Posts
The best kung fu movie I ever saw was filmed in the west, not the East. No Jet, or Jackie, or Bruce, or even Tony. No, it was filmed in the fifties, an American movie with American actors, high production values, and a plot that outdoes the best Eastern.
The actor who out kung fu-ed the East was Stewart Granger, and the name of the movie is Scaramouche. In the movie he plays a French commoner, who has to hide from a despicable nobleman, who becomes the toast of society as a clown, who is elected to the French parliament, who becomes one of the best fencers in the world, who...and it is all done smoothly, with finesse and panache.
Granger is swilling beer with his brother at a roadhouse in the opening of the movie. It turns out that Stewart's brother has been, oh horrors, passing out inflammatory political writings, and an evil count pushes him into a fight. Stewart's brother is killed in a bully of a duel, and the die is cast when Stewart picks up the sword.
Now, problem, Stewart's brother was the real fighter in the family, and he has been killed by the count, so how can weaker brother Stewart win? He can't, and he manages to escape from the roadhouse by the cowardly act of running away. What he takes with him,however, is the determination to have revenge.
How can you beat the best swordsman in France? Simple, you have his teacher teach you. To do this Stewart becomes a clown named Scaramouche in a traveling show.
Scaramouche travels through the country, having antics, and he manages to get fencing lessons from the teacher of the evil count. Driven by revenge, he practices diligently, and even manages to have a girlfriend along the way. When the duel comes, however he loses, and once again he must flee like a cowardly dog.
Distraught, beaten, feeling a bit down, he asks the teacher how can he ever beat the count now that he has failed. Interestingly, the teacher says it is easy, you simply must go to the teacher of the teacher. Scaramouche sets off for Paris, and the teacher of the teacher, and, along the way, he picks up another girlfriend, becomes a notorious killer of nobles, and is elected to the French parliament because, doggone it, it is the best way to make duels and kill nobles.
Now comes the exciting conclusion, and the whole French government starts turning over as plots unravel, and girlfriends unravel and the whole thing is a delight of delights. During the course of this movie we have methods of fencing revealed, thrilling duels to the death, and a plot that just keeps getting better. So for the best kung fu movie, head west, not East, to yesteryear and Scaramouche, and prepare to give up your rice and vegetables for Popcorn and soda, yowza!
The actor who out kung fu-ed the East was Stewart Granger, and the name of the movie is Scaramouche. In the movie he plays a French commoner, who has to hide from a despicable nobleman, who becomes the toast of society as a clown, who is elected to the French parliament, who becomes one of the best fencers in the world, who...and it is all done smoothly, with finesse and panache.
Granger is swilling beer with his brother at a roadhouse in the opening of the movie. It turns out that Stewart's brother has been, oh horrors, passing out inflammatory political writings, and an evil count pushes him into a fight. Stewart's brother is killed in a bully of a duel, and the die is cast when Stewart picks up the sword.
Now, problem, Stewart's brother was the real fighter in the family, and he has been killed by the count, so how can weaker brother Stewart win? He can't, and he manages to escape from the roadhouse by the cowardly act of running away. What he takes with him,however, is the determination to have revenge.
How can you beat the best swordsman in France? Simple, you have his teacher teach you. To do this Stewart becomes a clown named Scaramouche in a traveling show.
Scaramouche travels through the country, having antics, and he manages to get fencing lessons from the teacher of the evil count. Driven by revenge, he practices diligently, and even manages to have a girlfriend along the way. When the duel comes, however he loses, and once again he must flee like a cowardly dog.
Distraught, beaten, feeling a bit down, he asks the teacher how can he ever beat the count now that he has failed. Interestingly, the teacher says it is easy, you simply must go to the teacher of the teacher. Scaramouche sets off for Paris, and the teacher of the teacher, and, along the way, he picks up another girlfriend, becomes a notorious killer of nobles, and is elected to the French parliament because, doggone it, it is the best way to make duels and kill nobles.
Now comes the exciting conclusion, and the whole French government starts turning over as plots unravel, and girlfriends unravel and the whole thing is a delight of delights. During the course of this movie we have methods of fencing revealed, thrilling duels to the death, and a plot that just keeps getting better. So for the best kung fu movie, head west, not East, to yesteryear and Scaramouche, and prepare to give up your rice and vegetables for Popcorn and soda, yowza!
About the Author:
Al Case has learned the martial arts forty years. Get his Free Ebook at Blinding Steel.
No comments:
Post a Comment