![]() They were one of the few companies who refused to make any political statements leading up to WWII, choosing instead to focus on entertainment over any message, and the fans loved them for it. ![]() They would focus on the kind of Wuxia films that were popular at the time and by throwing in a mixture of romance and action, they were guaranteed a big box-office whenever they released a new movie.įor the best part of 25 years, they went from strength to strength. Their first movie, A Change of Heart (1925),would set the blueprint for how the company went about making films for the next few decades. 1907), and thanks to the Runje having his finger on the pulse of what the general public wanted, they were a hit from the get-go. He was joined in this venture by his brothers, Runde Shaw (B. They would release their first movie, An Orphan Rescues Grandfather (1923),and it was such a huge success that it would inspire Runje to start the Tianyi Film Company two years later. This would become a pivotal moment in the career of the Shaw Brothers as during this time three of the people he worked with, Zhang Shichuan, Zheng Zhengqiu, and Zhou Jianyun would form the Mingxing Film Company. In 1922 he took on another role, the day-to-day running of the Xiao Wutai theatre. He also founded the Huayou Egg Factory, but this wasn’t enough for the eldest Shaw. He’d graduated from Shenzhou University, at the tender age of 18, with a law degree and had gone to work for the local Shanghai court before branching out into textiles, silk, and anything else he could sell. 1896), who was the definition of an entrepreneur. It all started with the eldest brother, Runje Shaw (B. “Chinese Opera Backstage 02” by Jay Phagan is licensed under CC BY 2.0Īs with most things Kung Fu, the beginnings of the Shaw Brothers Studios would be steeped in Chinese opera. It would take the business acumen of four brothers named Shaw to break down these doors and though it would require an almost infinite amount of patience, when they finally managed to export their movies to the world it turned out the world hungered for Kung Fu far more than anyone could’ve ever known. Meaning that the lucrative American and European markets were closed, but they wouldn’t stay closed forever. This was because nobody was looking to import Asian films. ![]() From a history steeped in Chinese opera to its eventual transition to film, it became a cultural phenomenon, but one that seemed destined to forever languish in the country of its origin. In the first part of A History Of Kung Fu, I took a look at the birth of the genre. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
December 2022
Categories |