The Black Belt Hall of Famer tournament champion who became an international film star talks about choosing a school, competing in tournaments, finding a role model and never giving up — just the message newbies need to hear.
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Martial Art Movies
The first martial arts film was made in Shanghai in 1905. Ding Jung Shan starred Beijing opera star Tan Xi-pei, and it gave birth to the first of China’s five martial arts cinema genres: wuxia pian. Loosely translated as “martial chivalrous-hero films,” wuxia movies are soaked in traditional tales and legends of superhuman swordsmen who fight with magical martial arts skills. These films influenced the Japanese chambara (sword fighting) films.
The second genre from China is the gongfu pian (kung fu films), which emerged in the late 1960s and were brought to prominence by Bruce Lee. These movies were filmed with characters who fought with more realistic skills. Because of the success of Jackie Chan’s kung fu films at Golden Harvest, rival studio Shaw Brothers tasked director Chang Cheh and fight director Liu Chia-liang to create the third genre of film. Guoshu pian (national art film) mixed kung fu film fights with the magic of wuxia.
In the early 1980s, Jackie Chan invented the fourth genre of film known as wuda pian (fight films using martial arts). In these films, he combined martial arts with dangerous stunts in contemporary settings. In fact, most martial arts films made today and around the world are influenced by Jackie Chan’s wuda vision.
In 1983, director Tsui Hark created the final genre known as Fant-Asia films. These revamped, stylized wuxia movies mixed frenetic over-the-top action mixed with far-out sight gags and gravity-defying wire-fu.
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Cynthia Rothrock: Best Advice for Beginners in the Martial Arts
– May 3, 2013 (3 weeks ago)
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King Boxer, Master of the Flying Guillotine and Other Awesome 1970s Martial Arts Movie Trailers!
– May 1, 2013 (3 weeks ago)
Turn on the “way back” machine for this collection of trailers from 1970s martial arts movies! Excerpts from the epic Ultimate Guide to Martial Arts Movies of the 1970s provide commentary and context as to their must-see status!
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Kung Fu Poster Exhibition to Open With Screening of Bruce Lee’s Enter the Dragon
– April 16, 2013
An exhibition titled “KICK ASS! Kung Fu Posters From the Stephen Chin Collection” will open in Beverly Hills, California. It will showcase martial arts movie memorabilia and feature a screening of the Bruce Lee blockbuster.
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Toshiro Mifune: The Man Who Brought the Samurai to Life in Martial Arts Movies
– April 1, 2013
Hear the phrase “samurai movie,” and chances are you’ll think of Toshiro Mifune. The accomplished actor portrayed a katana-wielding warrior in so many martial arts movies that he virtually created our image of the cinematic swordsman.
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Pan Qing Fu: The Story of the Man Who Owns the Toughest Knuckles in the Martial Arts
– March 29, 2013
Read the story of Master Pan, the real-life practitioner of iron-fist training who co-starred in Iron and Silk, as well as 1982′s The Shaolin Temple and several other action films.
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How Karen Sheperd Got Her Start in Martial Arts and Movies
– February 27, 2013
Karen Sheperd has been one of America’s best-known martial artists ever since her tournament days. Find out how she got started, why she switched from shotokan to kajukenbo, and what led to her first film role in a Tadashi Yamashita flick.
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Get Martial Arts Movie and Action-Movie Stars on Black Belt Covers For Your Home, Office or School!
– December 14, 2012
For a LIMITED TIME, you can get Black Belt magazine cover reprints featuring Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, Jet Li, Steven Seagal, Jean-Claude Van Damme and other stars for 50% OFF through our app on Facebook! (Hint: These make great holiday gifts!)
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Top 20 Martial Arts Films of All Time
– December 10, 2012
Dr. Craig D. Reid, author of the Ultimate Guide to Martial Arts Movies, lists his candidates for the top 20 martial arts films ever made! His list includes films featuring Tony Jaa, Jet Li and Bruce Lee! Did your favorites make the cut?
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Chuck Norris Movies: Lone Wolf McQuade and 23 Other Action Films Remembered by the Martial Arts Icon
– September 24, 2012
In the more than four decades he’s been in show business, Chuck Norris has built a name for himself that’s instantly recognized around the world. In his 2004 autobiography Against All Odds, Chuck Norris said he had to claw his way up from having a four-word bit part in his
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Jon Foo Stars in Bangkok Revenge: The Best Martial Arts Movie Since Ong-Bak?
– August 28, 2012
Is the new Jon Foo film, Bangkok Revenge, set to be the best martial arts movie since the Tony Jaa movie Ong-Bak? That’s what Karate Bushido magazine is saying!
Directed by Jean-Marc Mineo, Bangkok Revenge stars Jon Foo, an Irish-Chinese actor who began his martial arts training in London before
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