The Karate Kid (1984)

A handyman/martial arts master agrees to teach a bullied boy karate and shows him that there is more to the martial art than fighting.

Director:

John G. Avildsen

Writer:

Robert Mark Kamen

Stars:

Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Elisabeth Shue

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ralph Macchio	...	Daniel Larusso
Pat Morita	...	Mr. Kesuke Miyagi (as Noriyuki 'Pat' Morita)
Elisabeth Shue	...	Ali Mills
Martin Kove	...	John Kreese
Randee Heller	...	Lucille Larusso
William Zabka	...	Johnny Lawrence
Ron Thomas	...	Bobby Brown
Rob Garrison	...	Tommy
Chad McQueen	...	Dutch
Tony O'Dell	...	Jimmy
Israel Juarbe	...	Freddy Fernandez
William Bassett	...	Mr. Mills
Larry B. Scott	...	Jerry
Juli Fields	...	Susan
Dana Andersen	...	Barbara

Storyline

Daniel and his mother move from New Jersey to California. She has a wonderful new job, but Daniel quickly discovers that a dark haired Italian boy with a Jersey accent doesn't fit into the blond surfer crowd. Daniel manages to talk his way out of some fights, but he is finally cornered by several who belong to the same karate school. As Daniel is passing out from the beating he sees Miyagi, the elderly gardener leaps into the fray and save him by outfighting half a dozen teenagers. Miyagi and Daniel soon find out the real motivator behind the boys' violent attitude in the form of their karate teacher. Miyagi promises to teach Daniel karate and arranges a fight at the all-valley tournament some months off. When his training begins, Daniel doesn't understand what he is being shown. Miyagi seems more interested in having Daniel paint fences and wax cars than teaching him Karate.

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Plot Keywords:

karate | bully | master | apartment | fight | 

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Taglines:

He taught him the secret to Karate lies in the mind and heart. Not in the hands.

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Family | Sport

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Japanese

Release Date:

22 June 1984 (USA)

Also Known As:

Karate Kid

Filming Locations:

5410 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Gross:

$90,800,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation, Jerry Weintraub Productions, Delphi Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

126 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The song Miyagi drunkenly sings during the "celebration" of his anniversary is actually fragments of an authentic Japanese folk song that Pat Morita often heard as a child.

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Goofs

When Mr Miyagi is showing Daniel that he has been learning karate the whole time, he says, "Show me paint the house." He is holding Daniel's right hand, but in the next shot Daniel drops his left hand.

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Quotes

Daniel: You're the best friend I've ever had.
Miyagi: You... pretty okay, too.

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Connections

Referenced in From Paris with Love (2010)

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Soundtracks

"THE MOMENT OF TRUTH"
Music by Bill Conti
Lyrics by Dennis Lambert and Peter Beckett
Produced by Ron Nevison
Performed by Survivor
Courtesy of CBS Records/Scotti Bros. Records

User Reviews

not just a teen movie

A lot of posts focus on the 'coming of age' aspect of this movie, but the very overlooked part is the role it played in helping to alleviate many of the stereotypes a very Asian phobic America was after WWII, Korea and Vietnam.

They make a point of showing Miyagi in a US Army Uniform--and a War Hero-- and makes references to detention camps Miyagi's family was sent to (a horribly dark period in American history)...where Miyagi's wife was being sent (pregnant) and where she and his unborn child (son) ultimately die during childbirth. There are also a few scenes in which ethnic slurs are used by rednecks toward Miyagi.

Taking this into light, and taking the fact that Daniel has no father that we know of in this movie, the name Daniel-san (sounds like Daniel-SON) helps demonstrate a father son bond that is overlooked. Much of the conversation between Daniel and Miyagi is about Miyagi's great father in Okinawa, because Miyagi has acquired all this knowledge and wants to share it. Daniel substitutes for the son Miyagi never had and Miyagi substitutes for the father Daniel doesn't have.