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Once Upon A Time In China
1993
In one of the recurring gags of ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA, attempts to take Wong Fei Hung's picture always fail. The failure to capture the image of Wong (Jet Li) serves as an appropriate metaphor for the place of the Ching Dynasty folk hero in Chinese cultural memory. A legendary master of a variety of kung fu styles, Wong has .. Read more
| Starring | Jet Li, Rosamund Kwan, Yuen Biao, Jacky Cheung |
|---|---|
| Director | Tsui Hark |
| Genres | Action/Adventure, World Cinema |
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Once Upon A Time In China
In one of the recurring gags of ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA, attempts to take Wong Fei Hung's picture always fail. The failure to capture the image of Wong (Jet Li) serves as an appropriate metaphor for the place of the Ching Dynasty folk hero in Chinese cultural memory. A legendary master of a variety of kung fu styles, Wong has been subject to numerous interpretations in dime novels and films since the 1930s. In the late 1970s an irreverent portrait of the young Wong Fei Hung emerged in DRUNKEN MASTER. In director Tsui Hark's hand, the beloved historical figure is given the full lionized treatment as he fights for dignity and self-determination against Western imperialists. A revisionist drama that recalls the struggle of the small-property owner fighting for her land in Sergio Leone's ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST, Hark's epic is both a tragic and heroic examination of China's transition to modernity. Like the best of Hark's films (ZU: WARRIORS OF THE MAGIC MOUNTAIN), ONCE UPON A TIME contains imaginative fight sequences, including "no-shadow" kicks and a thrilling battle using bamboo ladders.
| Starring | Jet Li, Rosamund Kwan, Yuen Biao, Jacky Cheung |
|---|---|
| Director | Tsui Hark |
| Studio | E1 ENTERTAINMENT |
| Run time | DVD: 2 hrs 8 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Action/Adventure, World Cinema |
| Language | Cantonese, Chinese |
| Released | DVD: 22 Jan 2001 Production year: 1993 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (3)
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Tsui Hark has been trawling his childhood memories of Hong Kong for years, looking for stories to remake and heroes to... read more on Time Out
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"...Balletic displays of martial arts prowess....A witty, extravagantly picturesque homage to Sergio Leone..."
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Most helpful member's review
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38 out of 50 people found this review helpful
Complete Rubbish
Overhyped and simply doesn't deliver. Ignore that fawning review titled 'Perfection' - this movie pretends at grandeur but is a real stinker. Cinematography - cliched. Plot - bobbins, particularly the toe-curling slapstick comedy bits, presumably for the cabbage throwers in the pit. Oh yeah, the transfer is rubbish as well. The people who think this is cinema need their eyes examined.
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Most recent members' review
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1 out of 1 person found this review helpful
Half way house
This is a bit of a half way house between the wonderful historical epics of Kaige Chen and Zhang Yimou and bad 70s Kung Fu movies. Not bad but slightly over cheesy for modern tastes.
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Once Upon A Time In China
In one of the recurring gags of ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA, attempts to take Wong Fei Hung's picture always fail. The failure to capture the image of Wong (Jet Li) serves as an appropriate metaphor for the place of the Ching Dynasty folk hero in Chinese cultural memory. A legendary master of a ...
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