Welcome to Commentary Commentary, the place we sit and hearken to filmmakers discuss their work, then share probably the most attention-grabbing elements. On this version, Rob Hunter revisits the primary (second?) entry in Hong Kong’s Within the Line of Obligation motion sequence.
Whereas Hollywood has its fair proportion of female-led motion movies, the bulk happened up to now couple many years. Hong Kong received a leap on the US, although, each in amount and high quality, thanks largely to 1985’s Sure, Madam!. Corey Yuen’s motion hit is a buddy cop movie with two deadly girls on the entrance of the motion, and along with kicking off the “ladies with weapons” subgenre, it additionally turned the primary movie within the fashionable Within the Line of Obligation franchise.
88 Movies lately launched arguably the very best box-set of the yr (up to now) gathering the primary 4 movies within the sequence, and whereas the highlights are the flicks themselves, the set is loaded with new and outdated extras too. That features new commentaries for every movie, so after all we’re giving them a pay attention. Now hold studying to see what I heard on the commentary for Sure, Madam!
Sure, Madam (1985)
Commentator: Frank Djeng (Hong Kong movie professional)
1. Michelle Yeoh is launched as “the one Bond lady to not shag James Bond,” however I name shenanigans on that Olga Kurylenko erasure.
2. D&B Movies Co. was, on the time, the third-largest movie studio in Hong Kong.
3. Royal Warriors (1986), additionally starring Yeoh, was launched in Hong Kong a yr later, however as soon as the Within the Line of Obligation sequence moniker got here into play the order was switched internationally — Royal Warriors turned Within the Line of Obligation, and Sure, Madam turned Within the Line of Obligation II. It will get much more complicated… “within the UK, Sure, Madam was launched as Police Murderer on DVD, however Police Murderer 2 on VHS, whereas Royal Warriors was Police Murderer on VHS and by no means even received a DVD launch.”
4. The opening avenue sequence was filmed at a preferred procuring plaza additionally utilized in Jackie Chan’s Police Story that very same yr.
5. The usual phrases of respect within the Hong Kong police — Madam, Sir — aren’t any extra because the Chinese language authorities made modifications in Might 2022 requiring the phrases to be spoken in Chinese language solely.
6. Melvin Wong, who performs Chief Inspector Wong, continuously performs villains and can also be a lawyer in actual life. Coincidence? Most likely.
7. Dick Wei studied martial arts from an early age earlier than becoming a member of the navy and attaining the rank of Captain. As soon as out, he discovered work at a martial arts studio the place he was found by legendary director Chang Cheh and satisfied to check out for the flicks. He began out with Shaw Brothers studio earlier than becoming a member of Golden Harvest and Sammo Hung‘s stunt group.
8. Mang Hoi performs a petty thief right here and was additionally a member of Hung’s stunt group. Considered one of his earliest roles is a younger teenager in Enter the Dragon (1973) who will get a pat on the top from Bruce Lee. He served as motion director/coordinator on quite a few movies together with Royal Warriors, Legacy of Rage (1986) with Brandon Lee, and 1990’s She Shoots Straight — and he additionally choreographed the fights in Sure, Madam. He received a Finest Supporting Actor award and the Hong Kong Movie Awards, however whereas his work right here was additionally nominated for Finest Motion, the movie misplaced to Police Story.
9. Yeoh moved to England as a young person to review dance at London’s Royal Academy, however a ballet profession was lower brief after she injured her again. After successful 1990’s Miss Malaysia contest — her mom apparently entered her with out telling her prematurely — she was noticed by expertise scouts and forged in a business reverse Jackie Chan. That advert shortly led to movie roles, after which she received the Academy Award for 2022’s Every thing In every single place All at As soon as. Sounds straightforward sufficient, however the years between Miss Malaysia and the Oscar noticed ups and downs in her movie profession with that Western recognition being a very long time coming.
10. Filmmaker Tsui Hark has a small however memorable position as a counterfeiter right here regardless of having already directed eight movies of his personal by this level together with the madcap We’re Going to Eat You (1980), the controversial Harmful Encounter of the First Variety (1980), and the epic Zu: Warriors from the Magic Mountain (1983). He gave himself the primary title Hark which suggests “overcoming” as in overcoming life’s varied obstacles.
11. The movie’s motion scenes solely whole round fifteen minutes out of the film’s ninety-three minute working time. That’s arguably why that is the weakest of the primary 4 Within the Line of Obligation movies regardless of the highs of the Yeoh/Cynthia Rothrock team-up.
12. The airport scene was filmed at a now defunct Kowloon airport that was referred to as the sixth most harmful airport on the earth as a result of structure of its runway and proximity of the encircling water.
13. The character of Inspector Carrie Morris (Rothrock) was initially written for a person, however director Corey Yuen noticed Rothrock’s unrelated audition and switched issues as much as forged her within the position as an alternative. No phrase as to why an American girl is an inspector with England’s Scotland Yard, although.
14. Filmmaker Fruit Chan (Three… Extremes, 2004) cameos because the blue-shirted idiot within the pool corridor.
15. Yuen cameos because the mustachioed cop within the pink shirt at 1:33:53.
16. Dickson Poon, the principle associate in D&B Movies, got here from an excellent rich household whose fortune was constructed on jewellery and different luxurious objects. He had no movie expertise, however a love for cinema and a partnership with Sammo Hung led to the creation of D&B Movies which produced seventy-seven motion pictures. Poon married Yeoh in 1988, however the couple divorced in 1991.
17. Rothrock is a five-time World Champion in Varieties and Weapons, and a few of her first-place wins in Varieties have been towards males as there was no feminine class on the time.
18. The rating is by Romeo Diaz (Righting Wrongs, 1986; As soon as Upon a Time in China, 1991), however sure, it does elevate elements of John Carpenter’s Halloween (1978) rating wholesale.
19. Rothrock apparently caught Dick Wei with an actual kick to the face throughout an earlier battle, so he selected to make use of a stunt double for the beat at 1:26:50 the place she offers him a scorpion kick to the face.
20. Yuen applies a slight undercranking to among the fights right here — taking pictures the scene at a decrease velocity, in order that it seems sooner when performed at regular velocity — however that’s a reasonably frequent approach for Hong Kong movies.
The disc additionally contains scene particular commentary with Djeng and Rothrock in the course of the battle scenes on the airport and the massive finale.
21. The airport battle between Rothrock and Eddie Maher was choreographed on the spot, and he or she was on the mercy of language obstacles and the strain of being on her first movie. She elbows Maher within the abdomen to kick off the battle, and so they did a number of takes. “Eddie was like, ‘don’t hit me so onerous!’ Corey’s like, ‘tougher, tougher!’” The kick off the wall was a brand new transfer for her, understandably, and it took her forty-five minutes of trial and error to get proper — after which they did a number of takes.
22. The home inside for the ultimate battle was constructed in an empty constructing, and so they filmed for almost a month straight. Filming the beat the place she does the cut up on the wall noticed her up there for 3 hours, “and I couldn’t stroll for like three days, my muscle mass have been so sore.” Apparently Sylvester Stallone didn’t/doesn’t consider that the stunt performer flipping the railing, hitting the alternative wall, after which falling to the ground is an actual individual. “I stated ‘I used to be there, that was an actual individual.’” The scorpion kick was one among Rothrock’s creations for her personal demonstrations, and Yuen beloved it a lot he had her do it for the finale.
Finest in Context-Free Commentary
“He has finished some wonderful stunts together with getting kicked by Sammo.”
“We have now the Stanley Tucci of Hong Kong there.”
“That’s in all probability unintentional, however hell, it appears good.”
“You do the crime, you do the time.”
“He wasn’t probably the most versatile individual.”
Last Ideas
There’s no denying that Frank Djeng is aware of his shit with regards to Hong Kong motion cinema. He might have some biographical notes ready prematurely, however it’s simply as clear that he can pull expertise names, each in Chinese language and English, from his reminiscence at will alongside particulars about Hong Kong’s geography and historical past. That information provides context and wealthy element to Sure, Madam!‘s manufacturing, and it makes for a fascinating and attention-grabbing pay attention. Wanting ahead to trying out the following three in 88 Movies’ spectacular field set.
Learn extra Commentary Commentary from the archives.
Associated Subjects: Commentary Commentary, Corey Yuen, Cynthia Rothrock, Michelle Yeoh
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