Comedy is not the first thing you think of when someone mentions karate movies, but the two have actually worked hand-in-hand for many years. Most people thinking of the intense fight scenes, fancy moves, characters flying through the air and high kicks, though for the past thirty years comedy has been as much a feature as anything.
It may seem a strange blend, but in truth, action and comedy have always worked well together, and its been a tried and tested formula for almost a century. Many of the old silent comedies were in fact borderline action films, as the comedy was extremely physical. And you can see their influence in many of the karate movies today, especially those starring Jackie Chan.
Born in Hong Kong in 1954, Jackie Chan began training in drama, music and martial arts at the age of 6 when he was enrolled by his parents into the China Opera School. It was in the 1970's though that he became part of Hong Kong's fledgling movie industry, playing bit parts in many movies, including acting opposite Bruce Lee twice, in Fist of Fury and Enter The Dragon. After Bruce Lee Died, people began looking for his successor and Jackie was a popular choice. However instead of copying Lee, Jackie began to find his own identity.
Jackie loved the comedy of those silent greats like Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd and he started to combine martial arts with this comedic-style. When he directed The Young Master in 1980, it started a trend in Hong Kong as the two genres blended seamlessly.
Over the next few years he would appear in many hit Asian films, as well as having two less than successful attempts at breaking into the American market with The Big Brawl and a small part in Cannonball Run. But his comedic karate movies remained extremely popular in Asia, and in many other parts of the world.
Jackie was not alone in his crusade to combine comedy and karate movies, and his main partner-in-crime was actor and director Sammo Hung, who he had known since they had studied together at the China Opera School. Sammo was very often the director or fight choreographer on Jackie's movies, and is a recognizable face in many of the films too. He had a brief stint in Hollywood too, starring in the TV show, Martial Law.
Finally in 1995, Rumble in the Bronx (shot in Canada) had an impact on the American market and people began to notice his unique skills. Over the next decade Jackie would star in a number of very successful blockbusters like Rush Hour and its two sequels, Shanghai Noon, Shanghai Knights, Around The World in 80 Days and The Tuxedo. He would also lend his voice to the smash hit, Kung Fu Panda.
Jackie and Sammo inspired others too, no one more so than acclaimed actor and director, Stephen Chow. Chow had acted in TV shows and karate movies in Hong Kong for a number of years, but it was his self-directed movies that caught the public's attention. Shaolin Soccer was the movie that made the rest of the world take notice and that led to major producers backing his next film, Kung Fu Hustle. Kung Fu Hustle became the most successful Hong Kong-made movie ever, and also was shown in more cinemas in the USA than any other foreign language film. Sammo Hung, one of Chow's heroes, also directed a few scenes in the movie.
It may seem a strange blend, but in truth, action and comedy have always worked well together, and its been a tried and tested formula for almost a century. Many of the old silent comedies were in fact borderline action films, as the comedy was extremely physical. And you can see their influence in many of the karate movies today, especially those starring Jackie Chan.
Born in Hong Kong in 1954, Jackie Chan began training in drama, music and martial arts at the age of 6 when he was enrolled by his parents into the China Opera School. It was in the 1970's though that he became part of Hong Kong's fledgling movie industry, playing bit parts in many movies, including acting opposite Bruce Lee twice, in Fist of Fury and Enter The Dragon. After Bruce Lee Died, people began looking for his successor and Jackie was a popular choice. However instead of copying Lee, Jackie began to find his own identity.
Jackie loved the comedy of those silent greats like Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd and he started to combine martial arts with this comedic-style. When he directed The Young Master in 1980, it started a trend in Hong Kong as the two genres blended seamlessly.
Over the next few years he would appear in many hit Asian films, as well as having two less than successful attempts at breaking into the American market with The Big Brawl and a small part in Cannonball Run. But his comedic karate movies remained extremely popular in Asia, and in many other parts of the world.
Jackie was not alone in his crusade to combine comedy and karate movies, and his main partner-in-crime was actor and director Sammo Hung, who he had known since they had studied together at the China Opera School. Sammo was very often the director or fight choreographer on Jackie's movies, and is a recognizable face in many of the films too. He had a brief stint in Hollywood too, starring in the TV show, Martial Law.
Finally in 1995, Rumble in the Bronx (shot in Canada) had an impact on the American market and people began to notice his unique skills. Over the next decade Jackie would star in a number of very successful blockbusters like Rush Hour and its two sequels, Shanghai Noon, Shanghai Knights, Around The World in 80 Days and The Tuxedo. He would also lend his voice to the smash hit, Kung Fu Panda.
Jackie and Sammo inspired others too, no one more so than acclaimed actor and director, Stephen Chow. Chow had acted in TV shows and karate movies in Hong Kong for a number of years, but it was his self-directed movies that caught the public's attention. Shaolin Soccer was the movie that made the rest of the world take notice and that led to major producers backing his next film, Kung Fu Hustle. Kung Fu Hustle became the most successful Hong Kong-made movie ever, and also was shown in more cinemas in the USA than any other foreign language film. Sammo Hung, one of Chow's heroes, also directed a few scenes in the movie.