| Articles and Interviews | Main |
In 1975, the TV series Kung Fu ended after a too short, four-season run. A lot of fans were left disappointed, and for good reason. It was the last western and the only martial art series to be a hit show. It had all the right ingredients: quality production, intelligent writing, powerful acting and a universally appealing theme. No one can clearly explain why it ended so soon; it seemd to be a question of "timing."
Anyway, for the last ten years, Kung Fu has been dead and buried - but not forgotten. An estimated 80- to 100-million viewers tune in for the local station reruns. Obviously, its popularity is still high enough to simultaneously keep one generation watching old, familiar repeats, while attracting a new generation of young, first-time fans.
These facts have not been overlooked by the top executives of the industry. But producing a new TV show, even one with a proven track record, is an extremely risky undertaking. The "timing" has to be just right.
"When the series ended, I guess everyone thought it would be forever. Everyone but me," he explains. "It was too good, too special to be written off and forgotten. I knew we would continue the series."
The "we" Carradine speaks of includes as many of the old cast as were available for the new movie. Keye Luke and Benson Fong will recreate their roles as the blind Master Po and the old Shaolin priest.
"Within a few hours of being on set," Carradine remarked, "the unified, team-effort feeling was back. We tried to get as many regulars from the original show as we could. Not only would it keep the continuity of the series, but more importantly, these guys have a feeling for the mood and theme of Kung Fu. Everyone understands the message we're trying to project into the movie and knows when we've gotten it right."
"I believe the best martial arts film would be a simple rendition, with good camera work, good direction, of what happens to a man's body while he's doing kung-fu. A man you can understand, whose face you can see. It's not a question of special effects, stand-ins or spectacular acrobatics."
The story picks up some ten years after the series and continues the premise of the show. Kwai Chang finds out his son has been trained by an evil Manchu warlord, portrayed by Mako, to kill Caine; the son does not know that Caine is his father. Caine is rediscovered by his enemies when he gets involved with stopping an opium for gold smuggling ring.
The plot takes many twists and turns before inevitably leading to the confrontation between Caine and his son, a climatic battle that Caine must win without hurting his only child.
Back in 1982, when preproduction of Kung Fu: The Movie first got started, Radames Pera was going to play the part of Caine's son. But, by the time they finally got around to filming, Pera was too old, too mature-looking to play the part. The production was postponed. This year, they got the "go-ahead." The crew was assembled, the supporting cast picked and the screen testing began. With only three days to go before shooting was scheduled to begin, they still did not know who would play Caine's son, no one tested was quite right for the part.
At first, Brandon was reluctant to take the part. He is a serious actor who has spent years developing his craft. He does not want to be typecast and locked into a "martial-art-only" career. Brandon has seen too much exploitation of his father's name, and has too much pride in his own skills and self-worth to use his father's reputation and drawing power. He had to be talked into accepting a part that every young actor would love to have a chance at.
As Brandon tells it, "I ran into Lynn Stalmaster [a very prominent Hollywood casting agent] here in L.A., and he told me they were looking for someone to play the part. He talked me into doing a screen-test with David Carradine, and well, the rest is history."
"I know what a great chance this is for me as an actor," he says. "I'm in heaven. How many people are paid to do what they love doing?"
Brandon Lee is perfect for the part. He is young, with the classical good looks and athletic build of a movie star. Brandon's early martial arts training helped him in this role, but he's quick to point out, "Acting is my art, this is what I've dedicated my life to."
There is a tradition of excellence to this film which has created a tremendous amount of excitement in the martial arts world. The original Kung Fu was great, and everyone is expecting this new edition to be even better. If CBS gets the response they expect, it is almost a foregone conclusion that Kung Fu: The Movie will become Kung Fu: The Series.
by Russel Maynard
| Articles and Interviews | Main |