Ip Man-叶问

Ip Man (traditional Chinese: 葉問; simplified Chinese: 叶问; pinyin: Yè Wèn) is a 2008 Hong Kong martial arts semi-biographical film that is based on the life of Ip Man, the celebrated martial arts master of Bruce Lee, and the first to teach the Chinese martial art of Wing Chun openly. The film focuses on events surrounding Ip that took place in the city of Foshan between the 1930s to 1940s during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Directed by Wilson Yip, the film stars Donnie Yen in the lead role, and features fight choreography by Sammo Hung. Ip’s two sons, Ip Chun and Ip Ching, along with several Wing Chun practitioners also appear in the film. The supporting cast includes Simon Yam, Lynn Hung, Lam Ka-Tung, Xing Yu and Japanese actor Hiroyuki Ikeuchi.

Ip Man is the first film to be based on the life of the martial artist. After a first attempt to portray Ip’s life on screen resulted in the project being abandoned, producer Raymond Wong developed his own film with full consent from Ip’s sons, and had filmmakers head to Foshan, to research Master Ip’s life. Ip Chun, Ip Man’s eldest son, served as a consultant for the film. Principal photography for Ip Man took place in Shanghai, which was used to architecturally recreate Foshan. Ip Man was released in Hong Kong on 18 December 2008, ^[1] receiving widespread acclaim from both critics and audiences. Following its critical and commercial success, Ip Man was nominated for 12 Hong Kong Film Awards, winning awards for Best Picture and Best Action Choreography. Two sequels to the film are currently in development, with the second installment slated for a 2010 theatrical release.

Plot

 Premise

Ip Man is adapted from the life story of Ip Man, the grandmaster of the Wing Chun style of martial arts and sifu of legendary kung fu superstar Bruce Lee. This film is the first important record of the master’s life.^[2]

 Summary

In the 1930s, Foshan thrives as the hub of Chinese martial arts, with various sects actively recruiting disciples and competing against each other to prove their strengths. Well known throughout Foshan for his martial arts skills is Ip Man, who is an expert in Wing Chun. While Ip Man is an accomplished martial artist, he is unassuming and keeps a low profile. At the same time he doesn’t run any martial arts school, nor accept students. He only stays at home, quietly sparring with his compatriots in friendly competitions, swapping pointers with each other.

One day, Ip Man (Donnie Yen) is challenged by Master Liao (Chen Zhi Hui) in a closed match that ends with Master Liao losing. Sha Da Yuan (Wong You-Nam), who witnessed the entire fight while retrieving his kite from a tree, tells everyone about Master Liao’s loss. Seeing it as a public humiliation, Master Liao gets into a dispute with Sha at the teahouse, forcing the local officer Inspector Li Zhao (Lam Ka-Tung) to intervene. Li scolds them for starting a commotion and mocks them by stating that in the new era, duels are meant to be fought with guns not fists. Ip Man proves him wrong by forcing the cylinder of his gun out with a single finger, calming things down.

The next day, a martial artist from out of town named Jin Shan Zhao (Fan Siu-Wong) starts going around challenging various martial arts schools in Foshan and beating them all in the process. The teahouse owner, Wu Qi Lin (Xing Yu), who is also a martial arts practitioner, informs Ip Man of the situation. However, Ip Man isn’t able to help due to his wife, Wing Cheng’s (Lynn Hung), disapproval and dislike of her husband fighting. Jin eventually makes his way to Ip Man’s residence and arrogantly challenges Ip Man. Ip Man dispenses Jin with ease, causing Jin to leave in shame. Following this incident, the people of Foshan’s respect and admiration for Ip Man increase.

Following the Japanese invasion in 1937, everyone’s life is adversely affected. Ip Man’s property is confiscated, his house being used as the Japanese Headquarters in Foshan and his family is forced to live in a decrepit house. Being one with strong pride, Ip Man refuses charity from his wealthy friend Zhou Qing Quan (Simon Yam), owner of a cotton mill, opting instead to work as a coolie at a coal mine to sustain his family, which turns out to be the workplace for several former martial arts practitioners and masters. At the mine, he reunites with Lin, who tells him that his brother Sha Da Yuan is missing.

Later, General Miura (Hiroyuki Ikeuchi) arrives with his troops. As a fanatical practitioner in martial arts himself, he sets up an arena for the Chinese martial artists to fight against Japanese karate military trainees, offering rice as a reward. Sato (Shibuya Tenma), another high-ranking Japanese officer who is a sadist, together with Li Zhao who is now an interpreter for the Japanese, goes around recruiting people to fight in the arena. Eagerly taking up the challenge, Lin makes use of the opportunity to demean the Japanese. This time at the arena however, Miura himself decides to fight, facing three men at once including Lin. The two other men admit defeat, but Lin continues fighting and, after spitting in Miura’s face, the General becomes enraged and kills Lin.

The following day, Ip Man notices Lin’s absence, and decides to fight in the arena to find out what happened. He witnesses the death of former Master Liao who is shot by Sato for taking the rice (which he rightfully won in a previous fight) after losing to three Japanese fighters. Miura angrily reprimands Sato and threatens to kill him if he ever fires his gun in the arena again, but none of the Chinese martial artists hear him. After being questioned angrily by Ip Man, Li finally admits that Lin was killed in the arena. Enraged, Ip Man demands to be faced by 10 fighters, whom he brutally cripples and possibly kills with ease, much to the interest of General Miura who tells Ip Man to come back another day and fight again.

Later it is revealed that Jin Shan Zhao is now the leader of a highway robbery gang, with Sha having joined their ranks. They hijack a truck from the cotton mill and bully Zhou Qing Quan into giving them money. Since the cotton mill has not sold any of its goods, Jin gives Zhou more time to gain funds. Zhou’s son quickly calls for Ip Man, and asks him to teach the workers Wing Chun to protect themselves, which Ip Man agrees to do.

After some time, General Miura starts getting impatient when he notices that Ip Man has not returned to the arena. He then calls for a search for Ip Man and Li is forced to lead Sato and some soldiers to Ip Man’s home. Ip Man takes the entire squad down after Sato attempts to harass Wing Chen. Li then helps relocate Ip Man’s family to his own house to hide.

Jin Shan Zhao’s gang return to the cotton mill, and thanks to Ip Man’s teachings, the workers are able to defend themselves from Jin’s men. Ip Man arrives in time to assist them, and later single handedly defeats Jin, Sha and the rest of the gang. Before Sha could flee, Ip Man stops him and tells him that his brother Lin is dead. He also gives him Lin’s metal box, which Ip Man found in the coalmine. Sha opens the box, and discovers that it contains his old kite, causing him to break into tears.

The Japanese soldiers continue searching for Ip Man and raid the cotton mill. Ip Man appears and turns himself in to protect the workers, while telling Zhou to take his family out of Foshan. General Miura tells Ip Man that his life will be spared if he teaches martial arts to the Japanese Army. Ip Man refuses and instead, challenges Miura to a duel, which the general gladly accepts. Before the match, Sato, who was more worried about preserving Japanese superiority than honor, threatens Ip Man that he will be shot if he wins the duel.

Meanwhile, Zhou Qing Quan takes Ip Man’s family out of Foshan, but Wing Cheng cries in despair. She pleads with Zhou to take her back to see Ip Man, fearing that this might be Ip Man’s last match. Zhou eventually relents and brings Ip Man’s family back to Foshan to witness the duel. After an intense fight, Ip Man wins the match, with General Miura severely injured. The crowd starts cheering, prompting Sato to shoot Ip Man, hitting him in the shoulder. The crowd is provoked into fighting with the Japanese guards to come to the aid of the wounded Ip Man. Sato is killed when Li wrestles with Sato over the gun.

By the end of the film, it is revealed that, after the incident, Ip Man and his family managed to escape and flee to Hong Kong. There, Ip Man sets up a martial arts school that teaches the art of Wing Chun.

 Production

Ip Man is the first film to be based on the life on the famous martial artist Ip Man. It also marks the fourth film collaboration between director Wilson Yip and actor Donnie Yen after the 2007 film Flash Point. The two also reunite with co-star Simon Yam after 2005’s SPL: Sha Po Lang. The screenplay for Ip Man was written by Edmond Wong, the son of film producer Raymond Wong. Wong was the screenwriter of 2006’s Dragon Tiger Gate, which was Yip and Yen’s second collaboration as director and star respectively. Ip Man was produced and distributed by Mandarin Films, with Shanghai Film Group serving as a co-producer and Raymond Wong serving as a producer/executive producer. Ip Man’s eldest son, Ip Chun, his student Leo Au Yeung^[4] and Long Fist gold medalist To Yu-Hang served as technical consultants for the film, providing advice on story and Wing Chun fight choreography. The film’s budget was an estimated HK$40 million. ^[5]

 Development

The film was originally conceived in 1998, when Jeffrey Lau teamed up with Corey Yuen to bring the story of Ip Man to the big screen. Donnie Yen signed on to the project in hopes of playing Ip Man, with Stephen Chow as Bruce Lee. Yen had signed the contract and received part of the acting fee. However, the studio producing the original project folded, resulting in the project being abandoned.^[6]

In December 2007, plans to make a new Ip Man film was announced with the filmmakers researching Ip’s life in Foshan. Collin Chou was also said to be a part of the cast, and producer Raymond Wong stated that the film would take on a similar look and feel as SPL.^[7]

 Filming

Production began in March 2008, and wrapped up by the end of August. 90% of the film focuses on events surrounding Ip Man that took place in Foshan between the 1930s to 1940s during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Since the buildings in today’s Foshan are architecturally different from the ones in the past, the filmmakers decided to shoot the film in Shanghai. ^{[6] [8] [9]}

Principal photography first took place in a storeroom in the industrial district of Shanghai. Having difficulties scouting a cotton factory suitable for shooting, set designers decided to recreate one in the style of the 1930s. They spent weeks transforming an abandoned storeroom into the Zhen Hua Cotton Mill Factory, a 1930s cotton mill factory founded by Ip Man’s friend Zhou Qing Quan (played in the film by Simon Yam) during the Second Sino-Japanese War. It was also the place where Ip first taught Wing Chun openly to the public.

Kenneth Mak, a production designer who has frequently collaborated with director Wilson Yip, included Western elements in his design, since Foshan, in early republican years, was a unique place where Chinese and Western cultures would converge. Pillars were made to resemble English lampposts, and Western lighting, chairs and tableware were also used. The building was made to look obsolete and worn-out as suits the difficult circumstances under Japanese Occupation to convey the culture and feel of the time. Apart from historical references, Mak also created a glass house in the factory.^[10]

 Fight choreography

The martial arts scenes were choreographed by Sammo Hung and veteran fight and stunt coordinator Tony Leung Siu-Hung. Hung had previously collaborated with Wilson Yip and Donnie Yen as an actor for the 2005 film SPL: Sha Po Lang. ^[6] He was hired as a choreographer mainly because of his experience on the 1978 film Warriors Two and 1982’s The Prodigal Son, both of which involved the style of Wing Chun. ^[3] When asked how he would work with Yen to direct the action scenes, Hung replied matter-of-factly, “With my mouth.” ^[6]

Yen has described the role being the most difficult in his career, both emotionally and mentally. ^[3] He spent months preparing for the role, by going on a strict diet which consisted of mainly vegetables and eating one meal a day, training in Wing Chun, and learning more about Ip Man through his two sons, all in hopes of portraying an erudite and cultured Ip Man, as well as bringing out the special traits of Wing Chun.^{[6] [11]} He even went as far as to stay in character after filming, wearing his costume and changing his voice and movement patterns. ^[3]

While rehearsing a fight scene, Yen was reportedly injured when an axe wielder accidentally slashed the side of his left eye. ^[11] Yen also admitted to having a masseur on set as he could not physically raise his shoulder for the fight scenes.^[12]

Japanese actor Hiroyuki Ikeuchi, who holds a black belt in Judo, described it to be “difficult” working under Hung’s command. In one scene, he suffered a mild concussion after receiving four blows continuously. ^[13] Hung later praised Yen and Ikeuchi’s performances in the film, even though the Japanese actor was not trained in Chinese martial arts and was not given a lot of complex moves.

Music

The music for the film was provided by veteran Japanese composer Kenji Kawai, who also served as a composer on the 2006 film, Dragon Tiger Gate which featured Wilson Yip and Donnie Yen as director and actor respectively. ^[14]

 Film title controversy

Ip Man gained controversy over its original film title, which was disputed by film director Wong Kar-wai, who announced plans to make his own film on Ip Man with Tony Leung Chiu-Wai while filming 2046. Wong Kar-wai had planned his own Yip Man biopic titled The Great Master (一代宗师), with Leung in the lead role.^[6] Wong Kar-Wai’s film, however, had been in development hell, having been announced several years earlier.^[6] Producer Raymond Wong wanted to name his film Grandmaster Yip Man, which bore a resemblance to the title Wong Kar-Wai wanted to use for his film.^[15]

After Raymond Wong announced his title, Wong Kar-wai’s production company, Jet Tone Films, issued a statement saying that they had exclusive rights to the Chinese title of the film and that it is “shameful” that Raymond Wong was using it. They also denied Donnie Yen’s claim that ten years ago, Wong Kar-wai and Jeffrey Lau asked him to play Ip Man.^[15]

To settle the dispute, Raymond Wong publicly expressed the film title:^[6]

It was later announced that Wong Kar-wai’s five-year rights to make the Ip Man biopic had expired and that Mandarin Films had stepped in with their film.^[16] In a more recent interview, however, Raymond Wong revealed that The Great Master is currently in development. ^[17]

 Working titles

• The Legend of Yip Man (traditional Chinese: 葉問傳)
• Grandmaster Yip Man (traditional Chinese: 一代宗師葉問)

Release

 Reception

Ip Man was first given a test screening in Beijing, China on 4 December 2008. The film was highly praised, based on survey sheets returned by the audience. Donnie Yen’s portrayal of Ip Man was repeatedly hailed as the year’s best performance. As a traditional martial arts film, Ip Man’s fight scenes were awarded 8 to 9 out of 10 by 85% of the audience, while full marks were given by the remaining 15%. High praise was also given to the film’s co-stars, Fan Siu-Wong, Lam Ka-Tung, and Lynn Hung. ^[18]

Ip Man also received positive reaction from several film critics. Much praise was aimed at Donnie Yen’s performance in the film. Derek Elley of Variety Magazine wrote in his review, “Yen, who’s taking on real star charisma in middle age, is aces as Ip, with a simple dignity that exactly mirrors the movie’s own and a gracefulness in combat that’s very different from his trademark whiplash style.” ^[19] Malaysian film critic Lim Chang Moh of The Malay Mail awarded the film three stars out of four (), writing that the film was “nicely balanced with great martial arts action and an engaging narrative.” ^[20] Lim later placed the film at number six in his list of “Top Ten Movies of 2008.” ^[20]

Box office

Ip Man was first released in China on the week of 8 December to 14 December. ^[21] The film was also released in New Zealand, and was the first country to release the Cantonese version due to time zone differences. The film appeared in second place after the Chinese biopic, Forever Enthralled, and has since grossed over ¥100 million (US$14,705,882)^[22].

On the week of 18 December to 21 December, Ip Man came in first place at the box office in Hong Kong, grossing nearly HK$4.5 million (US$579,715), having been released in 37 screens. The film had topped its American competitors Twilight and Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa which came in second and third place respectively.^[23] At the end of its box-office run in Hong Kong, the film had grossed over HK$25 million.

Ip Man also topped the Singaporean and Malaysian box office on the same week of its theatrical release, taking in a weekend gross of SG$691,056 (US$463,946) in Singapore ^[24] and MYR$1,348,997 (US$376,974) in Malaysia. ^[25] At the end of its release, it had grossed MYR$5,239,077.13 in Malaysia, and SG$3,108,268.69 in Singapore.

 DVD release

Ip Man was released as single-disc and special edition DVD and Blu-Ray discs on 13 February 2009. Features for the special edition include deleted scenes, a making-of featurette, a theatrical trailer, interviews with director Wilson Yip and actor Donnie Yen and featurettes on both Ip Man and Wing Chun martial arts. ^{[26] [27]}

Awards and nominations

[edit] Sequels

Prior to its theatrical release, a sequel for Ip Man was announced by producer Raymond Wong. While promoting the motion picture soundtrack for Ip Man, Wong had revealed that the sequel, tentatively titled Ip Man 2 would continue Ip Man’s story, focusing on his migration to Hong Kong and his attempts to propogate Wing Chun in the region.^[29] The second installment was set to focus on the relationship between Ip Man and Bruce Lee. However, according to Wong, the filmmakers have not finalized negotiations with Bruce Lee descendants on the rights, and have planned the story for a future third installment.^[30]

Pre-production for Ip Man 2 will begin in August 2009 with an estimated budget of HK$100 million.^[17] Mandarin Films is aiming for a release towards the end of 2010. ^[31] The screenplay is being written by Raymond Wong’s son, Edmond Wong.^[17] Wilson Yip will return to direct the second installment, while Donnie Yen reprises the lead role, with Lam Ka-Tung and Louis Fan reprising their supporting roles. Fight choreographer Sammo Hung will also appear as a master of Hung Ga, a southern Chinese martial art. ^[30]

For the third installment, Yip and Yen are reportedly planning a worldwide talent scout for a suitable candidate to play Lee, who is Ip’s most celebrated disciple. They are also debating over whether to look for an actor with solid martial arts foundation or looks.^[32] When asked who would play Lee, Yip said that either Taiwanese pop star Jay Chou or Cantopop singer Aaron Kwok would be possibilities. Also for looks, Yip said that they could use Danny Chan Kwok Kwan who previously played as Bruce Lee in the series, The Legend of Bruce Lee: “Aaron Kwok will bring his unique qualities to the role of Bruce Lee. Jay Chou will bring his unique qualities. Danny Chan Kwok Kwan will bring in his unique qualities including the looks. I will prepare a different script for each actor and see who is interested.” ^[33