The Grandmaster

When I first started this blog nearly a year ago, my very first post was in reference to really wanting to see this movie.  Wong Kar Wai fans are no strangers to extensively waiting on his cinematic masterpieces to finally emerge and in reference to my last post of feeling very confident in that assertion, I found out that I wasn't wrong.  Where to even begin here is the only real dilemma I have.  First off, a biopic about the life of Bruce Lee's Master from a director known more for his artsy melodramatic films, is a challenging enough prospect.  Adding to that are the other recent and competing series of movies about Yip Man, including the successful Ip Man films of Donnie Yen.  Well, The Grandmaster is all that and then some.  Wong Kar Wai fans should love it, as it is on par or better with the best of his other films.  It is a visual masterpiece in cinematographer Philippe Le Sourd with an equally impressive soundtrack in the recurring collaboration of composer Shigeru Umebayashi of In The Mood For Love fame. The tale of Yip Man's life as viewed in a series of dramatic flashbacks is powerful, albeit I concede, sometimes at the expense of being confusing and getting far away from the prime character (more on that to follow).  Also, there are so many parallels and references to Kar Wai's other films, that at times, it was deja-vu like; especially in the melancholic longing and regret relationship of Tony Leung and Zhang Ziyi's characters already prevalently seen in Kar Wai's  2046.  I'm obviously a bit too biased in favor of Kar Wai films, but I suppose that too much Kar Wai heavy handedness could be a turn off to the average person wanting to just see a typical martial arts movie.  But I would argue that The Grandmaster is more than just a martial arts film or even a  more truer martial arts film than most.  Martial arts is simultaneously a backdrop to the story and the most important point to the narrative. In making this movie, what I really appreciate more than just the aforementioned characteristic style of a Kar Wai movie, is how as the writer he really did the historical research and stayed true to the deeper themes of the martial arts.  That tumultuous time period in the early part of the 20th century in Chinese history caused a lot of shifts that affected the martial arts in permanent ways.  The rivalry of martial artist in the north and south or the battle of internal and external arts, is not always shown so effectively.  That was the "golden age" of Chinese martial arts, prior to changes in the government suppressing and eliminating them.  For me personally, that was indeed one of the best things about watching The Grandmaster.  That authentic look and feel of the period so well displayed with all it's martial diversities being shaken around by the chaotic historical realities of the time, was brewing with martial art stories.  Not many martial art films can authentically showcase a comparatively simple southern style like Wing Chun against more sophisticated, internal styles like Bagua or Hsing-I to help impart the worthy trait of Yip Man.  Sure, the Ip Man movies may have had the martial expertise of  Donnie Yen and choreographer Sammo Hung.  But the extensive training of actor Tony Leung, the always masterful choreography of Yuen Woo-Ping, the cinematography of Le Sourd, and the well invested research of Kar Wai make The Grandmaster more than distinct enough on its own in stylistic aesthetics and authenticity.  Where else could you find such a symbolically relevant and awesome display of Zhan Ziyi's character displaying the bagua circle walk in a northern snowfield?  The texture and atmosphere of all the settings from the rain soaked streets of Foshan to the seedy glamour of the Golden Pavilion, is just as rich as the dialogue throughout. Kar Wai is great at summarizing key parts of the story beautifully through these wonderfully constructed montages of artistic images, subtley framed gestures, and music to emote the passage of events in time. It should also be noted that this movie, arguably for better or worse, does not exclusively celebrate the life of Yip Man.  Kar Wai seems to go out of his way whether intentional or not to pay equal homage to all the old school martial arts masters of that era.  Perhaps, that's also why the movie falls under the title of The Grandmasters. I certainly don't fault him for that, as it could be argued that the film is only guilty of being overly zealous in the themes of higher martial arts.  As I mentioned before, other films have captured moments of authentic martial arts in theme, historical meaning, and display as well, but relatively few martial art films come close to the overall cinematic density that is The Grandmaster.  A Kar Wai film to it's credit usually demands repeated viewings to really see the rich tapestry that is woven throughout and this one is no different.  After reading that the original cut was nearly 4 hours long, I only wish that a longer cut was available instead of being edited down to 120 and 130 minute versions.  After purchasing the Chinese dvd, it looks like I'll still need to view the Weinstein edition whenever it drops, which will more than likely have a richer picture quality, a behind the scenes feature or two, and a more accurate subtitle translation.  With that in brief being said, The Grandmaster(s) is indeed grand.