Abstract
The surge of martial arts films at the dawn of the twenty-first century has witnessed various generic transformations. Stephen Chow’s hilarious Kung Fu Hustle (2004) and Dreamwork’s animation Kung Fu Panda (2008) embody contemporary trends to rejuvenate the classic martial arts genre for worldwide audiences. The artistic hybridity and the alignment of computer-generated special effects and the kung fu body in both films utilize the classic genre to construct a sense of fluidity for global consumers. The chapter examines the dynamic tensions in rewriting martial arts cinema to explore the multifarious efforts to engage audiences in a globalized context.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Bibliography
Abbas, Ackbar. 2003. Cinema, the City, and the Cinematic. In Global Cities: Cinema, Architecture, and Urbanism in a Digital Age, ed. Linda Krause and Patrice Petro, 142–156. New Brunswick, NJ and London: Rutgers University Press.
Altman, Rick. 1984. A Semantic/Syntactic Approach to Film Genre. Cinema Journal 23: 6–12.
Ashcroft, Bill, Gareth Griffiths, and Helen Tiffin. 2006. The Post-colonial Studies Reader. London and New York: Routledge.
Bhabha, Homi. 1994. The Location of Culture. New York: Routledge.
Bordwell, David. 2000. Planet Hong Kong: Popular Cinema and the Art of Entertainment. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Chan, Kenneth. 2009. Remade in Hollywood: The Global Chinese Presence in Transnational Cinemas. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press.
Chen, Nan. 2008. Po Power for Panda Film. http://en.people.cn/90001/90782/6432498.html. Accessed 15 Feb 2018.
Chow, Vivienne, and Agencies. 2005. Kung Fu Hustle Flies High in US Opening. South China Morning Post [Hong Kong], April 13.
Chung, Hye Jean. 2012. Kung Fu Panda: Animated Animal Bodies as Layered Sites of (trans)National Identities. Velvet Light Trap 69: 27–37.
Glaessner, Verina. 1974. Kung Fu: Cinema of Vengeance. London: Lorrimer.
Hitchcock, Peter. 2007. Niche Cinema, or, Kill Bill with Shaolin Soccer. In Hong Kong Film, Hollywood and the New Global Cinema, ed. Gina Marchetti and Tan See Kam, 219–232. London: Routledge.
Ho, Sam. 2005. Review: Kung Fu Hustle. Film Comment, March/April.
Hunt, Leo. 2003. Kung Fu Cult Masters. London and New York: Wallflower Press.
Huyssen, Andreas. 1986. After the Great Divide: Modernism, Mass Culture, Postmodernism, Theories of Representation and Difference. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
Kaminsky, M. Stuart. 1976. Genres of Violence. In Graphic Violence on the Screen, ed. Thomas R. Atkins, 46–67. New York: Simon and Schuster.
Kaufman, Anthony. 2006. Is Foreign Film the New Endangered Species? The New York Times, January 22.
Landreth, Jonathan. 2011. The Panda Express. Hollywood Reporter, March 25.
Lee, Vivian. 2007. Virtual Bodies, Flying Objects: The Digital Imaginary in Contemporary Martial Arts Films. Journal of Chinese Cinemas 1: 9–26.
Leung, Grace, and Joseph M. Chan. 1997. The Hong Kong Cinema and Its Overseas Market: A Historical Review 1950–1995. In Fifty Years of Electric Shadows, ed. Law Kar, 143–149. Hong Kong: Hong Kong International Film Festival/Urban Council.
Lo, Kwai Cheung. 1996. Muscles and Subjectivity: A Short History of the Masculine Body in Hong Kong Popular Culture. Camera Obscura 39: 104–125.
Lu, Chuan. 2008. Kung Fu Panda Gives Food for Thought. China Daily, July 5.
Magnan-Park, Aaron Han Joon. 2011. Restoring the Transnational from the Abyss of Ethnonational Film Historiography: The Case of Chung Chang Wha. Journal of Korean Studies 16: 249–283.
Pang, Laikwan. 2006. Cultural Control and Globalization in Asia: Copyright, Piracy, and Cinema. London and New York: Routledge.
Papastergiadis, Nikos. 2000. The Turbulence of Migration: Globalization, Deterritorialization and Hybridity. Cambridge and Malden, MA: Polity Press and Blackwell.
Scott, A.C. 1983. The Performance of Classical Theater. In Chinese Theater: From Its Origin to the Present Day, ed. Colin Mackerras, 118–144. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press.
Sek, Kei. 1980. A Development of Martial Arts in Hong Kong Cinema. In A Study of the Hong Kong Martial Arts Films, ed. Lau Shing Hon, 27–38. Hong Kong: The Urban Council.
Stone, Jay. 2005. Martial Arts Goes Haywire in Kung Fu Hustle. The Vancouver Sun, April 22.
Teo, Stephen. 1997. Hong Kong Cinema: The Extra Dimensions. London: British Film Institute.
Teo, Stephen. 2009. Chinese Martial Arts Cinema: The Wuxia Tradition. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
Wang, Georgette, and Emilie Y. Yeh. 2005. Globalization and Hybridization in Cultural Products: The Cases of Mulan and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. International Journal of Cultural Studies 8: 175–193.
Filmography
A Touch of Zen (侠女). Directed by King Hu. 1970.
Bloodsport. Directed by Newt Arnold. 1988.
Buddha’s Palm (如来神掌). Directed by Yun Ling. 1964.
Bulletproof Monk. Directed by Paul Hunter. 2003.
Burning of the Red Lotus Monastery (火烧红莲寺). Directed by Shichuan Zhang. 1928.
Charlie’s Angels. Directed by McG, 2000.
Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle. Directed by McG, 2003.
Come Drink with Me (大醉侠). Directed by King Hu. 1966.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (卧虎藏龙). Directed by Ang Lee. 2000.
Dragon (武侠). Directed by Peter Ho Sun Chan. 2011.
Dragon Blade (天将雄师). Directed by Daniel Lee. 2015.
Enter the Dragon. Directed by Robert Clouse. 1973.
Fist of Legend (精武英雄). Directed by Gordon Chan. 1994.
Hero (英雄). Directed by Yimou Zhang. 2002.
Ip Man (叶问). Directed by Wilson Yip. 2008.
Kickboxer. Directed by Mark DiSalle and David Worth. 1989.
Kill Bill: Vol. 1. Directed by Quentin Tarantino. 2003.
Kill Bill: Vol. 2. Directed by Quentin Tarantino. 2004.
Kung Fu Hustle (功夫). Directed by Stephen Chow. 2004.
Kung Fu Panda. Directed by Mark Osborne and John Stevenson. 2008.
Lady Knight Li Feifei (女侠李飞飞). Directed by Zuiwong Shao. 1925.
Lethal Weapon 4. Directed by Richard Donner. 1998.
Mulan. Directed by Tony Bancroft and Barry Cook. 1998.
Mulan II. Directed by Darrell Rooney and Lynne Southerland. 2004.
My Beloved Bodyguard (我的特工爷爷). Directed by Sammo Kam Bo Hung. 2016.
Nacho Libre. Directed by Jared Hess. 2006.
Once Upon a Time in China (黄飞鸿). Directed by Hark Tsui. 1991.
Once Upon a Time in China II (黄飞鸿: 男儿当自强). Directed by Hark Tsui. 1992.
Once Upon a Time in China III (黄飞鸿: 狮王争霸). Directed by Hark Tsui. 1993.
Once Upon a Time in China IV (黄飞鸿: 王者之风). Directed by Hark Tsui. 1993.
Once Upon a Time in China V (黄飞鸿: 龙城歼霸). Directed by Hark Tsui. 1994.
Once Upon a Time in China VI (黄飞鸿: 西域雄狮). Directed by Hark Tsui. 1997.
Romeo Must Die. Directed by Andrzej Bartkowiak. 2000.
Rush Hour. Directed by Brett Ratner. 1998.
Rush Hour 2. Directed by Brett Ratner. 2001.
Rush Hour 3. Directed by Brett Ratner. 2007.
Shaolin Wooden Men (少林木人巷). Directed by Chi Hwa Chen. 1976.
Sidekicks. Directed by Aaron Norris. 1992.
The Assassin (刺客聂隐娘). Directed by Hsiao-hsien Hou. 2015.
The Chinese Connection (精武门). Directed by Wei Lo. 1972.
The Forbidden Kingdom. Directed by Rob Minkoff. 2008.
The Furious Buddha’s Palm (如来神掌怒碎万剑门). Directed by Yun Ling. 1965.
The Grandmaster (一代宗师). Directed by Kar Wai Wong. 2013.
The Holiday. Directed by Nancy Meyers. 2006.
The Karate Kid. Directed by Harald Zwart. 2010.
The Man with the Golden Gun. Directed by Guy Hamilton. 1974.
The Matrix. Directed by Lana Wachowski and Lilly Wachowski. 1999.
The Matrix Reloaded. Directed by Lana Wachowski and Lilly Wachowski. 2003.
The Matrix Revolutions. Directed by Lana Wachowski and Lilly Wachowski. 2003.
The One-Armed Swordsman (独臂刀). Directed by Cheh Chang. 1967.
The Untouchables. Directed by Brian De Palma. 1987.
Tomorrow Never Dies. Directed by Roger Spottiswoode. 1997.
Top Hat. Directed by Mark Sandrich. 1935.
Warriors of Heaven and Earth (天地英雄). Directed by Ping He. 2003.
Way of the Dragon (猛龙过江). Directed by Bruce Lee. 1972.
Zu Warriors (蜀山传). Directed by Hark Tsui. 2001.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Copyright information
© 2018 The Author(s)
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Yang, J. (2018). Martial Arts Fantasies in a Globalized Age: Kung Fu Hustle and Kung Fu Panda. In: Magnan-Park, A., Marchetti, G., Tan, S. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Asian Cinema. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-349-95822-1_18
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-349-95822-1_18
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-349-95821-4
Online ISBN: 978-1-349-95822-1
eBook Packages: Literature, Cultural and Media StudiesLiterature, Cultural and Media Studies (R0)