Women of KF cinema tributes

[Jimbo]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3s8k6XlHjz8&sns=em

[Jimbo]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sligs5SqndU&sns=em

[mickey]

Definite and Complete HAWTNESS, Jimbo!!!

I could not get through the first montage until I found out about the music.

I enjoyed Michelle Yeoh as well. I was really upset about her knee injury in CTHD. She was not the same after that.


Thank you for bring those to us,


mickey

[Jimbo]

Glad you enjoyed them, mickey! The fans who put these tribute videos together are really good at it.

Back in the early '80s before Michelle Yeoh became an actress, she had gone to Scotland to study dance but suffered a serious back injury. I heard that that derailed her aspirations to become a dancer. Although you really couldn't tell from her very physical early onscreen performances. But you're right, her injury during CTHD likely affected her even more.

IMO, Moon Lee (Lee Choi-Fung) was one of the most underrated female screen fighters of the '80s and early '90s. Like Michelle Yeoh, she had a considerable dance background, but she also had some MA background as well. I remember in Taiwan reading a Chinese-language magazine article/interview of Moon Lee, and she mentioned 'Northern Shaolin', although IMO she moved more like TKD. Both Moon Lee and Michelle Yeoh could project that onscreen 'fire' (intensity) that great screen fighters project. But IMO, Moon Lee often surpassed Michelle in terms of sheer physicality and onscreen ferocity, even though she never equaled Michelle's star status.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6MwKA5nDmA&sns=em

[Jimbo]

Oshima Yukari was matched against Moon Lee in a number of films, as they had great screen chemistry as opponents. She easily matched Moon Lee's intensity. Yukari is a legitimate Goju-ryu karate black belt, but her kicks suggested a greater TKD influence in her screen fighting.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aHy2zupYxE&sns=em

[Jimbo]

Kara Hui Ying-Hung, IMO the queen of Shaw Brothers period epics. She especially excelled in Lau Kar-Leung's complex sequences involving traditional Chinese weapons. She herself has said she prefers her 'period' KF films over her 'modern' action films.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBqX1rVqhnM&sns=em

[wolfen]

Women In Action 2010 - The Power of Moon (Lee)

Action moments from Moon Lee´s Killer Angels (1989), Devil Hunters (1989), Princess Madam/Under Police Protection (1990).
Music: Arman Van Helden - Shake That Ass, Chemical Brothers - Hey Boy Hey Girl, JayDee - Plastic Dream 2003.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NalPAyRiyO8

[wolfen]

Moon Lee singing "Betray" (背叛) by Chai Li (蔡立儿, Cherrie Choi)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kn3O-48Czdc


News Item

Moon Lee Choi-Fung Divorces After Dirty Laundry Aired

Former “Girls With Guns” star Moon Lee Choi-Fung, 42, got divorced from husband Dennis Law Kai-Yan in 2007 after Law allegedly discovered Lee having an affair with their twenty something godson. Supposedly, Law walked in on Lee and Moon Lee Choi-Fung at an event in Hong Kong in Janaury 2008.the godson — who worked for Law’s performing arts company — while the two were intimately involved. Exposing the alleged affair to the media in June, Law declared: “No matter how you look as it, as a husband or as a godfather … to discover something like that in your own bedroom … of course, it’s a shock and something that’s very hard to accept. What hurts most is that a loving family and marriage have been destroyed. After I learned the truth, I found out that this affair was an open secret among many people at the performing arts company.”

In response to Law’s declaration, Lee took out an ad in a newspaper denying the allegations. Reportedly, Law and Lee have now divorced with Lee receiving US$12,000 per month in alimony.



Moon Lee retired from film for Reasons unknown around 1999, I tried to research why. She ran a dance studio in HK until about 2007 probably no where near the financial rewards comparable to films, had some very nasty public divorce and now seems fully retired only running a travel blog.

Moon Lee's ex Husband wrote a book to demonize Moon Lee and maintains a blog solely for this purpose. He really really, really hates her.
Rich guy marries a beautiful movie star and is angry that she married him for his money. Hmmm...
"no man can break through the pass of beauties".

(I noticed in his endless excoriation of his ex-wife he talks a lot in one post about her 'insatiable sexual appetite'.
Hmmmm kungfu sex with Moon Lee. Some guys should be so lucky. I mean he got his money's worth, he got cucked, so what! let it go.)

http://twofacesofmoon.blogspot.ca

10039

https://www.amazon.com/Two-Faces-Moon-Insight-Extra-Marital-ebook/dp/B00L3PI9GS

Two Faces of the Moon: A Unique Insight Into Chinese Extra-Marital Affairs



Moon Lee's Current Travel Blog

http://blog.sina.com.cn/lisaifeng

[Jimbo]

Thanks for posting, wolfen.

Yes, I heard about the Moon Lee affair. Sucks when things like that happen. I heard the dance studio she ran was in Colorado.

[Jimbo]

After nearly 30 years, I still think this is the finest example of a woman vs woman screen fight:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XT3MlF9Zua0&sns=em

[wolfen]

Thanks for posting, wolfen.

Yes, I heard about the Moon Lee affair. Sucks when things like that happen. I heard the dance studio she ran was in Colorado.

Yes a very sour note on a career or to end one. She was in HK also , her site looks like it ceased activity about 2007. The scandal ended that career.

Moon Dancing Studio (https://web.archive.org/web/20091027073333/http://hk.geocities.com/moondancingstudio/main.htm)

She was in her 30's when she quit films and went back to dance, she was first scouted for films because of her aptitude in dancing.


荃灣青山道298 號南豐中心 2104A 室
Room 2104A, Nan Fung Centre,
298 Castle Peak Road,
Tsuen Wan, N.T. Hong Kong
電話/Tel：(852) 2612 4454


10041

Moon Lee Reminisces about her Film Career

"Having a grounding in and really knowing kung fu are two different things.Just knowing the basics, you have no real power not like kung fu.
I really fooled many people into believing I was a skilled fighter"
I think she would have been better off to staying the film world in some capacity especially with those looks. Teaching Chinese dance was extremely limited and the competition too severe. Too bad she had been completely grounded in real kung fu, she would have been more resilient in handling the divorce scandal.

《殭屍先生》 李賽鳳的專訪


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnZRCcAqITw

10042


I think the husband in the scandal was more in love with his own face than anyone else He is so twisted and ungiving as shown on his blog. He can't even acknowledge that Moon Lee inspired him to an interest in Dance and dance productions. We must always honor our roots no matter how we feel about them. Given that I think his artistic output and creativity must be negatively affected ie in his theatre productions. It's a type of woodenness.
To this day he is trying to persecute Moon Lee and even stop her from writing her own blog. He writes and in English and indicates the HK press doesn't favor him too much, he just doesn't get it about honoring talent and accomplishment.
So he re-married one of Moon Lee's dancers (Moon Lee II :p ) from her troupe playing out the role of Chinese Boss with Concubine. :rolleyes:

[Jimbo]

I read some of what the husband had to say, and it's obvious that, contrary to what he claims, he is definitely not over Moon Lee. If he were, he would have moved on. He's clearly still spiteful, even referring to the boy she had an affair with as 'not good-looking'. Seriously, how is that a factor? Would it have made him happier if she'd cheated on him with Magic Mike? And if the photos say anything, in the looks department, he isn't one to talk about others' appearance. Of course she did something very wrong. But he says he's moved on but obviously has not.

Of course, I wasn't there and it's really none of my business. I don't take anyone's side in this matter. But to me, her ex-husband seems to be the stereotyped 'rich Chinese man' who married a HK actress. Probably more for his money than anything else. And he probably married her for her looks and maybe because she was an actress. From the outside looking in, sounds pretty superficial to me.

[Jimbo]

I mentioned in an earlier post about a screen fighter's ability to project 'fire'/intensity onscreen. IMO, this is essential for any screen fighter, unless someone is playing a soulless robot. This intensity can be projected in different ways and to varying degrees, depending on the individual and situation in the storyline. But 'spirit' and personality are necessary to come across as more convincing and to project power in a movie. I believe it's what Bruce Lee referred to as 'emotional content'. It's what gives choreographed fight scenes in movies a sense of immediacy or 'danger', and also gives the impression of power.

Whereas in real life fighting, it's generally better to be cold and non-expressive. It's not an appearance thing but a focus thing. Fighting onscreen and for real are two very different things.

In these scenes from Karate Girl, the younger girl wearing black is a perfect example of someone having very impressive technical ability but no 'fire'/intensity. Unless she is playing some emotionless, mind-controlled slave, there is no reason for her to be so wooden. Plus, the fight choreography overall is what I refer to as a 'bowling pin setup'; the opponents just stand there and wait to be knocked down, or are otherwise offering little to no resistance. They don't appear to want to harm her at all. Thus it comes across like a TKD demo you would see at a tournament or public exhibition. It would be interesting to see how the main star, Rina Takeda, and the younger girl in black would perform under a different director or choreographer who does emphasize expressiveness.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEi9jKR6tNc&sns=em

[GeneChing]

We've discussed Rina Takeda on the following threads:
High Kick Girl (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=57528)
Karate Girl aka KG (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=60107)
The Kunoichi: Ninja Girl (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=60108)
Dead Sushi (デッド寿司) (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?64542-Dead-Sushi-(%26%2312487%3B%26%2312483%3B%26%2312489%3B%26%232 3551%3B%26%2321496%3B))

Perhaps I'll chase down some of the other aforementioned women here, just for archival sake. Or maybe one of you can.

[Jimbo]

Angela Mao Ying was the first female KF star who excelled in screen fighting with hands and feet. In her earlier films, her trademark glare was unmatched.

She is an alumna of Taiwan's Fu Hsing Opera School. Also early in her career, after she had some Hapkido training, it was widely reported that she fought off a knife-wielding mugger by kicking him.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdoXoDnLOo4&sns=em

[mickey]

Greetings,

I completely fault the director for that trash. I could only watch 1:47 of that. The choreography appeared rushed, not giving the actress enough time to really get the moves down. Did I say actress? She may not be one at all.

mickey

[Jimbo]

mickey:

I would agree that the little girl in black in Karate Girl does not appear to be an actress, but Rina Takeda (the girl in the school uniform) is definitely an actress. She starred in the quiet, non-MA-related drama The Tale of Iya (2013) in a 100% dramatic role.

It's clear to me that the little girl in black has trained MA stunt work, and probably acrobatics/gymnastics. But not acting.

[wolfen]

I read some of what the husband had to say, and it's obvious that, contrary to what he claims, he is definitely not over Moon Lee. If he were, he would have moved on. He's clearly still spiteful, even referring to the boy she had an affair with as 'not good-looking'. Seriously, how is that a factor? Would it have made him happier if she'd cheated on him with Magic Mike? And if the photos say anything, in the looks department, he isn't one to talk about others' appearance. Of course she did something very wrong. But he says he's moved on but obviously has not.

Of course, I wasn't there and it's really none of my business. I don't take anyone's side in this matter. But to me, her ex-husband seems to be the stereotyped 'rich Chinese man' who married a HK actress. Probably more for his money than anything else. And he probably married her for her looks and maybe because she was an actress. From the outside looking in, sounds pretty superficial to me.

Persecution! OMG In husband's latest posts he wants Moon Lee to stop maintaining her travel Blog on Sina.com, stop 'pretending' she is happy and stop having many fans that follow her. He threatened to persecute her endlessly with the "sins of her past" until she stops writing on her Blog.
Now that is persecution.



Of course she did something very wrong.
That's taking sides and a subjective value judgment. My judgment is no. She was just expressing her inner self in an opportunistic environment. . I'll bet the husband failed to negotiate this type of behaviour beforehand.
As Woody Allen said.. ' Sex without love is a meaningless experience, but as far as meaningless experiences go its pretty **** good' and actually their relationship was not without love. Rich men with beautiful young women far from being superficial is how the world works outside the domain of SJW activists.. You could probably say it's a cornerstone in the history of China. No SJW's back in the Ming Dynasty.
...
The husband is a cuck not because she banged the young guy or others but because he didn't understand his wife's nature was and why she was with him. He should have known what she was going to do even before she did. He could have either negotiated with her beforehand or had her watched by a bodyguard (preferably a gay guy or eunuch :D ) or PI's and nipped any affairs which he should have expected in the bud. He could have easily threatened or paid off the young guy and gotten rid of him without even Moon knowing.
He enjoyed her sex, her company, affection and shared in the limelight of her fame and glamour. You've got to pay your bills for the worth given you, and not complain about the price. When you've got a nympho younger beautiful wife, you got to keep an eye on her and keep her away from opportunity and temptation. He doesn't look like Brad Pitt so he must have been kidding himself as to why she married him.
..
I'm on her side, In the kungfu entertainment industry, you are only as good as your last kick and one bad move can cripple you leaving you in the poorhouse.. marrying a rich guy trading in on your beauty and fame is a good and traditional retirement package.
Moon offered him that she would not make any claims on his estate if only he would make some statements to keep the scandal quiet. He refused! He didn't even negotiate it. Instead he smeared both her and himself in public. He's American-Chinese so maybe that accounts for his un-Asian like attitude of not keeping things quiet and not saving face.




China's mistress culture (http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/CHIN-01-291013.html)

In China, sex and power are a pair. State-run Xinhua News recently found that 95% of all corrupt officials in China also kept mistresses. And Tom Doctoroff, an economist, estimates that second wives probably account for one-third of China's entire consumption of luxury goods. :eek: :D

[Jimbo]

Hsia Kuang-Li was probably the most underrated of the female KF/action stars. There are probably several reasons for this. For one, she was in fewer films than many of her contemporaries as well as later female action stars. Secondly, most of the films she was in were Taiwan independents (one notable exception being 1983's Zu: Warriors of the Magic Mountain). Thirdly, and probably most importantly, she was mostly cast as supporting characters. Fourth, she was better in period KF films than in modern-day action films. She started out in films in the late '70s, as the golden era of KF films was beginning to wind down and the modern action film was about to take off big-time. Her modern action roles were even smaller. She did continue acting in Taiwan TV series, and also appeared in variety shows and commercials throughout the 1980s and into the 1990s.

Probably best known in the West for co-starring in The Invincible Kung Fu Legs (a.k.a., The Leg Fighters), her best role was arguably in The Woman Avenger (a.k.a., Fatal Claws, Deadly Kicks), which appeared to be inspired by the 1971 Euro-Western Hannie Caulder. She never before or after played such a strong leading role in a movie. It would have been interesting to see what she could have done in the period Shaw Brothers films.

Hsia Kuang-Li was a graduate of Taiwan's Lu Kuang (Peking/Beijing Opera) Academy, and also had a background in dance.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HONZ6IzCT3Y&sns=em

[Jimbo]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-57L5kD0Cnc&sns=em

[Jimbo]

Joyce Godenzi (Gao Lihong) was a former beauty queen who very successfully transitioned into action films. Any MA background she had was limited to being trained for films, but she was very convincing as a screen fighter. In fact, along with the right choreography, her fighting looked better onscreen than many real-life fighters and MAists who have appeared or starred in films. This is not an uncommon occurrence, as choreography, cinematography...not to mention the ability of the individual to pick things up, follow directions, and project a degree of charisma...are far more important onscreen than actual fighting ability. Quite often, real-life fighters can lack these qualities, or they just do not translate well into movies.

Joyce Godenzi is the wife of Sammo Hung.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lBUa1EZj4I&sns=em

[Jimbo]

Liu Hao-Yi (a.k.a., Hilda Liu) was actually my shi-jie ("elder teacher-sister"/senior classmate) at the first northern style school (Long Fist and Mantis) I trained at during my first few years in Taiwan.

A large painted image of Liu Hao-Yi and her co-star Alexander Lo Rei advertising the movie Shaolin Chastity Kung Fu can be seen briefly in the Madonna movie Desperately Seeking Susan.

This clip is taken from the movie Cute Foster Sister (a.k.a., Horse Boxing Killer).


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkUnuOcuaHU&sns=em

[Jimbo]

Yeung Jing-Jing (alternate spelling: Yang Ching-Ching) was generally cast in supporting roles or bit parts, and AFAIK never actually 'starred' as the leading (or co-leading) character in a movie.

She was much better in period KF and wuxia films than in her later 'modern-day' action films. She specialized in sword (jian) and saber (dao) play. In this clip from The Treasure Hunters, she plays the mute sister of the lead villain, played by Wang Lung-Wei.


http://youtu.be/opCkaCr1mBo

[Jimbo]

No doubt that Cynthia Rothrock was the most successful female westerner (or westerner, period) ever in HK action films. She was certainly the most prolific, as far as starring roles there, of which there were several. This was pretty much unheard of until she entered the scene. She showed that she could hang with the 'big boys' in the bruising, hard-core world of HK action filmmaking of the mid-'80s to early '90s, which says a lot. Unfortunately, her later American and Canadian movies (the movies themselves) were generally pretty abysmal. Which shows that the director, choreographer, cinematographer and fellow performers have a LOT to do with how well a MA performer comes across onscreen, regardless of how talented he/she may be.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGhCxm0b4No&sns=em

[Jimbo]

Etsuko Shihomi was a member of Sonny Chiba's Japan Action Club, and during her heyday, was often considered Japan's answer to Angela Mao Ying. Her acting career began in the early to mid-'70s, until she retired from films in the mid-'80s.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHVuqg0NCsI&sns=em

[Jimbo]

Shang-Kuan Ling Feng (a.k.a., Polly Shang-Kuan)

Her film career began with the classic Dragon Inn (a.k.a., Dragon Gate Inn, 1967). She eventually earned black belts in three arts: Tae Kwon Do, karate and judo. Unlike some of the other early female stars, she did not have a Peking (Beijing) Opera background, yet she became an excellent performer in fight sequences when she was allowed to let loose and display her empty-handed MA talents. She often played mischievous tomboy characters.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtSk9CeSuQY&sns=em

[Jimbo]

Cheng Pei-Pei began her career at Shaw Brothers Studios in the early 1960s. She had a considerable background in dance. Although she isn't the first female to play fighting roles in Chinese and Asian cinema, she was the first to become a superstar. She definitely paved the way for those who followed in her footsteps.

Cheng Pei-Pei initially retired from films in the early 1970s and moved to Los Angeles to teach dance. During this time, Bruce Lee became the big thing in HK, along with KF fighting films (as opposed to the wuxia films she had starred in). After Chuck Norris's screen fight with BL, Cheng Pei-Pei sought him out and studied some Tang Soo Do under him at the school he ran in L.A. at the time. In 1974, Cheng Pei-Pei returned to HK to join the trend of films emphasizing empty-hand fighting. This time around, however, her return films were not as well-received.

She returned to film work yet again in the early 1980s, starting with the low-budget Taiwanese actioner Lady Piranha (a.k.a., Lunatic Frog Women; a.k.a., Virgin Commandos).

Her most famous work in the West is of course Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, but prior to that she had many classic hits, such as Come Drink With Me, The Lady Hermit, Brothers Five, The Shadow Whip, to name but a few.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9u-odPv-Dkw&sns=em

[GeneChing]

But I got this...


No doubt that Cynthia Rothrock was the most successful female westerner (or westerner, period) ever in HK action films.

Cover Master for the FEB+MAR 1996 (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/magazine/article.php?article=54) issue.

http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/images/mzine/kf601.jpg


Cheng Pei-Pei began her career at Shaw Brothers Studios in the early 1960s. She had a considerable background in dance. Although she isn't the first female to play fighting roles in Chinese and Asian cinema, she was the first to become a superstar.

Cheng Pei Pei: Hong Kong's First Queen of Kung Fu Film (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=333) by Craig Reid

:)

[Jimbo]

Thanks, Gene.

This clip is from My Lucky Stars:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Jj56YHp3qI&sns=em

[Jimbo]

Wong Mei-Mei (Mandarin: Huang Mei-Mei), appeared in many Shaw Brothers films, and some independents. Generally known for her swordplay and kicking skills, she clearly had a dance background. She was usually cast in good to decent movies.

She appeared in:
Monkey Kung Fu (a.k.a., Stroke of Death)
Five Superfighters
The Master Strikes
Lovers' Blades
Rendezvous with Death
Ambitious Kung Fu Girl
The Kid from Kwangtung
The Boxer from the Temple
And others...

However, her career started late in the 'golden era' of KF cinema, and she wasn't always given the opportunity to play characters as strong as some of the other women of KF cinema. She always played supporting characters.

Here in a small role, she teams up with Cynthia Rothrock against Richard Norton:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHTdvte0gmk&sns=em

[Jimbo]

Lung Chun-Erh (a.k.a., Doris Lung)

Lung Chun-Erh was in a remarkable number of Taiwanese KF films from the early '70s to the early '80s, including a film alongside Jackie Chan (Half a Loaf of Kung Fu). However, there are surprisingly few short clips featuring her on YouTube, and apparently no showcase clips.
She appeared to have learned MA strictly for the movies, and while clearly nowhere near as skillful as, say, an Angela Mao, her screen fighting was certainly passable, and she had the requisite 'intent'. Unfortunately, after she attempted suicide three different times, directors became reluctant to work with her, and sometime in the late 1980s, her arrest for shoplifting made news in Taiwan. I wish her the best.

Many of her movies can be seen online, but this clip from Kid's Ace in the Hole (a.k.a., Fighting Ace) is the only *brief* clip I could find of her clearly in action, even though she's not the featured fighter.

*Note:
Clicking this video takes you to YouTube to watch it.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLbqF1ZRnzI&sns=em

[Jimbo]

Shih Szu was at her best as a swordswoman in a number of wuxia films, my personal favorite being The Black Tavern. She had studied ballet since childhood, but her onscreen fighting performances were never at the level of skill, power or intensity of Angela Mao or other top female action stars who had considerable martial or martial-related training prior to getting into movies, whether it be Peking/Beijing Opera, actual MA, or otherwise. But Shih Szu clearly worked very hard at it and always gave her all. And she had the charisma to carry a role.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnA-PPtwItM&sns=em

[mickey]

Greetings Jimbo,

This is my first time really looking at Shih Tzu. From viewing the montage she appeared to have ben versatile. The choreography shown did not appear have a "cinematic signature" of movement that actors/actresses who followed her had. It was easier for them to rely on a familiar series of movements with slight changes from movie to movie. Ti Lung, for example, had a recurring move where he would jump atop a prop and backflip off it. Wong Cheng Li and Tan Tao Liang had their familiar kicking combinations, etc. Maybe you have seen otherwise with her.


mickey

[Jimbo]

mickey:

I do agree that Shih Szu didn't seem to have any signature moves. I feel that could have been for a variety of reasons, including:

She was not a MAist and didn't have a set of moves to draw from aside from being choreographed.

The choreographers that worked with her(?).

The relatively early period in KF/wuxia films in which she did most of her action (i.e., early '70s 'basher-style' action).

Again, comparing Shih Szu to Angela Mao, from 0:45 is a scene taken from The Champion (a.k.a., Shanghai Lil and the Sun Luck Kid):


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pc25VWzAkWw&sns=em

*Continued next post...

[Jimbo]

...continued from previous post...

Shih Szu's scene in The Champion was obviously inspired by Angela Mao's dojo fight scene in Hapkido, in the video clip below, which itself was derived from Bruce Lee's dojo scene in Fist of Fury.

Angela Mao had signature moves, combining certain kicks from both Hapkido and Peking/Beijing Opera, especially her spinning kicks, as well as the Hapkido locks and throws. Notice how in Angela's fight scene, her physical skill, as well as her attitude, is far more convincing than Shih Szu's. Angela's moves also have fewer (or zero) incidences of 'clear misses' and 'false reactions' from the opponents (i.e., falling down in pain when the heroine's actions were clearly inadequate to have caused such a reaction) than Shih Szu's. Angela is far more convincing and looks like she's actually hurting her opponents:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cQt-rJF_Mc&sns=em

Note:
This is not an indictment of Shih Szu as an actress or as a performer, but is merely an opinion/observation based on her screen fighting.

[mickey]

Hi Jimbo,

I see the difference. My memory of Angela Mao was always one of intense action

Additionally, Shih Tzu's team did not sell very well. makes me wonder how good they were. Then again, we discussed this era of choreography before.

I especially enjoyed the last 15 seconds of the Angela Mao clip. Even though she may have been shorter than the men, the shot made it seem if she walked towards them, she would suddenly tower over them: a true "little giant"
moment.

Thank you for sharing.

mickey

[GeneChing]

My memory of Angela Mao was always one of intense action


My memory of Angela Mao is forever tainted by Stoner (1974). Those who've seen it know what I mean.

If you haven't seen it, it's one of the greatest Bond-xploitation flicks ever. :cool:

[Jimbo]

Shannon Lee looked surprisingly good in this movie (Enter the Eagles), considering she was only in a few films. She looked even better in the action department than her brother Brandon, although she could have done without the (predictable) Bruce Lee mannerisms. A lot of the credit should go to director Corey Yuen (Yuen Kwai); he excels at directing women in his action films and choreographing them to look great in their fight scenes.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzRpsRSbmIw&sns=em

[Jimbo]

Cynthia Khan (real name: Yang Li-Ching)

The stage name Cynthia Khan was a combination given to her due to the popularity of Cynthia Rothrock and Michelle Khan (Michelle Yeoh) at the time. Yang Li-Ching, originally from Chiayi, Taiwan, started out with a dance background and later studied TKD. She made many movies during the "girls with guns" era, along with Michelle Yeoh, Cynthia Rothrock, Moon Lee, Yukari Oshima, Michilo Nishiwaki, etc. Unlike many of her contemporaries, when the "GWG" era ended, she successfully transitioned to some wuxia/period pieces.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFxgK5LbfK8&sns=em

[Jimbo]

In this scene from the excellent 2002 action film So Close, director Corey Yuen displays his ability to make non-MA actresses look not only passable as MA-trained characters, but also capable of creating scenes that are effective to the storyline and the characters that allows for suspension of disbelief. So while it is obvious to anyone who is MA-trained that these actresses are not actual MAists, this observation does not negatively affect the scene or the movie. This scene features Shu Qi vs. Karen Mok, with Vicky Zhao on the sidelines.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suZvDDIEIZw&sns=em

[-N-]

So while it is obvious to anyone who is MA-trained that these actresses are not actual MAists, this observation does not negatively affect the scene or the movie. This scene features Shu Qi vs. Karen Mok, with Vicky Zhao on the sidelines.



It's not possible to negatively affect any scene that has both Shu Qi and Zhao Wei in it at the same time :D

[Jimbo]

It's not possible to negatively affect any scene that has both Shu Qi and Zhao Wei in it at the same time :D

Lol, can't argue with that!

My favorite part of that scene is not even the fighting, but the nonverbal communication between Vicky Zhao and Karen Mok's male partner when he tries to spot some skin on both Karen and Shu Qi.

[Jimbo]

The Outlaw Brothers (1990) end fight.

Yukari Ohshima and Frankie Chan vs. Mark Houghton (broadsword) and Jeff Falcon (fan). Also featuring Michiko Nishiwaki:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzCM6zSngkQ&sns=em

[Jimbo]

Yuen Qiu (a.k.a., Kan Chia-Fong)

Yuen Qiu was an elder classmate of Sammo Hung, Jackie Chan, etc., at Yu Jim-Yuen's Peking (Beijing) Opera school. Her first international exposure came in one of her earliest films, The Man with the Golden Gun, as one of two schoolgirls who team up with James Bond (Roger Moore) to fight off a group of karate students. Yuen Qiu is the girl with the shorter hair. Here is the first clip:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=is06x_T6yjE&sns=em

**CONTINUED NEXT POST...

[Jimbo]

...CONTINUED from previous post...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNYbKarDgK0&sns=em

**CONTINUED NEXT POST...

[Jimbo]

...CONTINUED from previous post:

Yuen Qiu went on to appear in numerous KF films, including Dragon's Claws. Here she plays the mother of the main character played by Lau Kar-Yung (nephew of Lau Kar-Leung):


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubZMSC5XEC8&sns=em

**CONTINUED NEXT POST...

[Jimbo]

...CONTINUED from previous post...

Yuen Qiu also made a brief appearance here in the Shaw Brothers film Disciples of the 36th Chamber, fighting Fong Sai-Yuk, played by Hsiao Hou. Here she played Miu Tsui-Fa, a mistress of the "northern kick":


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTOlDSZyBgw&sns=em

**CONTINUED NEXT POST...

[Jimbo]

...CONTINUED from previous post...

After Disciples of the 36th Chamber, it would be nearly 20 years before Yuen Qiu's next screen appearance and resurrection of her film career. Her big comeback is also the role she became best known for, as The Landlady in Kung Fu Hustle. In this scene, she and fellow opera school classmate Yuen Wah face off against Fung Hak-On and Yuen Cheung-Yan (brother of Yuen Woo-Ping):


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5lanjFi6qo&sns=em

[Jimbo]

Loretta Yang (Yang Hui-Shan). Often billed by KF movie fans as Elsa Yeung.

She was considered one of Taiwan's all-time top actresses, mostly for her dramatic work, but she also appeared or starred in several KF films as well. In Taiwanese cinema, Loretta was classed similarly to Brigitte Lin Ching-Hsia.

After leaving acting, she became one of the world's top glass artists. IMO, as a glass artist, Loretta Yang has surpassed the level of her previous profession as an actress. Her glass art is truly phenomenal. And she still looks great at 65.

Note:
Her husband, the director Chang Yi, is NOT the same Chang Yi as the old-school KF movie actor (who usually portrayed villains).


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WharozWAwm0&sns=em