011

Martial Arts And Kung Fu Movies: Broad Appeal

By Adriana Noton


Action movies throughout the years have employed a variety of strategies to make the experience more exciting and realistic. However, martial arts and kung fu movies have often innovated in ways that affect cinema as a whole. These films have undergone several major changes. Audiences have rolled with these changes and come back wanting more.

While most people may not know about it, one of the first martial arts and kung fu movies appeared during the era of silent films. The Burning of the Red Lotus Monastery portrayed a story from a newspaper serial. The final product is a 27-hour film, if viewed in its entirety. It was very popular when it came out and remains one of the longest films ever made.

One thing that pops into people's minds when they think of this genre is the tendency to include large fight scenes. These can include dozens of people, including extras, trained martial artists and other actors. To do this well, though, many cameras are required. Of course, now, computer-generated images can cut down on the number of people needed to fill out a scene.

This type of film, though, really took off in Hong Kong during the 1970s. Bruce Lee and his style of fighting fueled a lot of this passion. He had had some success on television in the United States, but it was in Hong Kong that he made several motion pictures in quick succession. These helped the Hong Kong industry develop more and even spawned a new generation of actors.

North American and European audiences came to love the fast-paced action. Also, Lee's films occasionally included other martial artists, introducing the world to many new stars. The success of these films also drew other actors to try their hand at them as well.

Now, people like Chuck Norris, Steven Seagal and Jean Claude Van Damme are all famous actors that have starred in dozens of films. They took the skills from martial arts and worked in Hollywood to make a new style of movie. The locations and plots varied greatly and appealed to people from across the world.

Recent years have seen some of the film production move back to the East. Megastars like Jackie Chan continue to draw crowds around the world, no matter where their films are made. Mainland China has been the source of some blockbuster movies of high quality. Even smaller markets have jumped into the game. Thailand's Tony Jaa has had success with some recent films and many people expect more from him later.

Fashion and aesthetics change over time, which has a lot to do with how popular martial arts and kung fu movies at any given time. But behind the fluctuations in popularity, these films have something inherent in them that always strikes a chord with viewers from many different backgrounds. Whatever this something is, it ensures that fans will not have to worry about finding new motion pictures to watch, year in and year out.




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