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 | training | fight | paint | 

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Taglines:

Only the 'Old One' could teach him the secrets of the masters.

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Family | Sport

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

The crew shot Pat Morita trimming a tree so many times, eventually he had to start faking it.

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Goofs

In the scene where Daniel catches the fly in the chopsticks, for the first few cuts, the fly is somewhere in the middle of the chopsticks and the chopsticks cross each other past the point where the fly is being held. In a later angle, the fly is held between the very tips of the chopsticks and the sticks do not cross each other over their entire length. He never drops or releases the fly and re-catches or picks it up, so the fly was clearly moved between takes.

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Quotes

Lucille Larusso: [singing] California, here we come. California... oh, what's the matter, Daniel? Don't you like my singing?
Daniel: I don't like the song, Ma.

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Alternate Versions

The late-2000's/early 2010's AMC broadcasts in the US slowed down the film's audio pitch and speed at 4% (excluding the ending sequence, which remained normal-pitched). However, the entire film retains its original audio pitch and speed on current AMC broadcasts.

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Connections

Referenced in Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Return: Atlantic Rim (2018)

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Soundtracks

Cruel Summer
Written by Tony Swain, Steve Jolley, Keren Woodward, Sara Dallin and Siobhan Fahey
Performed by Bananarama
Courtesy of Polygram Special Projects, A division of Polygram Records, Inc.

User Reviews

Exceptional teen film from the 80s

While John Hughs' films may be the standard for teen flicks in the 1980s, Hughs' films were just a few of the great and unique teen films to be released in that decade. Coupled with Back to the Future, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, the 80s was a rather unique time for teen movies. The Karate Kid just happened to be another one of those films. With the immortal Pat Morita leading the way, this film was not only touching, but put a whole new spin on the `zero-to-hero' story line which we have all seen too often. Ralph Macchio may have had no career after these film, but at least he proved to be comparable as Daniel (san). Sure, the ending and outcome proved to be a little predictable, but the film was still a winner.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Japanese

Release Date:

22 June 1984 (USA)

Also Known As:

The 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

Gross USA:

$91,077,276

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$91,119,319

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures, Delphi II Productions, Jerry Weintraub Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

126 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1