The References in Kung Fu Hustle | Video Essay
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- Опубліковано 5 чер 2024
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Accented Cinema - Episode 68
If you are watching this channel, chances are, you have seen Kung Fu Hustle. But it was only recently that I realized, a lot of people enjoyed this film, without understanding many references hidden in this Hong Kong classic.
Today, allow me to show you my side of the story. Let me show you some of the references the film made, and how it ties into the history of the Hong Kong entertainment industry.
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Man I've only watched this movie for like 200 times.
200 times? You gotta pump those numbers up!
It's so good and I only just realised there's a lot of people from Stephen shows TV show he did with Tony leung earlier
@@BayuAH High replay value and it is almost telecasted thrice every month in our television. Still I guess he said sarcastically.
This and Shrek 😂😂
Same
As a Cantonese person, I can confirm that according to the Cantonese manifesto, every Cantonese and Hongkonger child must be initiated into the culture by watching Kung Fu Hustle
A rite of passage
@@korn6657 the sacred ambrosia and nectar of our people are char siu and vitasoy lemon tea. One must take great care to consume them with utmost respect by devouring either in ungodly quantities for breakfast lunch and dinner
As far as Cantonese classics go, I feel like 射鵰三部曲 and 新蜀山劍俠 come before Kung Fu Hustle. You're right they don't go as far into HK specific culture, but then anything like the Bund or God of Gamblers will do. I suppose as a pure launching point that leads to many different references, Kung Fu Hustle is hard to beat.
@@xandercorp6175 thanks for the media and film recs!! I'll give it a try if it has my man Andy Lau. From the POV of someone from the HKer diaspora though, Chau Sing Chih's work is very accessible and attractive to especially children because he's funny and a lot of his stuff is easy to find on Netflix. His work is a great way to reel people into HK and Cantonese culture, given the unashamedly Cantonese-specific jokes and slang (ie. The excitement of realizing that Landlady says, "仆街," just like your grandma). Like, Brother Sum's opening line in KFH? "No need for that, Northerner, it's safe to say your men will be speaking Cantonese from now on." STAN. I LOVE. 👌
@@palestpastels If Andy is your guy, you probably want the 80s TV versions of 射鵰三部曲 (many available on UA-cam these days on the official TVB channels) if you accept the dated TV production values of that decade; there are lots of versions and both film and TV serials and many have their merits, but Andy is the main character in the middle of the the 80s TV trilogy (pretty classic actors all around for that era - Felix Wong, Barbara Yung, Michael Miu, Andy Lau, Idy Chan, Tony Leung, Kitty Lai, Sheren Tang from just that generation, and plenty of older greats in there too). Just remember that the TV serials are more low budget than the movies lol, so don't expect everything to be as visually beautiful and put-together as 新蜀山劍俠 (movie from 1983). If you watched Stephen Chow's Mermaid (2016) you will enjoy getting all the references to fantastic old theme songs. To me the martial arts movie has a distinctly and overwhelmingly Cantonese heritage, after all the grandfather of martial arts theme songs is probably 1976's 誰是大英雄
by 林穆.
I never realised this movie had so much depth in it. Thanks for unearthing all of the obscure references that went straight over my head.
Same.
Pervertt.
He did a great job but idk if he knows the scene about the butterfly is also a reference to a wuxia cultivation technique with the name meaning something like “thousand silkworm transformation or sky worm metamorphosis” and the meridian points of the mc got unlocked by the villain is a throwback to sword man II. By no mean I complain about the quality of this video but I don’t think many people got these two.
Also, Chow has references about the Dragon Tiger gate comic series in his other work where he acted as an undercover cop in school. So the fire cloud demon god can also refer to it not just the dragon tiger gate movie.
@@clorkmagnus Yeah in the movie with Andy Lau (Tricky Master) he also read the original Dragon Tiger Gate in one scence :D
What's neat is, he didn't fit just a bunch of Hong Kong Cinema references in here. He did a lot of American ones also. What a Legend.
Like the running sceene from loony toons? and flying carelessly into a bill board from tom and jerry?
@@aqibjahangir1282 Using the knife in his shoulder as a mirror lmaooo
And also the shining reference in the mental institute
With great power, comes great...you guys know the rest.
"Who's throwing handles?" is one of the funniest lines in any movie, ever.
what handles?
@@K3vin365 there was a scene that the fatty throw knife handle to the landlady after stab Sing
One of the few times reading a UA-cam comment made me laugh uncontrollably. Truly a heritage for humanity, this movie is.
@@K3vin365 dagger handles
Literally the first thing I said when I saw this video on my feed 😂
There is symbolism when Donut throws his staff (later revealed to be actually spears) to destroy the tommy guns of the Axe gang. In Chinese, the word 'Qiang' can be used for both the spear and later, the gun.
When the Beast catches the bullet in midair, then drops it, not only does the fired bullet have rifling grooves cut into it like it should, but the sides of the bullet are dented in from where his fingers grabbed it. THAT is some amazing attention to detail! Very few movies would put in detail like this. Awesome!
Also that's a JoJo (part 3) reference.
@@kuncaraHoly fuck
@@kuncara that's bizzare! 🤯🔥
From India, this video essay was wonderful. I am 43 years now and even my father cannot stop watching it whenever it comes on TV.
Texas, here. I agree.
Holland here.. yes sir
Fun fact: the land lord lady's actor is actually very influential over many other famous stunt and martial arts actors. Even Stephen Chow has to repeatedly request and beg her to join him for this movie which she initially refused several times after quitting acting for extended periods of time which I believe is because of a failed marriage. That's some thing you dont see everyday. She is somewhat of a legend and act like an older sister towards many famous actors like Stephen Chow, Jackie Chan,etc
OMG, I am going to watch Kung Fu Hustle again! So many references that i missed! Thank you adding another layer to this wonderful movie
I said almost the exact same thing you did. Including the OMG. I'm embarrassed to say that, while I 'got' a lot of the bits, I missed the an easy reference, the Untouchables gag. I am absolutely watching this again asap. Even though I have watched it like 5 times, now it is like getting to watch a whole new movie. Thanks to Accented Cinema.
Lucky me, It was on netflix at my region
I am going to watch this film with fam again!
@@saintgeezus what's your region, cause it was remove in us
Bill Murray himself called Kung Fu Hustle: "the supreme achievement of the modern age in terms of comedy" and felt that "there should have been a day of mourning for American comedy the day that movie came out." The 'day of mourning' feels a bit melodramatic to me, but the more I learn about KFH the more I see Bill's wisdom.
Chow had been preparing for this movie all his life. It wasn't EASY... but He finally got to make the movie he always wanted to. He brought out his inner child
Randomly watched this movie as a young teenager and absolutely loved it. Never realized how many references to other films there are. The land lady was def my favorite.
Most of Stephen Chow's movies always have parody references from movies, series, to comic books. If you get the references its golden. His dialog in movies during his early days were full of inside jokes. But aside from comedy, if you pay attention, Stephen Chow really knows how to build up the moment during the more serious scenes in lots of his movies.
He is an old school craftsman when it comes to film and storytelling.
Sadly his movies past CJ7 have declined in quality, mostly because most of the actors in it can't really deliver Chow's style, and Chow himself had retired from acting
@@tedjomuljono3052 I think Journey into the West is still good
@@jesseowenvillamor6348 the plagiarized cg fight at the end really turned me off, it was fine for me until that moment
@@tedjomuljono3052 I enjoyed it
Stephen chow really has a fantastic ability to capture comedic timing in his movies.
This is 100% my favorite movie
Here in brazil during the '80-90s, we had a great influence of Hong Kong cinema, basically, we have a new kung fu movie every week on tv. So when Kung fu Hustle come out it was a feeling of nostalgia and fulfillment.
Loved your video, I would never guess that there are so many references in this movie and how important it is for Chinese cinema.
Tem um canal wu tang collection pesquisai, vou ouvir Wu Tang clan aqui agora kkk
The part in KFH where the landlady pulls the landlord from the window and starts hitting him with *heavy* elbows never fails to get a huge laugh out of me.
And when I was 15-16 back in '05 watching this with my dad, he started dying laughing at the scene in the car when the gang boss couldn't light his cigarette. So much so we had to pause the movie because we were both hunched over in laughter. Great memories from a great movie.
This movie means everything to me lmao, pure cinema
It's shameful that our Bollywood has copied some scene from this movie like
khiladi 786 and a 🐕 Movie called "Entertainment" which have also copied from this movie
Yeah, bollywoods been pretty strapped for ideas. Id recommend looking into other lang movies (kolly, tolly, molly, bangali- wood)
@@royalkumar795 Bollywood copied Honk Kong fighting styles since antiquity. Rocky Handsome is a very good contemporary example.
The question is why Indians consider Bollywood to be a "culture representative" of Indianism on a global stage and call it "our Bollywood" when far more competent Indian films get produced outside of it.
@@satyakisil9711 Actually we don't . Bollywood is dumbster 🗑️ where only few things turn out good
Just compare to recently movie release on OTT
1. Bhuj which is based real world events but whole movie is total dumbster fire 🔥 bad dialogue writing, hyper nationalism , very bad cinematography, unnecessary items dance songs, South India physics/ illogical fight scene and also worse CGI than Michael bay pearl harbour Which released on 2001
2. shershaah which is based on biography LOC kargil , respect from source material , good cinematography and *Best performance in character* you can find them on *Amazon prime OTT platfrom*
Now you get the ideal situation of Bollywood These days
That's why we never watched them
@@royalkumar795 "you" don't. But many more who's not you actually do. That's the problem. Bollywood is catered to appeal to the lowest common denominator. Therein lies the problem.
Notes from my Chinese Cinema module.
Kungfu Hustle
Idea of escalation, starting scene of police at bottom of the totem pole,then gang member, then bigger gang, then martial artist, assassin, couple, frog, MC
Idea of the chosen one as someone ordinary, everyone looking for number one, the number 1 killer etc, idea of looking for the destined one. It turns out the real heroes are the most ordinary ones among us, it makes them appealing
,
There's a consistent theme of appearances being deceiving in the movie, the scene where MC picks someone from a crowd to fight, the tall guy, the farmer lady, the bulk child, the frog guy looks meh also in his introduction, the 3+2 martial arts masters masquerading as poor workers, peasant,tailor etc.
Idea of presentation of characters as unsympathetic, landlord as drunk and lecherous, the landlady as uncaring of economic woe and vulgar, they dont appear morally upright
Film as demystifying martial art wuxia heroes.
Idea of the middle aged yang guo and xiao long nv, the most beautiful women and the most epic romance retired into a bickering unhappy couple
Yang Guo and Xiao Long Nv getting old and fat rather than their usual attractive portrayal, humanising what happens to wuxia heroes after their prime.
Contrast with crouching tiger, seeking enlightenment, vengeance of master, personal freedom, versus this film where they just live their lives. Idea of imperfect characters versus the invincible Li Mu Bai and Xiulian’s moral uprightness
Idea of names and concepts all coming from other places, other novels, paying homage and stealing ideas.
Shanghai as place of decadence and crime contrast to pigsty alley with music of peace. Idea of peach garden,桃花源, place of respite.
Idea of slum as peaceful because it’s not worth attention
Idea of 卧虎藏龙
Idea of presentation of them as funny because of exaggeration
I am from India and this movie was actually really popular when I was a kid, I have watched this movie countless times and loved it. Seeing the thumbnail of this video brought back nostalgia and memories of simpler times
"Presumably, the musician was later killed by Inigo Montoya." This is just too funny. I look forward to the day there is a film plays intertextuality (a term I learned from another video of yours) with this transcending connection you created here.
Does anyone knows what he meant by that line?
I didn't get "the joke" or "the reference" or what lied there anyways..?
What was that "Inigo Montoya" reference?
@@Itwasalwaysme_Noone there is a movie called the Princess Bride with a character called Inigo Montoya. It’s a pretty fun movie to watch. It’s the “Inconceivable” meme.
@@mileyardgigahertz Never too late in life (I keep telling that to myself..)
Thank you, that was the detail I was missing. He had 6 fingers?!.. that's where Inigo fits as a joke/reference.
I didn't notice/I must have missed it in the video.
Thank you.
I wish Steven Chow would make another movie like this and Shaolin Soccer.
There's a sequel coming
@@djvendetta8601 He is the GOAT
dude if you only watched just these 2 movies you are missing out big time , the dude is a genius pretty much every movie he has done either directing or even acted in is gold , and the more you watch the more you will see that he isn't just parodying , his movies are better than the source material , i really think you should watch all his films even the new ones ( the mermaid is hilarious )
@@RED01SEA I've also seen King of comedy, Cj7 and God of Cookery. I enjoyed them all.
@@ukguy i would highly recommend seeing the others especially the older ones they are good , as i said before not only his directed movies are good , all of the movies that he is staring in are great too
The other great thing about Kung Fu Hustle at the time is that it showed the Matrix Reloaded how to do a 100s versus 1 fight the right way.
Srsly? Wow what a complement to Chow considering what kind of budget a Hollywood movie has to work with. I enjoyed how he kicked every1 of them flying in all directions like silver bullet in a pin ball machine.
@RogerwilcoFoxtrot nah it was taken from the drunken master stick fight scene that the king fu hustle ending also originally took its idea from. Study up young grasshoppers
fyi , it wasnt cgi , it was stunt actors being hang on cables being pulled , lol
The way Sing turns around and offers to teach the Beast has always got me!
Especially seeing the way he breaks down crying and calling him Master, after realizing he's been forgiven.
Excdllent explanation of the movie. There are two more references
1) Sing was wrapped in silk cocoon 蠶繭 is a reference to another Wuxia TV classic 天蠶變 Reincarnated in 1979.
2) The Chinese Shuaijiao champion in 1933 Chang Dongsheng was nicknamed Flower Butterfly
"You want to learn? I will teach you."
That last dialog always gives me chills.
Forgiveness.
It always made me wanna cry 😭 the beast never had all that hatred. He just wanted to lvl his Kung Fu in that result. Everyone feared what he was capable of. Until he noticed it was time to learn again.
so true, he does not trash the villain, the evil beast..but grasp his heart and changes him.
He reached enlightenment
actually in chinese he said can but not will
The way he said 'Legendary Fok' had me rolling on the floor
yo me too.
Huo Yuan Jia in Cantonese was spelled Fok Yun Kap.
The "beep" came a little late on that one...
I think I have seen that flick too but I think the adaptation I saw was much more... lecherous.
I was surprised that I laughed XD
This movie is an important part of my family, we used to rent it and watch it non-stop. Now seeing how deep it is, all the references, the actors and the origins of things, I love it even more! Thank you very much for this video, greetings from the Dominican Republic!
This was and will probably forever remain my favorite movie but being from America , a lot of these references went over my head . Thank you sincerely for making me love it even more
I always loved how Sing didn't go "You're evil and should be put away!" he told the villain of the movie (Probably an insane man) that he can teach him the palm.
Enlightenment
Surely to learn the palm, you must learn the Buddha philosophy of letting go. Once you let go, the insanity will disappear.
@@Haannibal777 Precisely. To learn the Buddha's Palm, the Beast would have to become enlightened and therefore would not be evil anymore.
Its the concept of True Redemption- that no villain, no matter how evil or twisted, is beyond turning to the light.
@daveth
That's the Chinese culture.
It's soft and forgiving
I remember watching Kung Fu Hustle when it first came out back in 2004, had me rolling on floor. Especially the knife throwing scene.
That and the following chase have had ALL of my Friends and Family flabbergasted with awe and doubled up with laughter and got SO many people hooked on Stephen Chow!.
That chase scene is one of my favorite scenes of ANY movie!
@@maguffle Totally agree Maguffle!, it is simultaneously the craziest(and hardest to *EXPLAIN!* Car chase, or scene in general! (*SPOILERS!!* showing of the first blossoming of power for Sing, I *LOVE* that His power(Violent and devastating as it is) has a core of Buddhist beliefs, for example mercy with a side helping of self observant comedy such as the foot stomp rather than death for many of his enemies, *ultimate* forgiveness at the end!, this movie is *AMAZING*
Ooh and *Kung Fu Hustle 2 is confirmed!* I am frickin' delighted to hear that! Nice one Maguffle!
@@schiz0phren1c KUNG FU HUSTLE 2 IS CONFIRMED!!!! SWEET!!!
@@maguffle I KNOW RIGHT!, I'm seriously excited(I didn't realise how frickin' *FAR* off it is though! (October 2024!, feck it!, still it's something to look forward to (or try to forget and be surprised on the date!), I try not to get into any hype train stuff these days, but it's Stephen Chow!, he doesn't disappoint!, so yeah, I'll just have to watch Shaolin Soccer and Kung Fu Hustle a few hundred more times and do some more research into his other work...
Kung Fu Hustle was the movie that got me interested in foreign cinema. I bought it randomly at Best Buy over 15 years ago and I was just blown away. It's such a fun movie with so many hilarious characters. It still makes me laugh all these years later.
Wow I didn't know it was full references to so many Kung Fu movies. One of my all time favorite movies. It's crazy it's been 19 years already. Super nostalgia😭😭😭
Eh, twenty years by now. ;)
I saw this movie as a young kid, dubbed in our language since it was shown on TV. As a kid, you love the action and comedy.
Now as a semi-adult, having seen soo many movies, getting some/most of the references, you are right, Kung Fu Hustle is a good movie which becomes a great movie.
Ramos, pinoy na pinoy yung apilyedo hahaha
@@creatroyer2701 Shhhh, don't blow my cover badi, hahaha.
was actually about to ask if u're from PH, too hahhha
The "whos throwing handles?!" scene legitimately had me crying with laughter.
As many times as we've watched it, my wife still completely loses it during that scene.
@@swrennie That was the scene that turned my wife from, that movie looks stupid to that movie is hilarious.
I remember first time watching that, I had trouble breathing from laughing so hard.
its the best damn scene in the movie and we all know it
_pulls out knife_
oh sorry
_puts back knife_
I remember buying this as a DVD back when it first came out, I didnt know anything about it but thought the cover looked interesting, little did i know it could become one of my favourite movies ever and probably watched it dozens of times! Really nice after all these years to finally understand more of the references
Stephen Chow humor, even in his early movies and his extensive references to the western cultures too, make all of his movies enjoyable for people without any knowledge of the Chinese culture. And even more once, you get more into it. I can't recommend him enough to new comers. Nice job !
"Six-Fingered Demon Musician" sounds like a great name for a metal band 😆
Five Finger Death Punch
Six finger demons
if you scratch the "Six" you get more bad-ass name.
@@endarasman "Fingered Demon Musician"?
Sounds like the guy who stole my wife
This movie is so fun and amazing. I caught a couple of the references but being American, I certainly can't appreciate all the heritage throughout. It was so neat seeing the Landlord and Landlady actors in their youth. Thank you!
They are great people and fantastic actors
Landlord is in shangchi if you notice
I watched Dragons Forever years before this came out and didn't realize he was the villain in that movie
Land Lady was a protagonist in a great movie named Dragon's Claws
Yeah same. It's always been one of my favorites and I assumed it had a whole other level I couldn't appreciate
The movie goes beyond chinese cinema. It has some kind of Universal Appeal to Whole World. The quirky jokes, the cartoonish scenes, caricature like characters...all formed a cuisine that appealed to a taste that everyone had innate hunger for & savoured. By appreciating classics of his times, Stephen Chow gave birth to one "Classic" himself. ❤✨
First saw this movie when I was seven years old. Although I missed out on the references and inside jokes, it was still among the most mind-blowingly awesome experiences of my young life. One of those kinds of movies where you walk out feeling like you could take on the whole world
Hmph. I was thirty- seven when it was released. Loved it.
"...combined with her domestic violence this..."
I literally burst out laughing when you said this -- pure gold.
Thank you making this video, it's essential viewing for enjoying the movie to the fullest.
this movie is essential
Kung Fu Hustle is an absolute masterpiece. It's goofy, funny, has amazing combat, an excellent setting, story and the music is perfect for the mood it sets.
Very underrated film!
The cocoon metamorphosis has a reference from Tian Chan Bian, a wuxia novel by Huang Ying or its adaptation 'Reincarnated' (a Hong Kong TV Series in 1979). The protagonist is Yun Fei Yang with his legendary Silkworm Transformation.
Apparently it's reference so old that he doesn't know that. The other day, he was confused too by the "Legend Of Condor Heroes" 3rd season theme song that appear in movie directed by Stephen Chow (ua-cam.com/video/vfqGq24Pcis/v-deo.html).
@@gorilladisco9108 Ooo, I watched the YT video too. 😁. Now, that you mentioned it, I realized that was the opening song from Legend of Condor Heroes version 1983. That's why I had that feeling I've heard it before. I used to watch the series back in 90's during my childhood. I like that version the most. When there was a tik tok trend to draw circle with left hand and a square with right hand, I immediately reminded to when Chow Pek Tong taught that to Guo Jing.
My late father loves this movie. We used to watch it together i showed it to him and he got hooked so we watched it every so often when we needed a good laugh. I still get teary eyed when i see this movie nowdays.
me looking at Kung Fu Hustle : It was all Jin Yong's wuxia novel?
Accented cinema holding a gun to my head : Always has been
That's not a gun. I believe he's got the Heaven Sword pointed at the right side of your head and the Dragon Sabre pointed on the left side.
I remember being a kid. The Condor trilogy was probably my favorite growing up. I practically forgot the plot of most of it but the 5 greats, Guo Jing/Yang Kang, Yang Guo/Xiaolongniu and Yi Tian Jian/Tu Long Dao will always stick heavily in my mind forever lol.
I feel I need to go back to my roots and read some of those again. Outside of Condor, the Tian Long Ba Bu and Xiao Ao Jiang Hu books are also on top of my favorites back then. Good ol' days man.
@@bellesogne Isn't it Heavenly Sword
@@lgx22 Yes, the better translation is the Heavenly Sword. However, the Western release uses "Heaven Sword" in the title, so I stuck with that.
I remember watching this with my family as a kid. Ive tried introducing all my friends to this film when ever i can. As an American Latina there were only a few references i was able to pick up. most of the pretty obvious. This video just made me love it even more because it showed the tremendous effort Stephen chow put into this.
As latino who loves this movie (and gets ridiculed by friends who don't understand it) I concur.
Wow… glad I am half Latino and half Hong Kong… because I knew all the references .. well most of the references from the movie while eating some delicious birrira tacos
I've shown my children this (and many other movies) and now she is showing her husband all the fun movies we watched while they were growing up
It isn't about ur race. U just happen to not exposed to Chinese movies or literature and that is fine. I'm Indonesian not at all Chinese but i understood the toad style reference cause i read Legend Of Condor Heroes.
Also an American Latino and I enjoy the heck out of this film!
I've watched this movie throughout my life, and I always felt an insane appreciation of something within it. Little did I know it was such a treasure trove of influence.
This is truly one of my favorite movies ever! Anytime a friend watched it for the first time they just sit there mesmerized. It’s just sooooo good
Making me want to watch this movie again aside, the pause and clearing of the throat before "Legendary Fok" was gold!
can't beat it
This is not just a movie, this is a masterpiece
Thank you for an absolutely ASTOUNDING summary of the references of one of my absolute favourite kung-fu movies of all time, and imo the peak of Stephen Chow's work, as well as including as you've noted some of the most iconic Hong Kong martial artist actors of all history adding to it's historical relevance. It infuriates me when people claim they don't understand or were disappointed by this masterpiece. This is going to be my go-to reference to rebut them from now on. Excellent.
Kung Fu Hustle was on in the wee hours of one morning on my tv. Within the first 10 mins I worked out it was a comedy worth my full attention. Thank you for revealing some of the references. As I watched I was aware of the depth of culture I was missing, but that kept me rapt. This was a movie which became a favourite on first viewing. Your contribution here gives me a warm fuzzy feeling inside, pleased that my experience of 'discovering' a classic, on my own, is more than just a memory.
In Vietnam, Jin Gong's novels is so famous for generations.
All techniques in this film are instantly familiar with almost Vietnamese.
Jin Gong phải là Kim Dung không ông
@@Cobe299 Kim Dung đúng rồi cậu
They were originally not novels, but written as serializations as part of getting their new newspaper off the ground, Ming Pao, the founders being Jin Yong and Shen Pao Sing. IIRC new sections came out every night. JY originally started writing serializations on Ta Kung Pao with Book and The Sword and Sword Stained with Royal Blood.
welll even if u dont read jin yong novel almost all chinese wuxia reference his novels
When the music kicks in as Coolie catches the lighter, I get shivers every single time, it's so good 💖
name of the music is "Decree of the Sichuan General"
I heard the music reading this comment.
@@ndna88 OMG thanks for the name!
@@ndna88 thanks.
@@ndna88 thank you for this bit of info, I love this song. Do you know what this style of music is called.
Thank you SO much for taking the time to put this together. My family (in Canada) loves Kung Fu Hustle and we did get a few of the movie references but had no idea how much we were missing. Now I see that this movie is ten times better than we had previously thought. From now on, every time I recommend it someone, I will also include a link to this video!
This is unironically a perfect movie, I’ve seen it so many times and I feel the exact opposite of wasted time, like I got that much entertainment in what feels like a time bargain
Damd bro, I really need to rewatch Kung Fu Hustle again. thanks!
Watched the movie for the first time as a kid, it was hilarious. Now i know that it's actually pure art.
lah Eno Bening
Parah sih langsung gas nonton lagi hahahhaha
Musti rutin tiap taun, klo ga tar gang kapak menang.
Lah ada bang dodo lmao
Still the most fascinating movie I've ever seen.. from the opening scene with the dancing axe gang to the wild martial arts, the concepts like the demon musicians and of course the landlady. Thank you for sharing the references, I now love it even more.
My daughter and I watched this together when it was first available here - and it is one of our most favourite movies. There are 30yrs between us, so you can see it spans the generations. This video was just what I was looking for, as I noted so many references in the film, I knew there were so many more I missed.
Now I can look up these other films, too! Thanks, again!
*You are a man of culture for including Amelia in the beginning of this video.*
Awesome information!
The sleazy landlord was Bruce Lee’s acrobatics stunt double in Enter The Dragon. All scenes of Bruce flipping was actually the actor portraying the landlord.
14:35 "I can teach you if you want".
"Now, THAT is enlightenment."
WOOOOOW
Dude you go so deep every time, I legitimately love your channel.
Brother Accented Cinema, I've been a fan for years, but this video made me think "what am I doing, I should support this guy on Patreon!" I'm on welfare, so I can't give much, but I just want to show how grateful I am that you make such heartfelt and technically pleasing essays for us 💖
Finally, now I know what Donut was saying in his dying breath.
What?
He should just speak in Chinese
It took me a few times to realize he was actually speaking in English lol
yes, finally after 17 years
LMAOOOO
Tbh even before you unearthed this new found appreciation to this film for me it was still a classic from my childhood. It now leaves an even bigger impression on me; thank you!
I love this video so much. You can see the layers of texture and depth in every character, martial art, and location even though I never knew what they were referencing. I feel like you did all the homework I wish I had when I first saw this wonderful film!
The move where Song deliberately misses Evil God and blasts out the wall behind him is an amazing moment. He's essentially saying "I could kill you without effort, but there is still something within you worth nurturing, if you will only see it." Then he completes the moment by answering the question "What is that move called?" with "I could teach you, if you want." The move is Buddha's Palm, which is a power achieved through enlightenment. He's offering enlightenment to Evil God if he can find enough humility in himself to accept that he can be taught. And he does, addressing Song as master/teacher.
This was actually foreshadowed though, as it's implied that he allowed himself to be put in the asylum and worked for the Axe Gang both out of hope that he would meet someone who could actually challenge or even defeat him. He was desperate to find something beyond what he already knew, since he'd come as far as anyone he'd ever heard of in knowledge of kung fu, but hadn't achieved what he was searching for, and it had slowly driven him mad.
Great take! I also believe Stephen's analogy to this was the same as Evil God's signature weapon which is the golden prickled flower that shoots poison needles, it is hinted that the landlady's son was the best martial artist in his prime along with Evil God being no.2 at that time. As he believes he is invincible as long as he is faster but probably could not win with techniques against their boy so he resorted to killing him using that flower trap same as how he heavily injured both the parents at the casino. As the end fight commence he tried to do it again against Sing who already beat him with the palm once and yet decided to provoke yet anotber strike this time and point blank which could potentially end him.
Yet at the end Sing shows him, what he lacked was not skill but discipline and humilty to believe that mastering your craft earnestly and not become a poisonous flower you too can become a master. Him removing the needle and showing that without it the flower is but a fun innocent dandelion toy, reflecting that without the evil he has, he can be better.
Thank you , man this beats fast cars and firearms movies any day , Buda Hmm .
@@charlielingard962 haha
That last bit in itself is a not uncommon trope. The jaded old warrior (usually an Old West gunslinger in Western media) who either comes out of "retirement" for one last chance at confronting his demons (good) or one final destructive rampage in at least partial hope of being put down (evil), depending on whether he's a protagonist or the antagonist.
This is the most Wuxia thing I’ve read lol
I love this movie, never got tired of watching it as a kid.
Showed this movie to my kids and know they love it (they are girls both them)
My littlest one laughs her diaper off when she sees the toad guy doing that pose
Just want to take the time to appreciate your choice and use of the background music in your video!! (And also in your other Videos as well).
It really makes the video so much more emotional and compelling ☺️☺️
You do a great job!!!
I had picked a few of those references but never as many, well done. Kung Fu Hustle remains one of my all time funniest movie I've seen in the last two decades and always look forward to watching it again and again and again and again and again and... Thank you for the great video x
this movie truly transcends culture and language! Such a masterpiece.
he is an actual film genius. my eyes have been opened. Cannot wait to see his whole catalogue and dive right in
Stephen Chow the director or the youtuber? You probably meant the former. But you should check out both catalogue. Stephen Chow had always referenced Jin Yong novels in a lot of his older works too.
Stephen Chow films play a lot on the Cantonese language, and it's the delivery many times that are comedic. Unfortunately after watching some of his movies on Netflix, the subtitle translations don't do them justice (I understand Cantonese but cannot speak it). You lose so much of the nuance of the specific words he says, but they are still enjoyable!
I thought I loved this movie the first time watching it! Please make a part 2 on the other references for this movie! Now you've gotten me more hooked into this movie that I gotta re-watch it again!
My favorite piece of cinema - I’ve rewatched it every year since 2008 - thank you for this essay - nice work 👍🏼
You missed one reference! When 阿星 becomes mortally wounded and is revived and becomes insanely powerful (ie the saiyan way of getting hurt and coming back stronger) is from the old hong kong tv series 天蚕变 which got turned into a novel. Basically the skill 天蚕神功 is that the person must have no qi and is mortally wounded but not dead yet, then after being wrapped in a cocoon (the bandages in the film, also the butterfly metaphor) he will emerge stronger each time.
Siao Che?
For anyone who can't read Chinese, the comment references an old TV series which was called, in my country anyway, The Silkworm Swordsman. If I remember correctly it's about this con artist/ruffian guy who survive by his wits because he doesn't know kungfu, by chance he swallowed some kind of magic silkworm which unlocks his hidden qi potential and sometimes also shoot webbing out of his mouth? My memory is a bit hazy on that part. But he does get wrapped up in a cocoon and emerges as a supernaturally skilled swordsman. Possibly not even the original tv series, since Hongkong recycles a lot of their popular shows every decade. But the trope of a weak guy getting a power up from an ancient book or cliffside carvings or in this case magical silkworms are fairly common in Jin Yong novels and TVB series.
@@MedskiPurnamski Pendekar ulat sutra? Yun Fei Yang!?
@@MedskiPurnamski I've never seen the Slikworm Swordsman, but I think it's a different TV series than 天蚕变. The show was called Reincarnated here in the U.S. Wan Fei Yeung, the protagonist in the series was the bastard son of the leader of the Wudang clan. He was secretly taught martial arts by his father. In the series, the most sought after skill was 天蚕神功 which does involve being wrapped in a cocoon and emerging stronger and even with a different appearance. Wan Fei Yeung emerged with a different face. Basically they switched actors during the climatic end of the series.
@Crossoverfanatic , Nice one for pointing that out Crossoverfanatic!, that's an excellent point and reminds me of the way Thai Martial Arts movies approach the subject, the "Ultimate power" in many Protagonists only being released at the point of(or sometimes beyond!) *the Last Door* ! sweet!
I love that he took a cough before saying the name Legendary Fok.
his delivery in every joke is so good
When I saw the film in the Philippines back then they referenced the Landlord and Landlady as Paris and Helen of Troy. I always thought that weird because Helen wasn't particularly a fighter. I'm so grateful to have stumbled on your video today. Thank you for making this.
I recognized a fair number of western movie references, but there are so many here I had no idea about! There are a lot of movies from the era referenced that I need to watch now, thank you! My current favorite from around then is Dirty Ho, it is so well done and I love the writing and action.
Kung Fu hustle was the first Stephen Chow movie I saw in its entirety.
My first time watching I was very confused, but yet I enjoyed it.
Prior I saw Shaolin soccer but only bits and pieces. I didn't know it was a Stephen Chow film until I got older.
Same I saw cj7, the journey to the west : demon strike back and the mermaid which were might consider his worst movies, but I still watched it and enjoy it. 😗
his older films are really good. xiao lin soccer is really good.
@@nehadhurwey503 fyi journey to the west: demons strike back is not directed by Stephen Chow😭 It’s a sequel to Journey To The West: Conquering The Demons that is directed by Stephen Chow. 🏃♀️
@@rosesrosesandroses1201 yeah, thank you but I guess he might have helped him, because he is cast list.
Dude, this essay was every bit as cool as the movie. Very interesting and Well done. Kung-Fu Hustle is hands down, one of the funniest, coolest, cleverest, bits of cinema I've ever seen. Love it.
I've always loved this movie, but I treasure it SO much more after watching this. Amazing work.
I thought I loved the movie before, but this video made me appreciate it even more. Great video mate!! 👍👍👍
I saw this first when I was still a kid, the good old days of UTV action and Bindass, I loved it then and I again saw it in English on Star Movies and I keep revisiting it from time to time. It's such an amazing piece of filmmaking which knows how to pay homage to classic movies while parodying them at the same time.
This movie Hindi dubbed was one of the best. Total comedy. Been watched 20 times no less.
Yes
I have never laughed so hard in the cinema as I did watching Kung fu hustle. My sister was laughing so hard both of her contact lenses fell out!😆😆
I just watched this movie last night and felt like there were sooooo many references that I could not put my finger on. I am SO happy to hear about them in this video. KFH was so amazing. I am so happy to have finally watched it. Beautiful, exciting, hilarious. Unforgettable. I want to hear more from your channel. Thank you.
Thank you for all the wonderful information for those of us who didn't grow up with it - you made one of my favorite movies even better!
This movie is also so tender and touching, especially in the protagonist's relation to accepting himself and ultimately the deaf girl who had always been there from the beginning. But i love how it touched on the idea of an individual's blocked potential as blocked chi and how it sometimes takes something traumatic (sometime from a powerful individual) to unblock it and release the individual's full potential. It works on so many levels, even before the movie references.
@Mario ,
absolutely!,
there are MANY Cultural references, as well as Movie ones!,
The Deaf Girl and Sing's story through the ages is one of the sweetest things I have ever witnessed!
Growing up watching HK movies and dramas, I never realised that some of the references are so inbuilt into our knowledge and culture that it just came to us naturally without realising it or consciously thinking about it.
Like with the landlady and landlord and the expectation that they're not common characters;
The expectation of Buddha's palm being the ultimate skill that ends all evil at the middle of the movie and so so so much more.
I am so glad that I grew up watching the Golden Age HK movies/dramas.
Exactly what I thought watching this video.
Same!!! Since the beginning of 2000, i rarely watch HK movies anymore, they just don't feel like those in the 80s and 90s. I'll still watch Donnie Yen's but not so much of Stephen Chow's and even less of Jackie Chan's. Well, in the case of Jackie Chan, it's and partly because, he is not really as nimble as before so it kinda lost the vibes of his 80s and early 90s movies, the Lucky Stars was really fun to watch back then. I think once these few actors stop acting, i'll only rewatch those old movies, which i still do nowadays.
Wow, I can't believe I stumbled across this video a year late! I have loved this move ever since its release, and it's so wonderful to get this background information! Thank you so much! I wish Stephen Chow had returned to make more beautiful films like this one, but I guess this will always be his masterpiece. He's basically said everything he needs to say by now, and what a way to do it! Just amazing, inspired work!
This really is one of my favorite movies... I hope you do a longer video on it, one day. Thank you very much for giving this amazing film even more depth for me :)
This really is one of my favorite movies. I'm in my 60's, so weekends were spent in San Francisco watching Kung Fu movies in the 70's. Thus my love for all forms of that cinema. While I wasn't up on a lot of these more subtle references (I certainly recognized the actors thought), that speaks to Chow's brilliance in that it's not entirely necessary to know them to enjoy the scenes. Just as there's so many references to Western film as well. It really shows Chows reverence to the art form throughout history.
CHINA TOWN MOVIE THEATER i had the pleasure of watching a chinese act there no movie though last year
"Talk about a killer soundtrack"
I love that entire sequence.
Great job on this! alot of references I missed over many watching, and more info in the cards, super great! Also your joke about the Six-Fingered Demon Musician was priceless! Love your humor LOL
Much love for KUNG FU HUSTLE ❤. It is the closest ANY live action movie has ever come to being a classic Warner Brothers cartoon. After I saw it, I immediately went out and got a copy. It doesn't hurt that it's also beautifully shot, the camera work and heavy duty choreography are not what you get in an ordinary martial arts movie. This is a much underrated movie that belongs in the MIDNIGHT MOVIE category right next to THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW, HEAVY METAL, PINK FLOYD'S THE WALL, and AIRPLANE. It deserves a lot more appreciation just as a movie, and honestly, don't YOU want to learn that silly ax gang dance?
Great video, good subject matter.
9:17 here is where it got a bit more interesting as the martial arts he used here is more than just Wudang's Tai-chi. His kit alone are 2 references to Jin Yong's fantasy martial arts novels
- Heaven and Earth Great Shift : is the art where the user redirect any forces into another direction, from one person to another. This was how he made the musical guys punching each other. This art was used by Zhang Wuji, the main character of Jin Yong's "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber". The weight and forces part has actually nothing to do with Taichi, but this! And it's super OP if you manage to reach high level of practice - or else you can be overwhelmed by great forces, that's why he can not use it against the final boss
- The second ref you did covered, it's Taichi art from the Wudang clan, also a main part in The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber, where he spins stuff in a yin yang circle
video started
Amelia reaction and *hiccup
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I see you're a man of culture as well
on another note, I miss classic wuxia novels from authors like Jin Yong and my personal favorite Gu Long. love the reference from them.
i can't believe amelia is the reason why this whole thing about old kungfu movies are getting brought up
I loved this movie when I first saw it in theaters in America. I didn't get any of the references here, but I really love this sort of thing, and I greatly appreciate it's depth. Great video!
I remember searching for this movie when it released, finally found it Ina bazaar and watched it so many times, watched it again 10 years later and I still love this movie.
I've never been so happy to find other people who love this movie like I have.