Wong Fei Hung (1991)

Director:

Hark Tsui

Writers:

Yiu Ming Leung (writer)
Pik-yin Tang (writer)

Release Date:

15 August 1991 (Hong Kong)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Drama | History

Tagline:

Never was a Hero needed more...

Plot:

Set in late 19th century Canton this martial arts film depicts the stance taken by the legendary martial...

Plot Keywords:

Martial Arts | Kung Fu | Hero | Warrior Culture | Doctor

Awards:

4 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Jet Li	...	Wong Fei-hung
Biao Yuen	...	Leung Fu
Rosamund Kwan	...	Aunt Yee
Jacky Cheung	...	Buck Teeth Soh
Steve Tartalia	...	Tiger
Kent Cheng	...	Porky Lang
Jonathan Isgar	...	Jackson
Shi-Kwan Yen	...	Iron Robe Yim (as Yee Kwan Yan)
Mark King	...	British general
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Bruce Fontaine	...	Policeman
Shun Lau	...	Naval Commander
Tsim Po Sham
Kien Shih	...	Old man who gives advise (Cameo)
Chi Yeung Wong	...	Commander Man
Ma Wu	...	Old Man
Simon Yam
Cheung-Yan Yuen
Kam-Fai Yuen	...	Kai
Shun-Yee Yuen	...	Honorable Manchu Soldier
Tony Yuen		(as Yuen Kam Fai)

Also Known As:

Once Upon a Time in China (Hong Kong: English title) (UK) (USA)
Huang Fei-hong (Hong Kong: Mandarin title)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence.

Runtime:

134 min | Germany:95 min (cut version) | USA:99 min (cut version)

Country:

Hong Kong

Language:

Cantonese | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Hong Kong:IIB | South Korea:15 | Netherlands:12 (DVD/VHS release) (2001) | Australia:MA (cable rating) | Australia:M (original rating) | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Germany:16 (re-rating) | Germany:18 (original rating) | Ireland:15 | Singapore:PG | UK:15 | USA:R | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Company:

Golden Harvest Company

Trivia:

Wong Fei-hung was a famous practitioner of hung gar kung fu, although the techniques Jet Li uses are mostly of the long fist method and tai chi.

Goofs:

Factual errors: A 31-star US flag is seen shortly after an adult Wong Fei Hung attempts to defend the Po Chi Lam clinic from a fiery attack. The 31-star flag was used from July 4, 1851 to July 3, 1858. Wong Fei Hung was born on July 9, 1847, and so could not have been older than a few days shy of his eleventh birthday when this flag was still in use. Also, the rows of stars shown on the 31-star flag are inverted. The flag shown has rows of 7, 6, 6, 5, and 7 stars respectively (from top to bottom). The actual flag has rows of 7, 5, 6, 6, and 7 stars top to bottom.

Quotes:

Yim: No matter how good our kung-fu is, it will never defeat guns.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Art of Action: Martial Arts in Motion Picture (2002) (TV)

the best martial arts film ever made

The first time i saw this movie i hated it it was only with repeated viewing that i grew to love it. I think the reason why i initially didn't enjoy it was because i was expecting light entertainment and i just wasn't prepared for a multi layered film such as this. This film marks for director Tsui Hark the peak of his creative genius when he was making this film there was a lot of worry in Hong Kong regarding the 1997 hand over to China Tsui manages to transfer this tension and uncertainty into the film terrificly and he injects each shot with a passion for his nationality and his love for the chinese heros such as Wong Fei-Hung. The next element of this film that is truly magnificent is the cast each character is given sufficient screen time for complete character arcs Jet Li's acting is done with a level of honour and intensity that has been lacking in every performance he has done since. Yuen Biao has perfected playing these king of roles because he has played many similar roles in the past yet he still manages to bring something new to the role and gives it a fresh twist that is lacking in Max Mok's performance in the sequels. there are also strong performances by Jackie Cheung, Rosamund Kwan and Kent Cheng. overall the character that steals the show is master yim i would say he is better than the rest of the cast combined. Now to the point that most people watch kung fu films for the fights the great thing about the fights in this film is that each fight improves on the one before it so there is a visible progression before the end ladder fight which i consider to be the best wire enhanced fight ever put on film.

overall i would recommend this film to anyone who is looking for a great movie but if you are looking for realistic fighting i would point you in the direction of Bruce Lee's films and the Prodigal Son . please note to get the most out of this film it must be seen in its original language and in its original Widescreen format and it must be seen no less than five times to get an idea of its multi layered complexities