Now, so many martial arts and kung fu movies are produced that people tend to take them for granted. But, over the course of history, these films have changed, adding elements and spreading all over the world. Despite recent innovations, though, people love the action and fighting styles that these films showcase. This is the aspect that never seems to go out of style.
Believe it or not, people shot martial arts and kung fu movies from the silent film era. One of the most famous is the Burning of the Red Lotus Monastery. This drew upon a series that appeared in a newspaper. The resulting series of films would total 27 hours if viewed as a whole. This extremely long movie did, in fact, become a hit with a wide audience.
One thing that pops into people's minds when they think of this genre is the tendency to include large fight scenes. These can include dozens of people, including extras, trained martial artists and other actors. To do this well, though, many cameras are required. Of course, now, computer-generated images can cut down on the number of people needed to fill out a scene.
It wasn't until the 1970s, though, that the genre began to spread to a broader audience. A lot of this had to do with the actor and martial artist Bruce Lee. His films in Hong Kong took the industry by storm and found an audience in the West as well. Also, through making these movies, he inspired future generations of actors.
North American and European audiences came to love the fast-paced action. Also, Lee's films occasionally included other martial artists, introducing the world to many new stars. The success of these films also drew other actors to try their hand at them as well.
Names like Chuck Norris, Steven Seagal and Jean Claude Van Damme came to prominence during this time. They used their skills to put on a show in Hollywood films that reached massive audiences. This breathed new life into the genre and gave it a different flavor. Hollywood used some of the typical elements of the genre and mixed them with new plots in a variety of locations.
One exciting recent development, though, is that much of the momentum is swinging back to Asia. Actors like Jackie Chan remain extremely popular in Asia and the rest of the world. Mainland China is also producing high quality movies now and several actors have risen to the industry's top there. Even places like Thailand have an industry with a global reach. Tony Jaa is considered by many to be one of the next big stars.
Fashion and aesthetics change over time, which has a lot to do with how popular martial arts and kung fu movies at any given time. But behind the fluctuations in popularity, these films have something inherent in them that always strikes a chord with viewers from many different backgrounds. Whatever this something is, it ensures that fans will not have to worry about finding new motion pictures to watch, year in and year out.
Believe it or not, people shot martial arts and kung fu movies from the silent film era. One of the most famous is the Burning of the Red Lotus Monastery. This drew upon a series that appeared in a newspaper. The resulting series of films would total 27 hours if viewed as a whole. This extremely long movie did, in fact, become a hit with a wide audience.
One thing that pops into people's minds when they think of this genre is the tendency to include large fight scenes. These can include dozens of people, including extras, trained martial artists and other actors. To do this well, though, many cameras are required. Of course, now, computer-generated images can cut down on the number of people needed to fill out a scene.
It wasn't until the 1970s, though, that the genre began to spread to a broader audience. A lot of this had to do with the actor and martial artist Bruce Lee. His films in Hong Kong took the industry by storm and found an audience in the West as well. Also, through making these movies, he inspired future generations of actors.
North American and European audiences came to love the fast-paced action. Also, Lee's films occasionally included other martial artists, introducing the world to many new stars. The success of these films also drew other actors to try their hand at them as well.
Names like Chuck Norris, Steven Seagal and Jean Claude Van Damme came to prominence during this time. They used their skills to put on a show in Hollywood films that reached massive audiences. This breathed new life into the genre and gave it a different flavor. Hollywood used some of the typical elements of the genre and mixed them with new plots in a variety of locations.
One exciting recent development, though, is that much of the momentum is swinging back to Asia. Actors like Jackie Chan remain extremely popular in Asia and the rest of the world. Mainland China is also producing high quality movies now and several actors have risen to the industry's top there. Even places like Thailand have an industry with a global reach. Tony Jaa is considered by many to be one of the next big stars.
Fashion and aesthetics change over time, which has a lot to do with how popular martial arts and kung fu movies at any given time. But behind the fluctuations in popularity, these films have something inherent in them that always strikes a chord with viewers from many different backgrounds. Whatever this something is, it ensures that fans will not have to worry about finding new motion pictures to watch, year in and year out.
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