The Karate Kid (1984)

A martial arts master agrees to teach karate to a bullied teenager.

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
Pat Morita	...	Miyagi (as Noriyuki 'Pat' Morita)
Elisabeth Shue	...	Ali
Martin Kove	...	Kreese
Randee Heller	...	Lucille
William Zabka	...	Johnny
Ron Thomas	...	Bobby
Rob Garrison	...	Tommy
Chad McQueen	...	Dutch
Tony O'Dell	...	Jimmy
Israel Juarbe	...	Freddy
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 | teenager | fight | paint | training | 

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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:

5225 Lankershim Boulevard, North Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$8,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$5,031,753, 24 June 1984, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$90,815,558

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation, Delphi II Productions, Jerry Weintraub Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

126 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Martin Kove (Kreese) is depicted as a Vietnam veteran. Coincidentally, Martin also plays a Vietnam veteran (Ericson) in Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985). Both characters' demeanour are exactly the same as well, selling to the Hollywood realm of a characters timeline.

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Goofs

At the end of the movie, as Daniel is advancing through the tournament, the logo on the back of his robe appears on the card his name is on, even though they had no advanced knowledge of the logo. However, Mr. Miyagi (or even possibly Ali) could have brought a copy of it for the tournament staff to use.

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Quotes

Daniel: Hey, you got a name?
Ali: Ali... with an I. Hey, what's your name?
Daniel: Daniel... with an L.

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Alternate Versions

The edited-for-TV versions are heavily edited for drugs and violence. The scene where Johnny is rolling a joint in a cubicle is snipped, and we just see Daniel feeding the hose through the top of the door. Many of the fight scenes are clipped, cutting away most of the action and actual punches are not shown. The final move by Daniel is shown, but the immediate reaction of Johnny (and his rolling on the floor in pain) is not

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Connections

Featured in The Way of the Karate Kid (2005)

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Soundtracks

Please Answer Me
Written by John Mark and Richard Fenton
Produced by John Ryan
Performed by Broken Edge
Courtesy of Polygram Records, Inc.

User Reviews

The late Pat Morita, karate kid man

Metaphorically speaking, the late Pat Morita is the real life Daniel-san. Mr. Morita was humbled by the following incidents in his life: interned during WWI, suffered from a weak spine, short in stature and a stereotypical Japanese, nicknamed "Hip Nip" and casted for mainly comically roles in American TV and cinema. As if through divine intervention, the role of Mr. Miyagi was created, a natural and defining role for Pat Morita. Like the main character Daniel-san, who earned dignity and respect through karate, so too did Pat Morita earn dignity and respect as an actor for his role as Mr. Miyagi. The Miyagi character is a humble, soft-spoken, respected, Asian sensei (teacher.) He is humble not because he is weak and avoids being some bully's victim, but because he knows he holds the fate of all who bullies him in his hands. So it was that Pat Morita finally achieved through the character of Mr. Miyagi in the Karate Kid series what Daniel-san always gains at the end of each movie: dignity, respect, and honor to compensate for all the times of abuse, suffering, and humiliation.