Foreign Films, Chinese/Mandarin, Adventure, Big Battles, Martial Arts, Heroes, Epic, Period Piece, Theatrical Release
Description
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.
DVD Features
Region 1 Keep Case Single Side - Dual Layer Anamorphic Widescreen - 2.35 Letterbox - 2.35 Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1 Additional Release Material: Trailers: Original Theatrical Trailer Audio Commentary: Ric Meyers - Hong Kong Film Expert Text/Photo Galleries: Talent Files
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Two of my favorite films are "One Upon a Time in America" and Once Upon a Time in the West." So naturally, I would be attracted to this film just to see if it matches the others. It does. Jet Li... Read the whole review at MatchFlick
