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:

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

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

Kyle Eastwood auditioned for the role of Daniel LaRusso. When he failed to get the part, his father, Clint Eastwood, banned all Coca-Cola products from the sets of his movies. Columbia Studios was owned by Coca-Cola at the time.

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Goofs

When Daniel is playing soccer at the beach, the sweat stains on the back of his shirt change significantly between shots.

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Quotes

Daniel: This school sucks, man. Sucks.

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Alternate Versions

The UK cinema version was cut by 19 secs by the BBFC and completely removed the scene of Johnny rolling and lighting a reefer for a PG certificate. Later video releases were uncut and the certificate upgraded to 15.

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Connections

Referenced in General Hospital: Night Shift: Skin Deep (2007)

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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

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.