Chinese folk heroes, legends and novels in cinema - Across the Decades

[DrNgor]

As we know, there are folk tales, legends, folk heroes, etc. that frequently appear in Chinese (Hong Kong, Chinese, Taiwanese) movies. I made a non-comprehensive list of some of those elements and movies that represent them for each decade. Can y'all help me fill in the blanks (should I have missed something)?

1. Dragon Inn
2. One-Armed Swordsman
3. Wong Fei-Hung
4. Ip Man
5. Chen Zhen/Chin Woo/Huo Yuanjia
6. Fong Sai Yuk
7. Police Story
8. Hung Hey-Kwun
9. White Snake

Edited July 29, 2022 by DrNgor

[Super Ninja]

3 hours ago, DrNgor said:

As we know, there are folk tales, legends, folk heroes, etc. that frequently appear in Chinese (Hong Kong, Chinese, Taiwanese) movies. I made a non-comprehensive list of some of those elements and movies that represent them for each decade. Can y'all help me fill in the blanks (should I have missed something)?

1. Dragon Inn
2. One-Armed Swordsman
3. Wong Fei-Hung
4. Ip Man
5. Chen Zhen/Chin Woo/Huo Yuanjia
6. Fong Sai Yuk
7. Police Story
8. Hung Hey-Kwun
9. White Snake

 

Chen Zhen 2020s: The Winds of Jingwu - has yet to be released as far as I know

Huo Yuanjia 2020s: Fearless Kung Fu King (2020)

 

Don't know if you'd care for more titles from the decades that already have one or more movies, such as:

Wong Fei-Hung 1970s: The Master of Kung Fu (1973) and The Skyhawk (1974)

There's more.

 

Not sure if this one can fit the criteria in any way:

One-Armed Swordsman 1990s: What Price Survival (1994) - aka The New One-Armed Swordsman '94, not much of a remake and I'm not sure if it features a one-armed swordsman

 

White Snake 2020s: White Snake aka Bai she: Qing jie (2021)?

 

[DrNgor]

Thanks, @Super Ninja. Updated the list:

1. Dragon Inn
2. One-Armed Swordsman
3. Wong Fei-Hung
4. Drunken Boxing/Beggar So
5. Ip Man
6. Chin Woo/Chen Zhen/Huo Yuanjia
7. Fong Sai Yuk
8. Hong Xiguan
9. White Snake
10. "Iron Bridge" Sahm

 

 

Edited July 27, 2022 by DrNgor

[Drunken Monk]

There were a few Chen Zhen films released in 2019 and 2020. They're hard to pin down though because they're all called Fist of Fury. One of them stars Tiger Xu and is listed as Fist of Fury - Chen Zhen (2019) on this site: http://chinesemov.com/2019/Fist-of-Fury-Chen-Zhen.html

 

[DrNgor]

Thanks, @Drunken Monk. Updated.

I wonder what an 80s adaptation of Dragon Inn would have looked like. I bet one of boys from Kung Fu Kids would have played one of the General's children and would've fought against the Eunuch, too.
 

Edited July 27, 2022 by DrNgor

[ShawAngela]

Snake woman's marriage 1975

Silve knife, scarlet blade 1969 (the one that inspired From the highway)

For the spy genre :

Liufu's tea house aka The brave young generation 1971/ The toughest guy

Storm other the Yang Tse River 1969/The best secret agent 1964

I'm not sure to have well understood what you want : just one movie of each genre for each decade ? I saw that you mentioned several ones on the same category, sometimes...

Do you have a list of the various genres you want to mention ?

[DrNgor]

8 minutes ago, ShawAngela said:

I'm not sure to have well understood what you want : just one movie of each genre for each decade ? I saw that you mentioned several ones on the same category, sometimes...

It's a discussion on legends, folk heroes, novels, etc. that are adapted to film on a regular basis. Almost like, there will never NOT be a movie about Chin Woo, or Wong Fei Hung, etc. produced in a given decade.

[Omni Dragon]

Sammo Hung played Wong Fei Hung in Around the World in 80 Days (2004).

Yip Chun played his father Yip Man in Bruce Lee: the Man, the Myth (1976). Apparently he plays him in What You Gonna Do, Sai Fung (1999) as well.

[paimeifist]

Wu Xia (2011) for One Armed Swordsman.

[DrNgor]

Thanks, @paimeifist and @Omni Dragon:

[ShawAngela]

Adventures of Fong si Yuk 1938

Fang Shiyu and Miao Cuihua 1948

The true story of Fang Shiyu 1951

Story of Fang Shiyu and Hu Weiqian 1955

Fang Shiyu comes to Hong Xiguan's rescue 1956

 

You choose among them...

[masterofoneinchpunch]

Return of the One-Armed Swordsman (1969: Chang Cheh): I love this film.  Easily a must watch and one of Chang Cheh's most homoerotic movies.

[DrNgor]

Thanks, @masterofoneinchpunch and @ShawAngela. I updated the list to include a column for the 1950s. I still have more to add, but here's an updated version.

1. Dragon Inn
2.  One-Armed Swordsman
3. Wong Fei-Hung
4. Drunken Boxing/Beggar So
5. Ip Man
6. Chin Woo/Chen Zhen/Huo Yuanjia
7. Fong Sai Yuk
8. Hong Xiguan (Cantonese: Hung Hey-Kwun)
9. White Snake
10. "Iron Bridge" Sahm
11. Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre
12. Big Blade Wang Wu

[ShawAngela]

For the 80's,if I'm not mistaken, there are also the ATV series Young Wong Fei Hung with Wong Yuen San, the TVB series Return of Wong Fei Hung and Wong Fei Hung returns, and a series with Gordon Liu called Wong Fei Hung and Thirteen Aunt.

Sammo Hung series Wing Chun

About the story of the heroine Lu Si Niang, who is supposed to have killed Emperor Yong Zhen : 

TV series Legend of Yung Ching, with Adam Cheng

TVB Legend of Ching lady with Carol Cheng

About Hua Mulan ;

Mulan joins the army 1952, remake of the 1939 movie with the same name

Lady General Hua Mulan 1964

Hua Mulan in legend 1994

Mulan 2009

 

About Na Cha :

Nazha's adventures in the East Sea 1957

The birth of Nezha 1962

Na Cha and the seven devils 1973

ATV series ; Boy fighter from Heaven

 

[Chu Liu Hsiang]

There are literally dozens of movies dealing with Monkey King Sun Wu Kung/ The Journey to the West. Listing them all would probably bust your chart. Some titles:

1956 THE JOURNEY TO THE WEST

Shaw Brothers' adaptations:
1966 THE MONKEY GOES WEST + PRINCESS IRON FAN; 1968 CAVE OF THE SILKEN WEB + THE LAND OF MANY PERFUMES

1972 MONKEY KING WITH 72 MAGIC

1982 NEW PILGRIMS TO THE WEST

1991 JOURNEY TO THE WEST (Chang Cheh credited as one of 4 directors, and one of two screenwriters)
1995 A CHINESE ODYSSEE PART ONE: PANDORA'S BOX + PART TWO: CINDERELLA  (Jeff Lau, with Stephen Chow)

2013 JOURNEY TO THE WEST CONQUERING THE DEMONS (Stephen Chow)
2014 THE MONKEY KING (Cheang Pou Soi, with Donnie Yen as Monkey. Aaron Kwok took over this part for THE MONKEY KING 2 in 2016, THE MONKEY KING 3: KINGDOM OF WOMEN in 2018 and

THE MONKEY KING 4 in ?2021?

Special mention to Jet Li as Monkey King in the otherwise underwhelming FORBIDDEN KINGDOM

[DrNgor]

Thanks, @ShawAngela and @Chu Liu Hsiang! I'll add more later.

1. Dragon Inn
2.  One-Armed Swordsman
3. Wong Fei-Hung
4. Drunken Boxing/Beggar So
5. Ip Man
6. Chin Woo/Chen Zhen/Huo Yuanjia
7. Fong Sai Yuk
8. Hong Xiguan (Cantonese: Hung Hey-Kwun)
9. White Snake
10. "Iron Bridge" Sahm
11. Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre
12. Big Blade Wang Wu
13. Mulan
14. Nezha
15. Journey to the West

[ShawAngela]

Sam the iron bridge/One-arm hero/ (both 1993)/White Lotus cult 1994 : trilogy 

About Beggar So : 

TVB series Legend of Master So with Andy Lau and Chow Yun Fat

TV series Legend of Master Soh qith Felix Wong

Shaws' The Young vagabond

[DrNgor]

On 7/30/2022 at 2:28 PM, ShawAngela said:

Sam the iron bridge/One-arm hero/ (both 1993)/White Lotus cult 1994 : trilogy 

 

On 7/30/2022 at 2:28 PM, ShawAngela said:

Shaws' The Young vagabond

Those are all already on the list.