The Grandmaster (2013)

The story of martial-arts master Ip Man, the man who trained Bruce Lee.

Director:

Kar-Wai Wong

Writers:

Kar-Wai Wong (story), Kar-Wai Wong (screenplay)

Stars:

Tony Chiu-Wai Leung, Ziyi Zhang, Jin Zhang

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 68 wins & 70 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tony Chiu-Wai Leung	...	Ip Man (as Tony Leung)
Cung Le	...	Iron Shoes
Qingxiang Wang	...	Master Gong Yutian
Elvis Tsui	...	Mr. Hung (as Jinjiang Xu)
Hye-Kyo Song	...	Zhang Yongcheng (as Hye-kyo Song)
Kar-Yung Lau	...	Master Yong (as Chia Yung Liu)
Chau Yee Tsang	...	Shorty (as Chiu Yee Tsang)
Hoi-Pang Lo	...	Uncle Deng
Shun Lau	...	Master Rui
Xiaofei Zhou	...	Sister San
Mancheng Wang	...	Master Ba
Ting Yip Ng	...	Brother Sau
Man Keung Cho	...	Cho Man
Tony Ling	...	Foshan Martial Artist
Tielong Shang	...	Jiang

Storyline

Ip Man's peaceful life in Foshan changes after Gong Yutian seeks an heir for his family in Southern China. Ip Man then meets Gong Er who challenges him for the sake of regaining her family's honor. After the Second Sino-Japanese War, Ip Man moves to Hong Kong and struggles to provide for his family. In the mean time, Gong Er chooses the path of vengeance after her father was killed by Ma San.

---

Plot Keywords:

ip man character | falling off a balcony | girl | crying | starving to death | 

---

Taglines:

The story of the man who taught Bruce Lee.

---

Genres:

Action | Biography | Drama | Romance | War

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for violence, some smoking, brief drug use and language

Did You Know?

Trivia

In some of the Hong Kong scenes, Ip Man practices on an apparatus made from a wooden post and dowels. This is the Wooden Dummy, used for Wing Chun open hand technique development and strength training. It also furthers the practitioner's understanding of angles, positions, footwork, and balance.

---

Quotes

Ma San: Gong Yutian spoke to me about his last move: Old Monkey Hangs Up His Badge. He said the secret of that move was to turn back. I didn't understand his meaning at the time, I thought he was unable to keep up with changing times...

---

Alternate Versions

The original version released in Asia removes a portion of Yi Xintian's subplot. The rain fight sequence between Xintian and Ip Man shown in the trailer, for example, was removed. However, Wong Karwai then recut the movie for a special Berlin Film Festival screening by incorporating the missing scenes back, but editing out several scenes from the original version including a fight sequence between Ip Man and a Hong Kong challenger. Both versions are missing crucial segments that made all three main characters' journey feel incomplete. The actual finished movie was rumored to be 4 hours long. Wong Karwai mentioned he had no intention of releasing the 4 hour version.

---

Connections

Featured in Dragon Girls (2016)

---

Soundtracks

Helicopter
Performed by Orchestre Philharmonique de Paris

User Reviews

Magnificent in its Original International Cut Version

THIS IS A REVIEW OF THE INTERNATIONAL CUT, NOT THE 'HARVEY WEINSTEIN' American VERSION:

It was finally time for the great iconoclastic Hong Kong director to turn to martial arts in his intense and atmospheric telling of the great grandmaster teacher, Ip man, and he doesn't disappoint.

Wong Kar-wai brings the poetic beauty of his "In the Mood for Love" to this Chinese action genre and executes it with a precise rhythmic heightening reminiscent of Sam Peckinpah at his best, while bringing out the experience of living through the Japanese invasion of China during WWII.

The cast is magnificent, especially Tony Leung as the Ip man and Ziyi Zhang as Gong Er who perfectly embodies a kung-fu mistress trying to avenge her father.

A Wong masterpiece to put on a level with his finest work!

PS: One particular reviewer earlier criticized the editing of this film which, to me, smacks of putting down the film for not being more conventional. Sometimes it is difficult to put aside expectations of what one wants a film to be in favor of what the actual film on the screen is. "The Grandmaster" is, in fact, brilliantly edited. Wong is, if nothing else, a perfectionist in taking years to mold his assembled footage into his own personal rhythmic poem, idiosyncratically emphasizing downbeats and rests as precise as a great composer. What you see here is Wong Kar-wai's personal vision, take it or leave it. I wouldn't change a frame, or a single edit. It strikes me as a perfect diamond by this exceptional, if eccentric, cinema artist.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [Japan]

Country:

Hong Kong China

Language:

Mandarin Cantonese Japanese

Release Date:

30 August 2013 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Grandmaster

Filming Locations:

Chikan Movie and Television City, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China

Box Office

Budget:

$38,600,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$132,617, 25 August 2013

Gross USA:

$6,594,959

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$73,906,736

Company Credits

Production Co:

Block 2 Pictures, Jet Tone Production, Sil-Metropole Organisation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

130 min 108 min (cut) 122 min (international) 111 min (3-D)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1