Wong Fei Hung (1991)

Set in late 19th century Canton this martial arts film depicts the stance taken by the legendary martial arts hero Wong Fei-Hung (1847-1924) against foreign forces' (English, French and ... See full summary »

Director:

Hark Tsui

Writers:

Yiu-ming Leung, Elsa Tang (as Pik-yin Tang)

Stars:

Jet Li, Rosamund Kwan, Biao Yuen

5 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jet Li	...	Wong Fei Hung
Biao Yuen	...	Leung Foon
Rosamund Kwan	...	13th Aunt
Jacky Cheung	...	Buck Teeth So
Kent Cheng	...	Porky Wing
Kam-Fai Yuen	...	Kai
Shi-Kwan Yen	...	Iron Robe Yim (as Yee Kwan Yan)
Shun Lau	...	Naval Commander Lau
Wu Ma	...	Grand-Uncle Cheung
Jianguo Qiu	...	Shaho Gang Leader
Cheung-Yan Yuen	...	Yim's Opponent
Chi Yeung Wong	...	Commander Man
Shun-Yee Yuen	...	Honorable Manchu Soldier
Xin Xin Xiong	...	Shaho Gang Member
Jonathan Isgar	...	Jackson

Storyline

Set in late 19th century Canton this martial arts film depicts the stance taken by the legendary martial arts hero Wong Fei-Hung (1847-1924) against foreign forces' (English, French and American) plundering of China. When Aunt Yee arrives back from America totally westernised, Wong Fei-Hung assumes the role of her protector. This proves to be difficult when his martial arts school and local militia become involved in fierce battles with foreign and local government. As violence escalates even Aunt Yee has to question her new western ideals, but is it possible to fight guns with Kung Fu?

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Plot Keywords:

character name in title | martial arts | school | violence | fight | 

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Taglines:

Never was a Hero needed more...

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Biography | Drama | History

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence

Details

Country:

Hong Kong

Language:

Cantonese English French

Release Date:

15 August 1991 (Hong Kong)

Also Known As:

Once Upon a Time in China

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$3,826,459

Company Credits

Production Co:

Golden Harvest Company, Film Workshop

Technical Specs

Runtime:

134 min 95 min (cut) 99 min (cut)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to the commentary on the Region 1 DVD, this movie started out as a proposed new film to star Jackie Chan, Sammo Kam-Bo Hung, and Biao Yuen. Jackie would have played Wong, (which he'd previously played in Drunken Master (1978)), Sammo would have played Butcher Wing (as he did in Lin Shi Rong (1979)), and Yuen would be Lueng Foon (who played the role in Lin Shi Rong (1979)). This idea fell through and only Yuen Biao made it into the finished film.

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Goofs

(at around 54 mins) A 31-star US flag is seen shortly after an adult Wong Fei Hung attempts to defend the Po Chi Lam clinic from a fiery attack. The 31-star flag was used from July 4, 1851 to July 3, 1858. Wong Fei Hung was born on July 9, 1847, and so could not have been older than a few days shy of his eleventh birthday when this flag was still in use. Also, the rows of stars shown on the 31-star flag are inverted. The flag shown has rows of 7, 6, 6, 5, and 7 stars respectively (from top to bottom). The actual flag has rows of 7, 5, 6, 6, and 7 stars top to bottom.

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Quotes

Wong Fei Hung: Why so many swords and daggers on the table?

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Alternate Versions

A version distributed by 'Made in Hong Kong' UK has a running time of 140 mins. with a extra 10 minutes previously unreleased on video.

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Connections

Followed by Once Upon a Time in China and America (1997)

User Reviews

the best martial arts film ever made

The first time i saw this movie i hated it it was only with repeated viewing that i grew to love it. I think the reason why i initially didn't enjoy it was because i was expecting light entertainment and i just wasn't prepared for a multi layered film such as this. This film marks for director Tsui Hark the peak of his creative genius when he was making this film there was a lot of worry in Hong Kong regarding the 1997 hand over to China Tsui manages to transfer this tension and uncertainty into the film terrificly and he injects each shot with a passion for his nationality and his love for the chinese heros such as Wong Fei-Hung. The next element of this film that is truly magnificent is the cast each character is given sufficient screen time for complete character arcs Jet Li's acting is done with a level of honour and intensity that has been lacking in every performance he has done since. Yuen Biao has perfected playing these king of roles because he has played many similar roles in the past yet he still manages to bring something new to the role and gives it a fresh twist that is lacking in Max Mok's performance in the sequels. there are also strong performances by Jackie Cheung, Rosamund Kwan and Kent Cheng. overall the character that steals the show is master yim i would say he is better than the rest of the cast combined. Now to the point that most people watch kung fu films for the fights the great thing about the fights in this film is that each fight improves on the one before it so there is a visible progression before the end ladder fight which i consider to be the best wire enhanced fight ever put on film.

overall i would recommend this film to anyone who is looking for a great movie but if you are looking for realistic fighting i would point you in the direction of Bruce Lee's films and the Prodigal Son . please note to get the most out of this film it must be seen in its original language and in its original Widescreen format and it must be seen no less than five times to get an idea of its multi layered complexities