Alexander Fu Sheng CLF pics

Publicity photos for the 1976 movie New Shaolin Boxers (a.k.a., Choy Lee Fut Siu Ji/Choy Lee Fut Kid). On film, Fu Sheng looked almost as comfortable performing CLF as he did Hung Kuen. One odd thing (IMO) is his right hand in the photo of him posing in Sow Choi position from 0:44.

IMO, Fu Sheng was at his physical peak in terms of performing KF during this time period (1974 through 1976). In the empty-hand photos, he is dressed in movie Qing-era 'Shaolin disciple' costume, but the actual movie takes place during the early Chinese Republic. And although I would have preferred it to have been set in the late Qing Dynasty, and I would have liked the training sequences to have involved more than only forms; IMO, to this day, New Shaolin Boxers is still the best and most extensive representation of CLF in a KF movie. Which is surprising, considering that CLF is such a major southern style. Compared to Hung Kuen and Wing Chun, there is comparatively little representation of CLF in the movies.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAJ__rO_n0M&sns=em

Note: The owner of the above vid does not allow it to be embedded.


And here is the movie's intro...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pik5yKbk64&sns=em

Greetings,

Thank you for the share, Jimbo.

Fu Sheng was discovered after taking second place in a Judo competition in Hawaii. It may have been his Judo training that gave him the kinetic maturation to hang in there with those who were in the business many years longer than he was.

mickey

Hi, mickey.

Yes, Fu Sheng had trained Judo, and also Karate as well, in Hawaii. He was something of a MA prodigy. According to reports, he picked things up extremely quickly, and had a great memory for movements. He was said to have been Lau Kar-Leung's favorite disciple. It's amazing how good he looked performing Kung Fu onscreen, considering he'd only had a couple to a few years' experience in Hung Kuen and CLF when he starred in the 'Shaolin Cycle' series of films. Certainly, his previous training in Judo and Karate helped, too.

He also had lots of natural charisma, and seemed to have excelled at the Shaw Brothers studios' acting school.

In his fight scenes in many of his earlier films, I always felt that Fu Sheng's movements looked more fluid and natural onscreen than some of his co-stars who had more years in CMA (Chi Kuan-Chun and Chen Kuan-Tai, for example). Especially in films like Disciples of Shaolin (my personal favorite), Heroes Two, Shaolin Martial Arts, and The Shaolin Avengers, for example.

Fu Sheng had some CLF training. His wife, Jenny's uncle was buk sing CLF and helped on the CLF Jai movie. I also heard he studied privately with some HK sifus.

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Originally Posted by CLFNole

Fu Sheng had some CLF training. His wife, Jenny's uncle was buk sing CLF and helped on the CLF Jai movie. I also heard he studied privately with some HK sifus.

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Thanks for the info!

I hadn't been aware that his wife's uncle had been CLF or had helped on the film.

I have a feeling that Fu Sheng had probably been learning CLF for a good while before the CLF movie was filmed. His fighting movements in his Shaolin-era fight scenes appeared to me to combine his Hung style with some CLF. I'm aware that Hung Kuen contains some long, sweeping arm strikes like CLF, but I'm talking more about the flavor of his overall movements. Especially in Disciples of Shaolin. Observe the looseness, agility and freestyle nature of his movements compared to the more strict and rigid ones of Gordon Liu, for example. And I do realize that choreographed fight scenes are just that, and not necessarily an indication of one's actual martial achievement. But Fu Sheng still had to have had the ability to move that way to have done that. I'm sure the previous Karate training he had also helped, too; he seemed to like showing off more high, Karate-like kicks than typical southern KF guys from that era.

Personally I think Fu Sheng looked great on film and he had a great stage presence but I think when he actually performs sets he was way too stiff. If you look at Lau Kar Leung's hung gar it has somewhat of a CLF flare to it and doesn't look like most hung gar. It moves faster and more fluid. His father Lau Jaam learned CLF before following Lam Sai Wing so there was likely some influence there.

I do feel that Fu Sheng looked a bit stiff when doing CLF sets, but I feel he was fluid doing Hung style. But then again, I have seen some long-time CLF students, as well as teachers from some lineages, who also move stiffly...even more so. Some schools seem to teach and practice that way, and some people just move more mechanically than others.

Yes, Lau Kar-Leung's Hung Kuen moved faster and more fluidly than most. I was aware that his father started out in CLF as well, which probably did influence the Lau family's Hung Kuen. Perhaps Fu Sheng's relative fluidity when performing Hung Kuen was from that influence.

IMO, compared to Cliff Lok's rendition of CLF in Choi Lee Fut and in Duel of the 7 Tigers, Fu Sheng's CLF sets were much more fluid and relaxed.

Hi, good thread.

Fu Sheng learnt CLF from Lau Kar Leung... LKL's curriculum focuses on gung gee, fu hok, then a CLF form, then tid sin kuen for it's rounded foundation.

The CLF form is called Sup Gee Mui Fah Kuen; with all the regular CLF stuff in it, charps, gwas, etc...

Fu Sheng knew this form early as 1973 - it's the one he demos on the soundstage at the beginning of Men From The Monastery... LKL does the same bit himself at start of My Young Auntie.

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He changed this style for NEW SHAOLIN BOXERS (1976; refer to previous entry) prominently displaying the Choy Li Fut style with the aid of three choreographers--Hsieh Hsing, Chen Hsin I and Chen Ji Liang.

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no mention of LKL teaching fu sheng any choy lee fut. at least not for the movie

Greetings,

That stiffness that some of you have observed actually comes from Shaolin. It happens when you train the form with strength and power. There is a loss of fluidness and things begin to look choppy.

mickey

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mickey

Greetings,

That stiffness that some of you have observed actually comes from Shaolin. It happens when you train the form with strength and power. There is a loss of fluidness and things begin to look choppy.

mickey

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Actually, CLF combines both flow and power. There are ways to generate power and strength (and speed) without necessarily stiffening up, especially when it's generated from the legs and the core. The combinations also generate momentum.

Greetings Jimbo,

Not to disagree with you at all. What I am talking about is a training phase. You do advance beyond that with Shaolin training, developing the flow and power that you have described. I was going to add this initially but decided not to. I thought it was not necessary to go that far.


mickey

Attachment 9945
i gave this T-Shirt to Lo Meng. he only express love and respect he had for his good friend Fu Sheng,

Jimbo,

Thanks for the video clip. I have not viewed the movie, but I would like to. It should be available in video rental. I am a big fan of Alexander Fu Seng.

With regards to his kung fu skill, I found it had improved significantly from 1976 onward. Probably because he has then became a student of Master Ka Leung, Lau. His moves in movies were more solid amd powerful. I had received such comment three months after training with a sifu before. It is a difficult observation to describe. I figure that it is likely to be understood and noticed only by the trained eyes (martial art people).



Regards,

KC
Hong Kong