Jump to content

African Kicks: South African Martial Arts Movies


DragonClaws

Recommended Posts

  • Member
Quote

KUNG FU IN AFRICA: Back Home In Hong Kong
Ernie Wolfe III

Starting in about 1985, and continuing until just before the millennium, there existed a ‘Golden Age’ of hand-painted, imagination-driven movie posters in Ghana. This was a time when market forces from abroad were minimal and these unique and exotic paintings were created solely for the local Ghanaian movie-viewing audience. The best and brightest artists of a generation competed fiercely and directly in the public eye to produce this exciting new work, being careful to sign and date the great majority of their paintings. Their hand-made artistry stood its ground against the inevitable tide of printing technology that globalization thrust upon them, and for a short while, they carved out a small oasis in time, where man actually won out over machines.

Source, Link- https://ocula.com/art-galleries/hanart-tz-gallery/exhibitions/kung-fu-in-africa-golden-age-hand-painted-movie-po/

 

b7764a19-2cd7-421a-ab5c-b7e39a53f50e_750

703f5984-c190-4f35-9ae7-f0e26d2ec3bd_100

Edited by DragonClaws
  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Member

 

Hopefully they will cast some local talent?, in the up-coming Series Two of Warrior's, which starts filming in Cape Town South Africa, this year.

 

49351181_2240983095946818_11282779443350

Edited by DragonClaws
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Member

If one considers a kaiju battle as martial arts, then Asylum Entertainment has a new kaiju movie, Monster Island (aka Monster Mash), getting a release this summer.  It was partially shot in South Africa and New Zealand.  "As the world tries to stop a giant kaiju bent on destruction, more and more monsters appear - each one more terrible than the last - leaving mankind defenseless until our heroes reach out to a specialist versed in monster lore."  The movie is written and directed by Mark Atkins.  Cast includes Adrian Bouchet, Natalie Robbie, Chris Fisher, and Donna Cormack-Thomson, with guest stars Margot Wood, Eric Roberts, and Toshi Toda.  Photos and more at http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/2019/03/23/first-look-at-new-kaiju-film-monster-island/

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Member

One More Shot is a 1984 South African action movie (with martial arts) written and directed by Ronnie Isaacs.  Cast includes Hector Rabotapi, Dominic Tyawa, Joe Ford, Stan Froom, Peter Stoneley, Joe Mustapha, Sharon Clarke, Ashlin Mccarthy, and Munro Smith.  "A criminal known as Ten-Ten is released from prison, fixed on revenge.  Teaming with sleazy human-trafficking friends, he sets a trap for former boxer Johnny Tough, imploring him to save a beautiful girl from the sex-trade.  But Johnny isn't called Tough for nothing, even when he's up against a crime syndicate.  Part of IndiePix Films' RETRO AFRIKA collection, comprised of digitally-remastered classic Apartheid-era films, produced by and starring native South Africans, paying homage to Hollywood action, in a groundbreaking B-movie style, a precursor to today's burgeoning Nollywood industry."  One More Shot gets a U.S. all region DVD release from Music Video Distributors on June 11, 2019.  https://videoeta.com/items/211126-one-more-shot   The old movie poster with martial artists is from Amazon.com, since Videoeta doesn't allow me to link to the movie poster image on its site.  One Long Shot is also available on Amazon Prime with Indiepix Unlimited. 

Trailer - 

One More Shot

 

Edited by whitesnake
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Member
DragonClaws
3 hours ago, whitesnake said:

One More Shot is a 1984 South African action movie (with martial arts) written and directed by Ronnie Isaacs.  Cast includes Hector Rabotapi, Dominic Tyawa, Joe Foed, Stan Froom, Peter Stoneley, Joe Mustapha, Sharon Clarke, Ashlin Mccarthy, and Munro Smith.  "A criminal known as Ten-Ten is released from prison, fixed on revenge.  Teaming with sleazy human-trafficking friends, he sets a trap for former boxer Johnny Tough, imploring him to save a beautiful girl from the sex-trade.  But Johnny isn't called Tough for nothing, even when he's up against a crime syndicate.

 

Thanks agian @whitesnake, I'll add that to the main list ASAP.

 

How did you find out about this title?.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Member
On 3/31/2019 at 12:06 PM, DragonClaws said:

How did you find out about this title?

I was browsing through Videoeta listings for upcoming releases.  The trailer came up through a Youtube search.  I found out more info about One More Shot.  It has an IMDB listing at https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4924218/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_2

According to IMDB, the movie had a 1983 prequel, Johnny Tough, also directed by Ronnie Isaacs and starring Hector Rabotabi, and filmed in South Africa.  However, the movie poster for "Johnny Tough" from the 1983 movie IMDB page is actually the poster for a 1973 movie of the same name.  IMDB page for the 1983 movie -  https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4316356/?ref_=nm_flmg_prd_22

Article on the 1973 Johnny Tough movie, set in Los Angeles - https://www.ebony.com/entertainment/blaxploitation-johnny-tough/

Edited by whitesnake
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Member

One Long Shot was restored by Gravel Road Distribution Group, a Cape Town based company.  Part of the company is Retro Afrika Bioscope (R.A.B), which "is an initiative through which we locate, acquire, preserve, digitally restore and re-release lost African films to new audiences around the world."  Gravel Road has a Youtube channel.  The "Videos" section has Official Movie Trailers for the movies that have been restored - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMR66tlg7C2Yp-10tHNH1SA/videos  if anyone wants to check if some of the restored movies have martial arts, like One Long Shot.  Another Official Movie Trailer among the videos is for Joe Bullet - 

 

Edited by whitesnake
  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Member
On 3/31/2019 at 11:16 PM, whitesnake said:

One Long Shot was restored by Gravel Road Distribution Group, a Cape Town based company.  Part of the company is Retro Afrika Bioscope (R.A.B), which "is an initiative through which we locate, acquire, preserve, digitally restore and re-release lost African films to new audiences around the world."  Gravel Road has a Youtube channel.  The "Videos" section has Official Movie Trailers for the movies that have been restored - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMR66tlg7C2Yp-10tHNH1SA/videos  if anyone wants to check if some of the restored movies have martial arts, like One Long Shot.  Another Official Movie Trailer among the videos is for Joe Bullet - 

 

The great Ken Gampu! He was great as Gorilla in Kill and Kill Again and he played a village elder in Kevin Bacon's The Air Up There. He died in 2003 at the age of 74.

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Member
whitesnake

Asylum Entertainment's Monster Island, partially filmed in South Africa, had its premiere on June 1st, 2019 on the SyFy Channel.  The movie gets released on DVD and VOD on June 13th.  More info and some photos (monsters, landscapes, FX, cast) are at http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/2019/05/31/monster-island-photo-gallery-from-asylum/   

Update:  The hyped kaiju encounter at the end of the movie is more of a fizzle.  Asylum didn't spend the money to have a rousing climactic battle between the evil kaiju, Tengu, and the good 'Living Mountain'. 

Movie poster (from IMDB) - 

Monster Island Poster

 

Edited by whitesnake
  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Member

Here's another one: Beware Tiger, part of the Retro Afrika Bioscope collection at IndiePix Films.

238226&w=230

Duck is a Karate student who is in a predicament with furthering his studies in Japan. He manages to get an offer from a business man under the condition he kills Tiger, however Duck refuses to go against Karate vows and regulations. Little did he know that trouble is brewing and his spouse would get kidnapped in order to threaten him into the deal. With the assistance of his master they manage to save Duck's spouse and he gets rewarded with a bursary to complete his studies.

Director: Michelle Hartslief

Producer: n/a Lead

Cast: Hector Mathanda and Sizwe Dlamini

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Member
DragonClaws
18 hours ago, AlbertV said:

Here's another one: Beware Tiger, part of the Retro Afrika Bioscope collection at IndiePix Films.

 

Thanks for posting this information @AlbertV, how did you come across this movie?.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Member
7 minutes ago, DragonClaws said:

 

Thanks for posting this information @AlbertV, how did you come across this movie?.

I found out IndiePix is releasing a 4-movie set of their Retro Afrika collections on DVD so I looked up IndiePix and that was where I came across it.
http://www.indiepixfilms.com/featured/vintage-afrika

 

Here's one featuring African stick fighting. Moyo Mubi

When a group of ex-cons start terrorizing the local countryside, stealing from and tormenting the poor families in the area, a young man with a well-trained stick-fighting ability stands up and decides to be the champion of the defenseless community, tracking the hoodlums down and putting them out of business once and for all. But with his girlfriend taken hostage by the gang leader, the young warrior will have to dig deep if he hopes to ultimately save the day.

Director: Tonie van der Merwe
Producer: Philip Olivier
Lead Cast: Innocent "Popo" Gumede, Duni Shongwe and Mandla Ngcoya

Edited by AlbertV
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Member
DragonClaws
8 minutes ago, AlbertV said:

https://retroafrika.com/

This is the official blog for Gravel Road Entertainment, the outlet in South Africa who are responsible for unearthing and remastering the Apartheid-era South African films.

 

Thank you for the link, much appreciated.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Member
DragonClaws

 

Quote

I believe its time that Africa should have their own heroes, role models and examples in the movies. – Aurelien Henry Obama (Actor and Martial Artist)

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH AURELIEN HENRY OBAMA CAMEROON’S TOP MARTIAL ARTIST AND ACTION MOVIE ACTOR!

Link- http://thehotjem.com/exclusive-interview-with-aurelien-henry-obama-cameroons-top-martial-artist-and-action-movie-actor/

 

IMG_0317.jpg

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Member
DragonClaws

 

Quote

The first time, it took me by surprise. I was on a tour of the townships outside Cape Town when a crowd of little boys surrounded me and started jabbering in unison. “How sweet,” I thought. “They’re talking to me in Xhosa.” Then, from the babble, I made out the distinctly English words: “Jackie Chan! Jackie Chan!”

 

What's Kung Fu Doing in Cape Town?

Link-https://stanfordmag.org/contents/what-s-kung-fu-doing-in-cape-town

 

Who Am I(1998)

51df23a519c2e478cbf99877d0f41764.jpg
 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Terms of Use

Please Sign In or Sign Up