Vs?

[BaronK]

The whole LKL versus CC got me thinking. My favorite martial directors were:

Sun Chung

Cheng Cheh

Lau Ka Leung

Lu Chin Ku

They are NOTHING alike. Each was creative in his OWN way. It's that difference that draws that warm feeling out of me. It's their individuality that draws my appreciation. It's not the sameness I need. It's the difference. I don't want SC to make his films like LCK. That only gives me less, not more. That is MORE creativity.

Claws of the Eagle/Kid with a Tattoo is a movie I can't stand, but...it's full of so much dopeness from Sun Chung visually and Tong Gaai and his team that I adore looling at it.

I found that I stopped the whole "better" way of thinking when I stopped being a fanboy and long time ago. Now I see things as they are presented, individually. I then tend to see the whole a whole lot better from there.

Sometimes the student "is" his teacher. Other times he becomes his own tree separate from the root. Tong Gaai was nothing like Sun Chung, Chang Cheh or Chor Yuen when he became a director. LKL was nothing like CC when he became a director. John Woo "is" Chang Cheh.

I find comparison threads to be interesting in the way they become denigrating. Instead of being positive, they crumble into people breaking down and saying bad things about people and movies that they ACTUALLY LIKE in order to choose between something when they DON'T ACTUALLY HAVE TO CHOOSE.

Whose the best between Sun Chung, Chang Cheh, Ka Leung and Chun Ku? They're all different. They made different movies with different action, themes, visuals and mentalities. What better?

[venoms5]

I don't think any of those directors are better than the other. I think they all have strengths and weaknesses yet all bring something different to the table.

Sun Chung was more masterful with his camera and offered a more manageable alternative to the Chu Yuan style of swordplay film and also imbued his films with dramatic (and sometimes tragic) characters. He shot his films in a slightly more American style than his colleagues. I can't think of a single STRONG weakness in any of Chung's movies right now other than TIME. It took him a number of productions to find his niche.

Lu Chin Ku could deliver a fast and furious action film with no fat on it. He stated in an interview once that he didn't care much for directing serious action films, preferring more light hearted fare as those movies did better BO. Even still, he could deliver the goods when needed and was also a fairly successful choreographer in his own right. The one weakness I can say about his films is he seldom allowed his action films time to breathe. Definitely the forerunner of the ADD kung fu sped up action style.

Liu Chia Liang is a strong all around director but resigns himself to the same filmmaking style time and time again. Nothing wrong with that, but tackling new avenues is good. He did this once with 8 DIAGRAM POLE FIGHTER. SHAOLIN MANTIS had a serious streak and possibly the only time there was a bad guy as the "good guy", but there was still the underlying theme of family. Again, nothing wrong with that. Too many of his films rely on overbearing comedy.

Chang Cheh should be the benchmark that everyone followed. You watch or read any interview (or even watch the films) and you will see that Chang Cheh was the mentor of pretty much everybody from directors, to script writers, to choreographers. Everybody learned something from Chang Cheh. His strengths were undoubtedly the raw power and emotion from his protagonists, the veracity of the central fight scenes (the most important ones) and his versatility. He was not afraid to fail. The man possessed great humility and was very critical of his own works. His weaknesses were his inability to showcase a woman as anything other than helpless, a prostitute or a means to bring about the destruction of the hero. He was a chauvinist. His willingness to shoot multiple movies at once meant that some movies that could have had potential would suffer. Also, whereby he had strength in versatility, this also proved to be a weakness especially to an unforgiving audience.

If I were to say who was the "Best" director in Hong Kong, it would without doubt be Chang Cheh because without him, HK cinema would in all probability be a different place.

[Iron Boat]

I think Sun Chung and Cheng Cheh have more in common as directors, they both understood the concept of the Showdown. I enjoy their films cause they effectively build tension throughout the film that leads towards a climatic ending that usually delivers. Lar Kar Leung who is the sifu himself often let me down when it comes to the showdown. As great a film like Enter the 36 Chambers is, the weakest part was actually the final fight. It felt tacked on and underdeveloped. Cheng Cheh almost always made that final fight memorable. So did Sun Chung. I enjoy SC and CC cause I know there will be a payoff at the end. LKL may leave you hanging and going thats it? (for example Challenge of the Masters, Executioners from Shaolin, Martial Club)

[bjv666]

Ask HAZ & VENOM5

[SamuraiDana]

Ummm, bjv666, I, um, think you responded to the wrong thread.

BTW, I wanted to respond to your long post in the other thread, but I had to print it out and wait till I had time to read it over and circle points you made and questions I had. But now you did another long thread that I have to print out and read when I have time.

(Damn, this is getting confusing.)

[vengeanceofhumanlanterns]

SamuraiDana, is it that important? Lets keep it civil now guys.