Shaolin
Mantis (1978)
Aka: The Deadly Mantis
Chinese Title: 螳螂
Translation: Praying Mantis
Starring: David Chiang Da-Wei,
Cecilia Wong Hang-Sau, Lau Kar-Wing, Lily Li Li-Li, Wilson Tong Wai-Shing,
Norman Tsui Siu-Keung, John Cheung Ng-Long, Teresa Ha Ping, Wai Wang, Ching
Miao, Gordon Liu Chia-Hui, Lee Hoi-Sang
Director: Lau Kar-Leung
Action Director: Lau Kar-Leung, Wilson
Tong Wai-Shing
1978 was an especially prolific year for director Lau Kar-Leung. He directed no fewer than three films[1], compared to his one-film-a-year schedule that had defined his output since he started directing in 1975. Two of those movies—The 36th Chamber of Shaolin and Heroes of the East—are considered all-time classics in most circles—among genre fans (casual and hardcore), B-movie enthusiasts, and action movie junkies in general. The middle film in this trio—The Shaolin Mantis—has a solid reputation among fans but is not quite considered the masterpiece that others attribute to Lau Kar-Leung’s other films. It is a very good movie, frequently venturing into “excellent” territory, but doesn’t quite merit masterwork status.
Set in the Qing Dynasty, presumably in the late 17th century or early 18th century, the film follows the life of Wai Fung (David Chiang, of Vengeance! and The Heroic Ones), the son of a Court Scholar and a kung fu enthusiast. Wai Fung is invited by the Emperor (Wai Wang, who played Hong Xiguan in The Shaolin Temple) to give a martial arts demonstration. Wai defeats a Mongolian warrior (Lee Hoi-Sang, in a cameo) and a Shaolin monk (Gordon Liu, essentially playing the same role he’d play four years later in Legendary Weapons of China). The Emperor, satisfied with Wai Fung’s skills, gives him a mission.
The Court knows that there are various rebel groups planning uprisings in different parts of the land. There is one family, the Tien family, that is particularly rich and influential, and who may be involved in subversive activities. The Emperor doesn’t have any evidence at the moment, so sending an army to arrest (or slaughter) the family may create more trouble than it resolves. So Wai Fung is to go undercover as a tutor for the Tien family and look for evidence of their participation in any anti-Manchurian undertakings. And just to sweeten the deal, the Emperor gives Wai Fung an ultimatum: if he doesn’t return in three months, his father will lose his royal occupation; if he doesn’t report back in six months, his family will be arrested; and if doesn’t complete his mission in a year, his family will be put to death.
It does not take long for Wai Fung to infiltrate the Tien household. As luck would have it, the patriarch’s granddaughter, Gi Gi (Cecelia Wong, of Stranger from Shaolin), is a bit of a firebrand whose enthusiasm for kung fu usually results in her beating up her hired tutors. As Wai Fung is a lot younger and more resourceful (and handsome) than the ossified old codgers that her grandfather, Patriarch Tien (Lau Kar-Wing), keeps throwing at her, Wai Fung does a better job at keeping Gi Gi’s attention. But the Tiens run a tight ship, and Wai isn’t allowed to stray very far from room that doubles as his bedroom and Gi Gi’s classroom. So when Wai tries snooping around the first time, it quickly alerts the Tiens to the fact that he may indeed be a spy. The only thing that saves him from getting hacked to pieces in his sleep is Gi Gi, who has now fallen in love with him. She arranges for her grandfather to marry them on the condition they never leave the manor. But Wai Fung is a more concerned with filial piety than anything else and conflict between him and his in-laws is inevitable.
While the story is in essence a typical Ming-Rebels-versus-Qing-Dogs story, the presentation is a bit different than usual, while the plot is structured like a Seasonal Films comedy. While there is some action in the first half, it generally maintains a light tone whenever Gi Gi is onscreen. Her tomboyish character has been brought up mainly in the company of fighting men—her grandfather and three uncles (played by Wilson Tong, Norman Tsui and John Cheung)—and despite her mother’s (Lily Li Li-Li) efforts, the influence of the male members of the family have more than rubbed off on her. She values strength and fighting ability of learning, much to the chagrin of her mother and 18…yes, 18…previous teachers. Much like Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow and other similar films, the tone changes around the midway point, which is when Wai Fung finds himself fighting with his grandfather-in-law, whose Shadow Boxing skills are more than a match for Wai’s own training. Wai retreats to the wilderness, where he develops Praying Mantis Kung Fu after an enlightening encounter with the insect. And much like the Seasonal films, it is through learning a new style that our protagonist may best his opponents.
Like many Chinese movies, the light tone of the movie early on gives way to tragedy by the end of the second act, and retains the darker mood until the very last scene. Indeed, this is probably Lau Kar-Leung’s darkest film after The Eight Diagram Pole Fighter, all things considered. David Chiang’s Wai Fung is initially motivated by filial piety: he’s willing to work with the Qings (generally evil in most of these movies) in order to save his parents’ lives. However, once he marries Gi Gi, he obviously has another life to consider. Unfortunately, the script never has him question if what he is doing is right or even fathom the long-term consequences of his actions. After all, if he is successful, not only will the entire Tien household be slaughtered, but dozens, if not hundreds, of Ming patriots will be, too. This ultimately makes him look like a callous asshole as opposed to a tortured hero thrown into an unwinnable situation. This driven home during the final fight, where a single remark made by Wai Fung suggests that he had viewed those around him as Expendable Meat the entire time.
Wai Fung’s main opposition is the Tien family patriarch, played the director’s brother, Lau Kar-Wing. The fact the “villain” may actually be Ming loyalist is novel, hence my remark about the presentation of the usual “Destroy the Qing, Restore the Ming” storyline being unusual for its type. It is certainly a novel idea: the nominal villain of the film being the one we should actually root for. Those waters are muddied, however, by a single character flaw: the good cause is the most important thing, above all else. This causes Patriarch Tien to do some horrible things in order to protect his compatriots. The big question this film asks is “What is more important: family or patriotism?” The way in which Tien answers this question, combined with the all-too narrow way that Wai Fung defines “family”, means that by the big climax, we have two unlikeable monsters locked in mortal combat, neither of whom deserve the audience’s sympathy.
Speaking of combat, the action for the most part ranges from “very good” to “excellent”, thanks to director Lau Kar-Leung and his assistant, Wilson Tong. The movie opens with a pair of fights as a way to establish David Chiang’s fighting credentials, although said skills will be played down until the second half. Gordon Liu, hot off the success of The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, cameos as a monk who uses his head as a primary weapon. Cecelia Wong shows off some kung fu forms early in the film, but it is not until the halfway mark does the action really start. Wai Fung must fight his way through the living quarters of Gi Gi’s three uncles, played by John Cheung, Norman Tsui and Wilson Tong (in that order). Wai Fung and Gi Gi have a broadsword and a single rattan shield between them, and must face off with Cheung, who wields a Tiger Fork trident; Tsui, who wields the shuangdao, or twin broadswords; and finally Wilson Tong, who wields the kwan do. There is some great choreography in this sequence, especially when Wilson Tong must take on three opponents simultaneously, as he swings his weapon around as well as Lu Feng would do the following year in The Magnificent Ruffians and The Shaolin Rescuers. The escape sequences climaxes with a two-on-one duel with Lau Kar-Wing, who fights with a pipe and his shadow boxing style, which is based mainly on qin na—holds and joint locks. During this fight, both David Chiang and Cecelia Wong fight with twin daggers, to great effect.
The obligatory training sequence is a bit truncated. Chiang encounters a praying mantis notices how it grips his finger with its forelegs, which inspires him to develop his own style. I think the shortened scene of Jackie Chan developing his Cat’s Claw style in Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow was justified because so much time had already been spent showing his training in the snake style. In this movie, it just feels hurried. But more disappointing is the fact that we don’t even get to see any Praying Mantis kung fu in action until the final one-on-one; David Chiang’s rematches with his wife’s uncles are all done with weapons (spear, three-section staff, etc.). Granted, the weapon’s work is first rate, and the film on the whole represents one of David Chiang’s all-time best fighting performances, but when I sit down to watch a film called Shaolin Mantis, I don’t want it to be saved for the last quarter of the climax, dadgummit!
Despite the climaxing hinging on Wai Fung’s “founding” of the mantis style, the film itself is not a reflection of the actual story of praying mantis kung fu. Praying Mantis kung fu is purported[2] to have been founded in the Northern Song Dynasty[3] (A.D. 960 – 1126) by a martial artist named Wang Lang. He learned kung fu as a young man at a Taoist monastery and after completing his studies, visited other masters all over China in order to improve his skills. He eventually arrived at the Shaolin Temple, where he studied different Shaolin styles for several years. He left the monastery after losing to the abbot in a duel and went into self-imposed exile. It was then that he came across a praying mantis attacking a cicada. Wang Lang observed the mantis’s movements and was astonished at its fighting prowess. He studied the mantis for years and incorporated its methods of attack and defense into his own repertoire. Later on, he challenged the Shaolin Abbot to a rematch and won.
Shaolin Mantis spends much of its running time in the “Very
Good” department, occasionally poking its head into “Excellent” territory. With
more Praying Mantis kung fu on display and a bit more depth given to David
Chiang’s character, this might have been one of the classics. The film as it
stands would make a good double-feature with the 1985 Mainland Chinese film The Golden Dart Hero, which also
explores of the question of “Family or Patriotism?” albeit with an inverted
premise.
[1] - Plus he choreographed a
fourth: Dirty Kung Fu, starring Wong
Yue and directed by his brother, Lau Kar-Wing.
[2] - There are often a lot of
legends associated with every kung fu style and their origins. So the
traditional founding stories may not actually reflect what historians have been
able to prove.
[3] - One website
(mantiskungfu.com) suggests that it was founded in the latter part of the Ming
Dynasty. Most stories agree that the founder was a fellow named Wang Lang.
No comments:
Post a Comment