For many people karate movies are all about the action. When you mention them, it is the fight scenes, with people flying across the screen, and super fast kicks and punches that come to mind. But there is another element that has blended so well in these films in the past and that is comedy.
It may seem a strange blend, but in truth, action and comedy have always worked well together, and its been a tried and tested formula for almost a century. Many of the old silent comedies were in fact borderline action films, as the comedy was extremely physical. And you can see their influence in many of the karate movies today, especially those starring Jackie Chan.
Jackie Chan was born in Hong Kong in 1954 and started training at the China Opera School when he was just 6. He began to break into movies in the 1970's playing small parts, and even had moments with Bruce Lee in Fist of Fury and Enter The Dragon. After Lee died, many people tried to fill his shoes, but rather than copy him, Jackie Chan began to develop his own style. By 1978 he had appeared in a number of movies but it was that year's Drunken Master that started his rise to stardom.
Jackie loved the comedy of those silent greats like Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd and he started to combine martial arts with this comedic-style. When he directed The Young Master in 1980, it started a trend in Hong Kong as the two genres blended seamlessly.
Despite his Asian success, Jackie Chan struggled to break into the American market. His first attempt in 1980 with the Big Brawl was disappointing, as was the chance he got in Cannonball Run a year or so later. Jackie was cast as a Japanese driver and barely got to show a martial arts skill.
Throughout his career Jackie was fortunate to have his friend Sammo Hung alongside him. They had gone to the China Opera School together, and moved into movies at the same time. Sammo also brought a comedic touch to the films and directed or choreographed many of Jackie's movies. He also starred in most of them and also had a brief run in American television, when he played the lead role in the TV show, Martial Law.
Rumble in the Bronx in 1995 finally fared well with American audiences and soon Jackie Chan was starring in a number of big Hollywood comedy action movies like the Rush Hour series, Shanghai Noon and its sequel Shanghai Knights, The Tuxedo and Around the World in 80 Days.
Another Hong Kong actor and director who uses comedy brilliant in karate movies is Stephen Chow, who counts Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung as two of his biggest influences. After breaking into TV and films as an actor in the Eighties, he started to direct more and soon his films began to get popular. When he made Shaolin Soccer, the rest of the world started to take notice, leading to his next film getting a huge budget. That film was Kung Fu Hustle, which would go on to become Hong Kong's most successful movie at the box office ever. Chow even got his hero Sammo Hung to help direct a few scenes in it. Kung Fu Hustle was also released in more cinemas in America than other foreign-language film in history.
It may seem a strange blend, but in truth, action and comedy have always worked well together, and its been a tried and tested formula for almost a century. Many of the old silent comedies were in fact borderline action films, as the comedy was extremely physical. And you can see their influence in many of the karate movies today, especially those starring Jackie Chan.
Jackie Chan was born in Hong Kong in 1954 and started training at the China Opera School when he was just 6. He began to break into movies in the 1970's playing small parts, and even had moments with Bruce Lee in Fist of Fury and Enter The Dragon. After Lee died, many people tried to fill his shoes, but rather than copy him, Jackie Chan began to develop his own style. By 1978 he had appeared in a number of movies but it was that year's Drunken Master that started his rise to stardom.
Jackie loved the comedy of those silent greats like Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd and he started to combine martial arts with this comedic-style. When he directed The Young Master in 1980, it started a trend in Hong Kong as the two genres blended seamlessly.
Despite his Asian success, Jackie Chan struggled to break into the American market. His first attempt in 1980 with the Big Brawl was disappointing, as was the chance he got in Cannonball Run a year or so later. Jackie was cast as a Japanese driver and barely got to show a martial arts skill.
Throughout his career Jackie was fortunate to have his friend Sammo Hung alongside him. They had gone to the China Opera School together, and moved into movies at the same time. Sammo also brought a comedic touch to the films and directed or choreographed many of Jackie's movies. He also starred in most of them and also had a brief run in American television, when he played the lead role in the TV show, Martial Law.
Rumble in the Bronx in 1995 finally fared well with American audiences and soon Jackie Chan was starring in a number of big Hollywood comedy action movies like the Rush Hour series, Shanghai Noon and its sequel Shanghai Knights, The Tuxedo and Around the World in 80 Days.
Another Hong Kong actor and director who uses comedy brilliant in karate movies is Stephen Chow, who counts Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung as two of his biggest influences. After breaking into TV and films as an actor in the Eighties, he started to direct more and soon his films began to get popular. When he made Shaolin Soccer, the rest of the world started to take notice, leading to his next film getting a huge budget. That film was Kung Fu Hustle, which would go on to become Hong Kong's most successful movie at the box office ever. Chow even got his hero Sammo Hung to help direct a few scenes in it. Kung Fu Hustle was also released in more cinemas in America than other foreign-language film in history.
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