Wing Chun TV series

[UKBBC]

Seems to be a Wing Chun TV series on youtube!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmLKXMDbKhg&feature=related

[UKBBC]

So that vid clip comes from a movie, Legend of Twin Dragons, based upon the shenanigans of Leung Bik:

http://shop.hkdvdstore.com/product_info.php/products_id/27038

What do people think? A complete sack of sh*t? Or entertaining? Certainly they have done a good job making WC look decent on screen, albeit not as efficient as it could be sometimes.

There's another Wing Chun based series, TVB Real Kung Fu, some good clips on Youtube too. Again, Yuen Biao stars doing Wing Chun in it. Just out of curiosity, Yuen Biao did attend the same opera school as Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung, who did Yuen Biao and Sammo Hung learn Wing Chun from?

Cheers

[jesper]

think sammo hangs around leung ting. dont know if he learnt it there though

[LoneTiger108]

Just out of curiosity, Yuen Biao did attend the same opera school as Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung, who did Yuen Biao and Sammo Hung learn Wing Chun from?

I would have to guess that it was initially from Sifu Yu!

Canton Opera was, and still is I believe, a melting pot for all styles and families of Martial Arts. Very similar to the old Red Junks. It is known that Sifu Yus school was very strict and that he favoured the Wing Chun style. Sammo is apparently the Sihing here, so it would be best to ask him if he learnt from Leung Ting! IMO, I really don't think so.

There were numerous Martial Artists around the Canton area when Jackie and the gang were learning, especially Wing Chun practitioners. What I've 'heard' is that they may have a Jiu Wan/Chiu Van connection similar to Ti Lung and Lee Hoi Suen.

Realistically though, it may have all come from Sifu Yu himself.

FACT! Sifu Yus students carried his own name and Sammo/Jackie and a few others dropped their 'nicknames' when they started to get recognized. Yuen Biao is one of the few left who is still using the name given to him by his Sifu. Others include Corey Yuen and famous director Yuen Wo Ping!

[LoneTiger108]

Just checked out the 'movie' and confirmed my suspicions.

This is an edited version of the TV Series Mr Jan from Fatshan, which is over 40hrs long and quite old now.

Check out what Phillip Ng had to say about it on one of his forums:

http://www.alivenotdead.com/bbs/viewthread.php?tid=12266

[UKBBC]

Cheers!

That's good info, never really knew what their lineage was, and with them being HK's golden sons, what kind of role they played in the rise of Wing Chun in HK. It's a shame, between Bruce Lee, Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao, you would've thought they could've really promoted Wing Chun in movies decades ago.

[LoneTiger108]

I think they did! :D Haven't you seen Prodigal Son?

I am surprised that this thread isn't so busy though, as this series touches on some controversial aspects of Leung Jans life. Albeit it's typical HK drama, but to openly tell a story which includes Leung Bik, I thought, would stir some sort of discussion!

Didn't Ip Man learn from him? ;) I've heard that his life is being documented right now for a movie of some sort. Soon we'll have a Trilogy!

[UKBBC]

Well, before this, there was The Prodigal Son and Wing Chun with Michelle Yeoh and Donnie Yen, I can't really think of any more WC related films than those 2.

I guess this film has the potential to stir up a political hornet's nest regarding some lineages from Leung Bik and Chan Wah Shan - from what I see, the YJKYM stance is quite well represented in this series.....but then, who ever said the writers were out to create a historically correct piece of work...

[LoneTiger108]

I was thinking more along the lines of the few branches that consider that Leung Bik was not a real person!! He never even existed according to some families!! Fact is, if he did exist, it's quite clear from the movie/series that he was not of the right character to teach, according to his Father. Although he had a very distinct 'talent'.

And please don't tell me that Prodigal Son/Wing Chun are the only 2 movies you consider to be Wing Chun movies!! What about 'Warriors Two', 'Knockabout' or 'Magnificent Butcher'?

Talking of Warriors Two, you may wanna check this clip out! Believe me, it's worth it...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8Tokoj9Bcg

[Phil Redmond]

The whole series:
http://www.crunchyroll.com/showseriesmedia?id=2314

[CFT]

I was thinking more along the lines of the few branches that consider that Leung Bik was not a real person!! He never even existed according to some families!!Leung Bik's birth should have been registered with his clan temple (tze tong/ci tong) back in Gulao/Koolo. There really shouldn't be any ambiguity about his existence.

[Phil Redmond]

Just checked out the 'movie' and confirmed my suspicions.

This is an edited version of the TV Series Mr Jan from Fatshan, which is over 40hrs long and quite old now.

Check out what Phillip Ng had to say about it on one of his forums:

http://www.alivenotdead.com/bbs/viewthread.php?tid=12266
I have the series Mr. Jan from Fatshan. It's only 20 episodes. The series "Wing Chun" that you're refering to is different and has 40 episodes (40hrs), which I also have. I posted a link to view the whole 20 episodes of Fatshan Leung Jan aka Real Kung Fu on this thread.
I also have an old HK TV series from the 80's called "Lady from Shaolin" on VHS. At least, I think that the title. It's about Wing Chun herself. I think I'll dig it out and convert it to DVD.

[Phil Redmond]

I found it. It's Formidable Lady From Shaolin.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueXeCgPzo-Q&feature=related

[CFT]

I found it. It's Formidable Lady From Shaolin.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueXeCgPzo-Q&feature=relatedI remember that - the joys of TVB via VHS tapes!

[UKBBC]

OMG Phil,

You Sir, are a star! Thanks for the link, that's going to be my entertainment over the holidays!

[Phil Redmond]

OMG Phil,

You Sir, are a star! Thanks for the link, that's going to be my entertainment over the holidays!
YW, once I watched the first episode I couldn't stop. As soon as I got home from class I watched as many of them as I could until I fell asleep. Now I'm watching the 40 episodes of Wing Chun. ;) Email me if you'd like to see the newer TV series "Wing Chun"

[rindge]

Sammo does not know WC. I don't believe Yuen Biao does either. Sammo has had some exposure, but he doesn't know the art and has not trained. I'm pretty sure he has made this comment more than once. I think Joy and some others came across him in LA when he was filming martial law. He obviously makes WC look very good, but I think at the end of the day he is a skilled actor who had some **** serious training that allows him to mimic the art, but I'd be willing to bet some dim sum that he never officially or unofficially studied the art. Same goes for Yuen biao.

Rindge

[dfl]

I would have to guess that it was initially from Sifu Yuen!

The teacher of Sammo Hung, Jackie Chan, et al did not have the family name Yuen. Nor was he known for teaching anything other than Peking Opera.


FACT! Sifu Yuens students carried his surname and Sammo/Jackie and a few others dropped their 'nicknames' when they started to get recognized. Yuen Biao is one of the few left who is still using the name given to him by his Sifu. Others include Corey Yuen and famous director Yuen Wo Ping!

His students carried a part of his name, yes, but it certainly was not his family name. And for that matter, Yuen Wo Png and his brothers were not related to the late Mr. Yu (though both families came from the north and were in the opera/movie industry) nor were they part of his Peking Opera school. And more members of the troop (e.g. Yuen Wah, Yuen Chow, both in Stephen Chow's "Kung Fu Hustle") kept the stage names than drop them.

I hope you won't jump to the conclusion that Yuen Chow is related to Stephen Chow.

[LoneTiger108]

The teacher of Sammo Hung, Jackie Chan, et al did not have the family name Yuen. Nor was he known for teaching anything other than Peking Opera.

Duly noted dfl! I had to doubletake my copy of Jackies book and you're correct of course. It was part of his first name they were named after.

I think you will find that he 'was responsible' for teaching them Martial Arts 'outside' of his Canton Opera syllabus. It was common practice to enlist a Kung Fu Sifu to train or polish the performers technique, and this is more likely what happened, especially in the early days. I never intended to imply Sifu Yu taught Wing Chun.

Do you know the names of the Seven Little Fortunes?

[LoneTiger108]

For those who are interested, I think Sammo is just being modest when he claims to not have 'trained' in Wing Chun!! He definately does more than just 'mimic' our look. And even if he is, where does that 'look' come from??!!

Check it out, 8 parts of interviews and out takes from 'Warriors Two'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8Tokoj9Bcg

[UKBBC]

Cheers Lonetiger,

Most informative clip. I've always wondered, if they have never formally 'trained' WC, their execution of handforms in choreographed fighting is so crisp and fast, that they look so much better than some people who have trained in WC for years. Granted they are actors and devote a fair bit of time to shoot choreographed fight scenes, but I was under the impression that a lot of HK action fight scenes were improvised.

[LoneTiger108]

Obviously, if I'm training for a movie role which involves 'mimicing' a well known style I would have to research and find a suitable team. This was always done back in the day, even for movies like 'Warriors Two'. Not so much these days IMO.

I have also personally trained for choreorgraphed fight-scenes when I was younger, and if I put in over 30 hours for just 30 seconds of action you may begin to understand why these oldskool guys looked the biz! All stylized Martial Arts have a certain character, and I guess these guys really drew from a good source to look as crisp as they did. 'Beardie' himself was a 'known hardman'! This meant that the word on set was 'pull no punches', so actors and stuntmen were constantly hurt!

A Martial Artist is a Martial Artist after all. It should not matter what style or system you specialize in, as long as that solid foundation is present and you have an informed Director. I was regarded a 'performer' for years with my Sifu, as I was always appearing or managing one show or another. To train soley for this purpose will have an effect on your overall skill level, and I feel that I improved everytime I was 'on show'. Not many Wing Chun schools do the whole 'Red Boat' thing anymore, which is a shame.

Red Boat, Peking or Canton Opera delivers this type of training IMO, more so than western 'stage fighting'. It's a shame our mentality doesn't allow us to see through the flowery shapes and make-up and recognise that Wing Chun has done this for centuries...