Marco Polo - Netflix Original Series

[sanjuro_ronin]

Movie Fu ALWAYS exaggerates, ALWAYS poses and ALWAYS slows things down for the audience to see.
I hear you N, everytime I see messed up Hung Kuen in the movies I roll my eyes too.
That said, what I have come to realize is that, regardless of style, what you get is 90% show moves that all audience can recognise as "cool" and 10% of legit "poses" from whatever MA style is being represented.

[-N-]

I get that.

Sometimes we get spoiled by this type of filmwork.



Great choreography, cinematography, and true to kf and styles on both physical and mental level.

Even more impressive with some of these actors like Tony Leung and Zhang Zi Yi having no kf training aside from for the their movie roles.

There's kung fu in film making too.

[Jimbo]

Movie Fu ALWAYS exaggerates, ALWAYS poses and ALWAYS slows things down for the audience to see.
I hear you N, everytime I see messed up Hung Kuen in the movies I roll my eyes too.
That said, what I have come to realize is that, regardless of style, what you get is 90% show moves that all audience can recognise as "cool" and 10% of legit "poses" from whatever MA style is being represented.

IMO, both Hung Kuen and Mantis have had far more (and better) representation onscreen than CLF. In comparison, CLF has hardly been represented in movies at all, which is incredible, considering it's one of the major CMA styles, at least in HK, SE Asia and in the West. When it is shown, it's usually only briefly. IMO, New Shaolin Boxers was the best overall onscreen presentation of stylized CLF. As you can see, it is full of posing in stereotypical CLF posture that are not on guard positions, but are merely shown for stylistic effect. In this film, they are taking the form movements literally:



The stylization and sometimes inaccurate application interpretations don't bother me, as I long ago reconciled the suspension of disbelief required for the movies and the reality of MA. Just like real-life shootouts are nothing like the gunfights in Sergio Leone spaghetti westerns or the 'bullet ballets' of old John Woo gangster movies.

[Jimbo]

Check out the part where Sifu Tsui Siu Ming talks about movie-fu and Mantis.

4:05

Also, check out as he demos Mantis applications while casually explaining what to look for.

6:00

Tsui Siu-Ming's stuff looks very good. Much preferable to me than the young guy's wushu mantis perfemance that precedes Tsui's demo. Tsui shows considerable knowledge of traditional NPM.

[-N-]

Check out the part where Sifu Tsui Siu Ming talks about movie-fu and Mantis.

4:05

Also, check out as he demos Mantis applications while casually explaining what to look for.

6:00

About the movie in that clip.

http://www.wu-jing.org/happenings/ar...-Siu-Ming.html

Lol. Devil Coach.

Put him on the crew of Marco Polo.

Duo Biao: Fiendish Training from Devil Coach Tsui Siu Ming

-- Duo Biao --

《夺标》 Duo Biao's martial arts choreography, which is 70% traditional and 30% innovation, shows the art of attack and defence of traditional Chinese kungfu, while carrying modern elements at the same time. Tsui Siu Ming and his team also dissected every move in the film, in order to spark sufficient interests from the jaded audiences.

3 months before filming, ****y Cheung was dragged to Hengdian for training, and the director specifically assigned a martial arts expert to watch over him practising Praying Mantis Boxing as well as retraining in wireworks.

However, even martial artists like Xu Xiang Dong and Xie Miao were not spared of training.

"I didn't understand back then. Why? We've been shooting films for so many years, I've been teaching as well as training in martial arts for 20 to 30 years, yet I was still required to go there for training." says the puzzled Xu Xiang Dong

"I've been training in martial arts in Beijing since the age of 7, the director kept asking what I had been learning. He told me where the faults of my moves were, admonished me for clenching my fists too tight, for keeping my legs too straight... He kept telling me all these." says Xie Miao.

Owing to his strictness and demands, director Tsui Siu Ming, who is a practitioner of Praying Mantis Boxing, earned himself the nickname of devil coach. Tsui Siu Ming sees this as a compliment: "I felt it an honour. For, this is a way to honour someone." Movie Report

Duo Biao is in post-production right now and Tsui Siu Ming is taking pains to ensure that the fights are shown in unadulterated form. Tsui Siu Ming believes that the audience's love for wushu movies lies in wushu per se, and exhilarating wushu is not represented by trickeries or rapid editing. So, the editing must let the audience witness the realism of wushu, rather than often abused modern techniques.

[-N-]

Btw, Tsui Siu Ming was senior classmate to Brendan Lai.

[Jimbo]

Btw, Tsui Siu Ming was senior classmate to Brendan Lai.

Interesting. I had not been aware that Tsui Siu Ming was a NPM practitioner. I always had the impression that he was from a Beijing (or Cantonese) opera background.

So he was senior to Brendan Lai? I only ask because Tsui was over a decade younger than Brendan Lai (although I know that age doesn't always have to do with KF seniority).

Sorry, Gene, for going OT.

[-N-]

Jimbo, I think I may have gotten two different Siu Mings confused.

So vs. Tsui.

I'll double check.

[-N-]

Interesting. I had not been aware that Tsui Siu Ming was a NPM practitioner. I always had the impression that he was from a Beijing (or Cantonese) opera background.

Jimbo, I think I may have gotten two different Siu Mings confused.

So vs. Tsui.

I'll double check.

Ok, the one I had in mind was So Siu Ming, 蘇小明.

Tsui Siu Ming is 徐小明.

Tsui Siu Ming does have NPM background though.

1:37

[GeneChing]

Frankly, I'm pleased to see any Kung Fu in anything. As to authenticity, I'm lenient with my criticisms because I know how difficult composing fight choreography is. It must be both cinematic and dramatic first for every viewer, and only authentic for a few select practitioners of the art. Very difficult indeed.

That being said, check this out: Marco Polo and Hundred Eyes: EXCLUSIVE SNEAK PEEK: THE MARTIAL ARTS OF MARCO POLO by Gene Ching.

[-N-]

As to authenticity, I'm lenient with my criticisms because I know how difficult composing fight choreography is. It must be both cinematic and dramatic first for every viewer, and only authentic for a few select practitioners of the art. Very difficult indeed.

Yep, that is the issue. Sorry for getting off on tangents.

[-N-]

I hadn't been paying attention to this program until Gene posted the clip recently and the Mantis discussion came up.

Looking into things more, I see that John Fusco's background is in Wahlum Mantis. Tom Wu's background is Hung Gar and Wushu. Chin Han had 5 months Mantis training for the program. Chin Han talks about it a little on Reddit.

https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/commen..._mother_could/

Kind of explains things.

[-N-]

That being said, check this out: Marco Polo and Hundred Eyes: EXCLUSIVE SNEAK PEEK: THE MARTIAL ARTS OF MARCO POLO by Gene Ching.

:43 Mantis claw to the top of head with simultaneous fortune cookie quote

At least it's not David Carradine

Well, all this talk got me to start watching a few episodes.

Best part so far is the Mongolian wrestling girl in the third episode.

She's hot and feisty!

[GeneChing]

Enter to win KungFuMagazine.com's contest for MARCO POLO Season 1 on DVD! Contest ends 5:30 p.m. PST on 12/28/2015

Sorry for getting off on tangents.

No need to apologize. Tangents doth this forum make. Been enjoying the vids you've been posting here. Indeed, Fusco is an earnest Mantis practitioner, which is one of many reasons why Marco Polo has such a mantis influence.

[GeneChing]

Anyone else see it? What was up with that Michelle Yeoh cameo? A teaser for next season, no doubt.

It struck me as a sort of homage to Carradine's Kung Fu series of the 70s - blind master espouses Kung Fu philosophy to a bald kid student. I was disappointed to see Jingim practicing Shaolin Qixing when the Hundred Eyes is from Wudang in this tale.