Shaw Brothers Studio Film "One-Armed Swordsman"
Martial Arts has been a subject in film that has been able to universally capture audiences from all over the globe. One of the most recognized contributions to the industry was by Shaw Brother Studio’s with the development of the film The One-Armed Swordsman, which played a pivotal role in the transition of wuxia film, that focused on more traditional Daoist and Confucian values, to the Gong Fu oriented films that we have come to see developed in not only China, but in conjunction with Hollywood as well.
As the style of film has developed and evolved, Western and Eastern audiences both have given acclaim to the film Ip Man, which one can draw strong correlations between the story and character development between the two films. While the choreography displayed in One Armed Swordsman and Ip Man is like night and day, the message behind them are similar. Both films attempt to achieve a realism to the best of their ability while still allowing a sense of awe from occasional impossibilities.
The structure and innovation provided by the Hong Kong Studios in their development of One-Armed Swordsman, essentially provided a template that can be witness in movies like Ip Man decades later. The earliest martial arts films were released out of Shanghai in the 1920’s and remained popular in mainland China throughout the 1930’s. At this time, the primary production moved over to the Hong Kong studios. The films from the 1920’s were adapted from martial arts novels and classified as the wuxia era of martial art films; having a strong emphasis on the nobility of the Daoist warrior.
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One of the earliest Hong Kong studios to emerge out of the 1930’s is Shaw Brothers Studio.
As the martial arts genre expanded and begun its evolution, the Shaw Brothers studio began to make some of the most iconic and influential films of the time. The Shaw Brothers studio hired hundreds of actors and signed them to exclusive contracts and sent them to work at the 46-acre Shaw Brothers studio, which was the largest privately-owned studio in the world. in Hong Kong. The martial arts films that came out of the Shaw studio includes films such as the classic and revolutionary The One-Armed Swordsman. Hong Kong cinema is with iconic figures. Whether it’s the high-flying swordsmen in numerous wuxia films, the stylish urban killers that populate the bullet-riddled filmographies of John Wu and his heirs, it’s become abundantly clear that Hong Kong filmmakers excel at creating iconic and unforgettable heroes.
While Jimmy Wang was by no means a martial artist at the caliber of Bruce Li, Jet Li, or Donnie Yen, director Chang Cheh excelled at making Wang look intimidating, fluid, and graceful. Jimmy Wang sells the grizzled badass look completely, creating a thoroughly mesmerizing and surprisingly complex character in what probably could’ve been a one-note revenge film. It is important to note that One-Armed Swordsman does not look or feel like the martial arts films of the 1970s and 80s. This film was the precursor and set the standard/laid the ground work for the films that came after. This is a film capitalized on the divergence from Daosit films and delved straight into the Gong Fu style films we are familiar with today, capitalizing on elements of forgiveness, loyalty, coming of age, and the hero’s journey.
Similarly, Ip Man, a modern depiction of the classic Gong Fu films of the 1970’s and 1980’s, depicts Donnie Yen, who has worked with Shaw Brother’s on numerous occasions, as Ip Man, the legendary Wing Chun Grandmaster and Bruce Li’s mentor. Unlike Fang Kang, in One-Armed Swordsman, Ip man is depicted as a reserved family/business man who is already a master of his martial art. Beginning in what is almost a comedic beginning, the film rapidly moves on to a more somber note as the Japanese invade mainland China and occupy Ip’s home province of Guangdong. For a Chinese audience that has gone through more change in the past 40 years than most of us will ever know, the Ip Man series evokes imagery of the past. Chinese culture comes out on top of its ‘progressive’ enemies, whilst fighting with traditional means and maintaining its cultural values. For a foreign audience, the Ip Man film series is as much an education into the art of Wing Chun Kung Fu, as it is a historical essay about the loss and adaption of a culture to the modern age, surviving through several invasions and dramatic country changes.
From this point, the film proceeds to emphasis elements similar to that of One-Armed Swordsman: loyalty, duty, honor, the hero’s journey, and community. The values of the film One-Armed Swordsman, a divergence from the previously indicated wuxia films. Those films focused on Daoist values of nobility and chivalry being embedded into the hero. It is a philosophy not unlike that of samurai bushido or the knights-errant of Europe. The warrior is expected to adhere to this moral code that makes them identifiable due to their resolve and adherence to the standard set by those before them. In the movie Once Upon in a Time in China, Master Wong did not kill anyone except for the main villains. This is a prime example of the nobility of the Daoist warrior.
The One-Armed Swordsman indicated a lasting change in the Chinese film industry. The film, while still maintaining aspects of honor, loyalty, and traditions, diverged from the strict wuxia philosophy and rather the main character was given more human traits. He gave into anger, he sought love, vengeance, and happiness. The conflict in the film was not just for the benefit of the community but was also for the self-satisfaction of defeating his master’s enemies, repaying his debts, and ensuring a peaceful, guilt free retirement with the woman he loved. The film essentially provided a conflict which moved the protagonist away from his unrealistic ideology and into the real world, where he experience actual conflict and grew into a relatable character. This style set the template for innumerable martial art movies, including Ip Man. Ip Man follows a nearly parallel storyline. The films begins with Ip Man being portrayed as a successful investor and a master of his martial art. He conducts himself with grace and humility, the model martial artist. Because of this he obtained the infinite respect of the community, a family, wealth, and is renown as a master of his art.
However, similarly to Fang being run out of his home in One-Armed Soldier, Ip man is relocated by the Japanese during the occupation in the 1930’s. This is when one can notice the transition from a noble warrior, to a more human role as Ip Man struggles to provide for his family. After selling nearly all their worldly possessions, Ip man finds work in a coal mine. After the disappearance of one of his friends, he volunteers to be among a group of people who fight Japanese karate students for the amusement of the Japanese Officer, General Miura. While attending this tournament, Ip Man’s longtime friend, Master Lin, was murdered. The reaction is instantaneous, Ip Man gives in to a need for vengeance and after a stunning display of martial arts, fighting a third of the school simultaneously, emerges victorious. He then humbly leaves to take care of his deceased friend’s family. Miura forces Ip Man to accept a duel, and in standard fashion, Ip Man displays the reserve and honor expected of him and soundly defeats the General. While most of Ip Man’s actions are still in line with traditional Daoist values, it is evident in the film when he breaks character and begins to think beyond just his community as a whole and takes himself and his family into account.
Another important value to note, is that of nationalism. In the beginning of the film Ip Man communal pride was very evident. When Siu-Wong Fan and his thugs barged into town, the entire community banded together to fight off the northern martial artists. There was great pride being shown from the region in which you learned your art. As the film progresses and the Japanese have occupied, the people start off struggling and complacent under their new rule. However, a nationalistic spark is ignited on two separate occasions. The first, on an individual level, was through Ip Man. While he sought revenge for his friend, he also believed in his community and defeating the foreign invaders. On a communal scale, the community demonstrated nationalism after Ip Man was shot. There were massive riots and protests as the community revolted from the injustice.
The secondary characters in the two films are not dissimilar and play pivotal roles in the development of the main character. For example, both Chueng and Xiao man are extremely similar characters. Both are very motherly and exemplify traditional feminine values. They take care of the household, care for their husband/love interest, and attempt to balance out the violence that martial arts brings with the compassion and love that they can provide, albeit in Chueng’s case, she can, at times, be more intense than some of the more villainous characters when non-verbally scolding Ip Man.
Fan Siu-wang, the aggressive northern martial artist who challenges Ip Man, is representative to the similar challenges to Smiling Tiger’s disciples. All of them produce negative characteristics, fulfilling the stereotypical minor villain role, harassing innocents, bullying, and attacking lesser martial artists to prove themselves capable. Also, unlike other lesser villain and even the primary villain characters, these groups do not restrict themselves in the honor of dueling or adhering to a strict moral code. Instead they behave in a realistic manner, which makes them more relatable than some of the other characters. The next set of similar characters differ, however. The secondary villains, Smiling Tiger and Colonel Sato are extremely different people.
Smiling Tiger still adheres to a semblance of wuxia as he disapproves of the attacking of non-martial artists and the overall harassment his disciples inflict on the local population. While this may be because he does not wish to be detected or simply because he has a higher moral code remains undetermined. Colonel Sato, however, is a completely different character and more akin to that of Long-armed Devil. Col. Sato is ruthless, dishonorable, and exemplifies the traditional villain stereotypes. At the conclusion of the duel between Master Liu and three Japanese Karate students, Sato executes Liu without regards of the sanctity of the dojo, earning the ire of General Miura. Later, Sato discreetly threatens Ip Man’s son by pointing his pistol at him pretending to shoot the child in an effort to convince Ip Man to return to the dojo for another fight. In the concluding event, Sato shows complete disregard for both the honor in martial arts and the promise of his commander to Ip Man, and after Ip Man defeats Miura in the decisive duel, shoots Ip Man, igniting a spark of resistance amongst the attending populace, allowing Ip Man and his family to flee the province.
The final character comparison is that of Long-Armed Devil and General Miura. These two characters are nearly polar opposites. Long-Armed Devil is motivated by revenge and the desire to defeat his nemesis by any means necessary, without regard to honor or traditional warrior ethics. Resorting to subversion and trickery, he outwits the majority of his opponents and kills them without mercy. General Miura, however, is not a villain, but more of an adversary in the film. As the leader of the occupying Japanese forces, Miura clearly presents an obstacle to the prosperity and well being of not just Ip man, but also to the community at large. However, he seems to center his thought around traditional bushido code, revering the sanctity of martial arts, and does not seem to inflict unnecessary harm to the local populace, instead he attempts to install local leaders that will promote non-resistance to Japanese rule. He is a man of honor, driven by the duty to serve his nation as well as to observe and learn more of the Chinese martial arts.
He even proposes to hire Ip man to train his forces in Wing Chun. So, while he is the adversary, unlike the traditional Gong Fu films and One-Armed Swordsman, he is not a villain. Ultimately, both One-Armed Swordsman and Ip Man have played significant roles in the history of Chinese Cinema. One, a precursor to the traditional Gong Fu films that we are familiar with today, and the other, a perfection of the style with a modern flair of choreography and story telling that came after decades of the Hong Kong studios perfecting their art. Both movies are and will remain cinematic icons for decades to come, representing not just the advancement of film in this genre, but also displaying Chinese values, highlighting that especially of the Jiang Hu lifestyle prevalent to martial artists of the Chinese Imperial Periods.
Shaw Brothers Studio Film "One-Armed Swordsman". (2022, Mar 08). Retrieved from https://paperap.com/shaw-brothers-studio-film-one-armed-swordsman/
