Member chenzen Posted December 15, 2014 Member Share Posted December 15, 2014 So I just bought Jet Li"s Tai Chi Master on bluray. I saw the movie a while ago and I noticed something interesting when rewatching it I could totally see the wires lol.I knew the movie obviously used wires for the fighting sequences I never actually saw the wires until rewatching it. I still think the choreography is astounding it just kinda surprised me after seeing the wires were visible. Are there any other martial arts films where you could actually see the wires? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member QueMuchita Posted December 15, 2014 Member Share Posted December 15, 2014 Yeah, Tai Chi Master is well known for the wires being visible. I watched Crippled Avengers yesterday for the billionth time but it was the first time that I noticed the wires during the final fight, so obvious that I was surprised I never noticed before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Morgoth Bauglir Posted December 15, 2014 Member Share Posted December 15, 2014 Most flying fu from around that era you'll spot a wire at some point. On Blu ray I imagine you'll be noticing it even more. I just realized I don't have a single kung fu movie remastered on bluray. Huh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member KenHashibe Posted December 15, 2014 Member Share Posted December 15, 2014 I immediately think of all of the Yuen Woo Ping movies from the 90's. I'm sure most of them have their fair share of visible wires. I have the Dragon Dynasty Blu-ray of Tai Chi Master and this movie especially has extremely visible wires. They'd be hard to miss. I would imagine a lot of the earlier attempts at wire-work would be very noticeable, but I can't think of any off the top of my head. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator KUNG FU BOB Posted December 15, 2014 Administrator Share Posted December 15, 2014 Yes, they're really obvious in TAI-CHI MASTER, especially on the Blu-ray. Here are some more that I always noticed the wires in (especially in the theater)... IRON MONKEY FONG SAI YUK 1 & 2 HOLY WEAPON A CHINESE GHOST STORY 1-3 DUEL TO THE DEATH ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA 1-3 NEW LEGEND OF SHAOLIN (big time!) DRAGON CHRONICHLES OF THE MAIDENS OF HEAVENLY MOUNTAIN FIRE DRAGON ZU: WARRIORS OF MAGIC MOUNTAIN BLADE OF FURY KUNG FU CULT MASTER WING CHUN DEADFUL MELODY TAI CHI II Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DrNgor Posted December 15, 2014 Member Share Posted December 15, 2014 When I had the Tai Seng VHS for this, I never noticed, but after I got TWIN WARRIORS on DVD over here, they were pretty obvious in certain sequences. That reminds me of a comment a friend made about avoiding old movies, especially ones that involve special FX, on Blu-Ray. He said that the digital treatment just doesn`t do these films any favors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DiP Posted December 15, 2014 Member Share Posted December 15, 2014 Film technology in Hong Kong Cinema back then was limited so they had to resort to other solutions to try "hiding" (like using trees or sky shots) the wires from being visible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member KenHashibe Posted December 15, 2014 Member Share Posted December 15, 2014 Yes, they're really obvious in TAI-CHI MASTER, especially on the Blu-ray. Here are some more that I always noticed the wires in (especially in the theater)... IRON MONKEY FONG SAI YUK 1 & 2 HOLY WEAPON A CHINESE GHOST STORY 1-3 DUEL TO THE DEATH ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA 1-3 NEW LEGEND OF SHAOLIN (big time!) DRAGON CHRONICHLES OF THE MAIDENS OF HEAVENLY MOUNTAIN FIRE DRAGON ZU: WARRIORS OF MAGIC MOUNTAIN BLADE OF FURY KUNG FU CULT MASTER WING CHUN DEADFUL MELODY TAI CHI II Pretty much any kung fu movie with action by Ching Siu Tung or anyone from the Yuen Clan in the 90's. I somehow forgot about Ching Siu Tung. He should've been the first thing anyone would think of. I saw a few wires in A Fist Full when I saw it at the New Beverly. With such terrible video quality on the DVD's, it'd be hard to notice. (especially in the theater)... What? You've seen some of these in the theater? I've been missing out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator KUNG FU BOB Posted December 15, 2014 Administrator Share Posted December 15, 2014 When I had the Tai Seng VHS for this, I never noticed, but after I got TWIN WARRIORS on DVD over here, they were pretty obvious in certain sequences. That reminds me of a comment a friend made about avoiding old movies, especially ones that involve special FX, on Blu-Ray. He said that the digital treatment just doesn`t do these films any favors. Yeah, I saw them (in THE TAI-CHI MASTER) when I saw it in 35mm, couldn't really see them at all on VHS, and then they were back with a vengeance on DVD and Blu-ray. Film technology in Hong Kong Cinema back then was limited so they had to resort to other solutions to try "hiding" (like using trees or sky shots) the wires from being visible. Certain things I watch on Blu-ray really suffer in this way, like KRULL. Still enjoyable in it's own '80s way, but the seams are clear to see on a lot of the FX work. Then I watch the original 1933 KING KONG... it still looks phenomenal! Pretty much any kung fu movie with action by Ching Siu Tung or anyone from the Yuen Clan in the 90's. I somehow forgot about Ching Siu Tung. He should've been the first thing anyone would think of. Those films were all wire fests! I saw a few wires in A Fist Full when I saw it at the New Beverly. With such terrible video quality on the DVD's, it'd be hard to notice. I'd be happy to see the wires if they'd release that widescreen print on DVD. What? You've seen some of these in the theater? I've been missing out. Yes, I was very lucky. Starting back in the early '90s when HK cinema fever really hit the USA there were some city theaters that were rented out by businessmen from Philly's Chinatown, and they would show 35mm prints (often as Midnight Shows). I saw films like DRAGONS FOREVER, THE MASTER, TIGER ON THE BEAT,NEW LEGEND OF SHAOLIN, and A BETTER TOMORROW, and a few stinkers like MOON WARRIORS and THE DUEL (2000). Around 8 out of 10 were movies I enjoyed tremendously. I even saw POLICE STORY 3 uncut there, not long after it had been released in HK. My friends and I were all gushing about how cool the HK poster for it was, as they hung it up inside the ticket booth for the screening. I asked "Is there any way I could buy that poster?" The guy said "You want it? You can have it. Just pick it up after the film. Do you want the other posters when we hang them up each week?" Yes please! The other guys were kicking themselves for not asking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Cognoscente Posted June 5, 2021 Member Share Posted June 5, 2021 On 12/15/2014 at 3:28 AM, QueMuchita said: Yeah, Tai Chi Master is well known for the wires being visible. I watched Crippled Avengers yesterday for the billionth time but it was the first time that I noticed the wires during the final fight, so obvious that I was surprised I never noticed before. It happens. The first time that I watch a film, I often find myself not paying attention to the background or top of the screen because I'm focusing on the central image. It's only the second time that I watch a movie when my eyes start to wander. This reminds me - watching a film for the second time in a long time is like watching a film for the first time because the memory has weakened somewhat. For example, The Quest - I've not seen this movie in such a long time that I forgot about the mime bit. I only remember the tournament and the pirate stuff. On 12/15/2014 at 3:21 AM, chenzen said: So I just bought Jet Lis Tai Chi Master on bluray. I saw the movie a while ago and I noticed something interesting when rewatching it I could totally see the wires lol. I knew the movie obviously used wires for the fighting sequences I never actually saw the wires until rewatching it. I still think the choreography is astounding it just kinda surprised me after seeing the wires were visible. It's like they spent so much money on hiring the two stars and the many extras that they couldn't afford Vaseline, although it looks like they could afford a smoke machine. On 12/15/2014 at 7:46 PM, KUNG FU BOB said: Certain things I watch on Blu-ray really suffer in this way, like KRULL. Still enjoyable in it's own '80s way, but the seams are clear to see on a lot of the FX work. Then I watch the original 1933 KING KONG... it still looks phenomenal! I've noticed that many films look better on video, especially if it's a scene where someone is acting (or driving a car) in front of a projector screen. A lot of '80s horror films also look better on video due to atmosphere. Once they got remastered, they ended up looking like a TV series such as Murder, She Wrote. On 12/15/2014 at 7:46 PM, KUNG FU BOB said: Starting back in the early '90s when HK cinema fever really hit the USA there were some city theaters that were rented out by businessmen from Philly's Chinatown, and they would show 35mm prints (often as Midnight Shows). The '90s were to HK cinema what the '80s were to Australian cinema (and what the '00s were to Japanese cinema). On 12/15/2014 at 3:32 PM, KenHashibe said: Pretty much any kung fu movie with action by Ching Siu Tung or anyone from the Yuen Clan in the 90's. I somehow forgot about Ching Siu Tung. He should've been the first thing anyone would think of. I saw a few wires in A Fist Full when I saw it at the New Beverly. With such terrible video quality on the DVD's, it'd be hard to notice. I remember Donnie Yen saying (two decades ago) he thought that, despite his reputation, Yuen Woo-Ping wasn't the best guy for wirework. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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