The References in Shaolin Soccer | Video Essay
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- Опубліковано 15 лис 2023
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Accented Cinema - Episode 120
I've always believed that this film is better than Kung Fu Hustle. A love letter to friends is better than a love letter to other movies.
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Well, when making this video, I also went through quite an adventure. I got sick for a week, narrowly avoiding disaster by recording the narration one day before losing my voice. And then I spent 2 straight days uploading 18 versions of this video due to how strict this platform has gotten. Hopefully the video is entertaining and worth the effort.
Anyway, thank you for our patrons for keeping us afloat, and thanks Squarespace for sponsoring the video.
Its awesome.... Thank you for your hardwork.
all yer videos are great!
Hope you get your voice back if you haven't already. All the best.
Amazing video! So happy someone made a video with so many of the references that are even missed by Chinese people. You might only learn about some of these if you go through the comments in a reaction video. It must have taken a lot of research and effort. Thanks for the hard work!
Please do Millennium Actress and its many references!
That was more wholesome than I could imagine. The details behind the scenes made the movie more unique and endearing.
It's great to see somebody give credit to all those who made them a success instead of just leaving them behind.
100% I didn’t realize the silly tsubasa reference was a love letter
Couldn't have said it any better. :)
A few other notes about Shaolin Soccer:
1. The original Hong Kong DVD features the theatrical cut, but extended scenes can be accessed when an icon appears on the screen:
- Sing's dance number before Mui's boss scares everyone off and Sing winks at Mui with the last piece of mantou.
- An extended scene of Mui after her makeover, where she has a heated argument with her boss during the Team Shaolin's drinking party.
- All of the bloopers and outtakes, plus a different ending theme.
2. The original Hong Kong Video CD release is the "director's cut", with all of the scenes above seamlessly included.
3. Sing and Iron Head's song at the bar uses the melody of the Mamas & the Papas' 1965 song "California Dreamin'".
4. Mui's makeover is a parody of Hong Kong actress Anita Mui, based on her appearance during the '80s.
5. The scene where Iron Head counters a flying headbutt from a Team Evil member references Fight Club, which uses the same effect of blowing air in the mouth when Edward Norton's character attempts to shoot himself.
Lmao, I didn't realise the shaolin singing was based from California Dreamin' song, how I didn't realise that
Wow, number 4 finally makes sense to me now after 20 years. I always had a feeling about it but I couldn't realise it.
And the random phone call scene to say I love you, was a parody of a hong kong nokia cell phone commercial
I had a double sided dvd copy of the movie with the original cut and theatrical on the other side. The original cut is in my opinion pretty great. The story structure was better and there were more comedic moments.
the movie just keep on giving trivias
RIP, uncle Tat. He was a spectacular actor!
This is one of my favorite movies, but as someone that doesn't speak Cantonese or Mandarin, I feel like I was missing a lot of the jokes and references. Thank you for filling in some of those gaps, I have a newfound appreciation for Shaolin Soccer ❤⚽☯
That's why I really like when Frank Djeng does audio commentaries on kung fu films. He explains some of the slang and humor that non Chinese speaking wouldn't understand.
It was perfectly dubbed in my country India 🇮🇳🥰🥰
Not just the jokes. Many movie easter eggs and reference too.
Stephen Chow is truly King of Comedy. Nothing could beat the comedy from his movies 🤣🤣
His movies always look cool not cringe
And Uncle Tat definitely deserved the spotlight. He's truly an incredible actor. RIP.
As a Nigerian growing up, Hong Kong cinema and Bollywood were as popular as movies from the US and Europe.
I am grateful everyday for the blessing I received without even realising.
Stephen Chow is a don.
As an Indian, Stephen Chow is the most prominent name in Indian culture when it comes to Hong Kong cinema, we all grew up watching Kung Fu Hustle and Shaolin Soccer as kids. They're very beloved here.
I only know Shaolin Soccer and Kung Fu Hustle, but they are really great movies! It's time for me to see some more.
Blessed to be in the age where we have access to everything
@@AL-jg4pr I am Gen X. We got everything on from local video clubs. Those local shop owners were ingenious, how they sourced movies from everywhere.
You could get just about anything if you asked and were ready to give them a few weeks to track it down.
Ahh, the summers of my youth.
As an Indian who grew up on (old school) Wuxia dramas, HK action movies and obviously the magnificent comedic talent of Chow, I was really touched by this review, and felt slightly proud that I could understand most of the references. I am so happy to see this comment from you.
Another important piece of thing is that Tai chi is a soft style. It means it always redirects power rather than trying to overpower it. That's why she was able to be the goalkeeper.
The other guys' kung fu styles are hard styles, which do the overpowering opponent. What they didn't manage to do.
The funny thing is as happen to Arnold where they put Devil in the title of movie he is in in Chinese. In Thailand, almost every movie that Stephen Chow play have "คนเล็ก" (Lit. trans: small man) in the title. This also happen to many actor/actress either west or east. Even Arnold has the nickname "คนเหล็ก" (Lit. trans: metal man) in every movie he in in Thai, especially The Terminator Films.
I remember falling in love with this movie as a teenager. It was my first contact with Stephen Chow. Here it was called "Kung Fu futebol clube" (which is the correct name for the sport, no World Cup, no Opinion) and me, my friends and lots of people I know felt a very deep connection to it. Even with all the cultural diferences between China and Brazil, the concept we called "futebol da vázea" which takes us to a nostalgic times where clubs were smaller, we had lots of empty blocks covered in grass which we turned into futebol areas for the local communities is somthing very nostalgic and hold dear to our collective conscious. The fact that Kung Fu Futebol Clube subverts a lot of tropes from more "serious" old Kung Fu movies adds the final touch for it to be so loved.
The prologue, where Golden Leg bullies his teammate never appeared on my DVD copy. This changes everything about the motive of Golden Leg's character.
I loved this movie. Later on I was browsing Netflix and came across one of the international releases, which re-edited the movie to have less of the weirder comedic bits, which I absolutely hated. It removed the original music from the song at Mui's stall, it drastically toned down the makeover scene, and so on. Even though I'm not from Hong Kong, nor do I speak Cantonese, I love how original the movie is compared to other comedies that make it to global success.
There are quite a few versions floating around. I think the Netflix version is the Miramax release, which gutted out 20 minutes of the movie. It's absolutely the worst one.
The version on Amazon is, I think, the US theatrical version, which is almost identical to the original edit, except all the important Chinese text has been changed to English using VFX. It's honestly kinda surreal to look at.
There is the Taiwan dub which does not distinguish between Mui's Mandarin and everyone else's Cantonese.
And I think the US DVD release added a few scenes back into the movie.
@@AccentedCinema is there a reason why Miramax had to remove those scenes?
@@GameFuMasterbecause Miramax exec Harvey Weinstein assumed everyone is not smart enough to catch cultural references. Thank god he's in prison for all his sexual misconduct. I would also like to believe he's being jailed for his crimes against Asian cinema but one could only wish. 😂
@@GameFuMaster I don't know if it is the reason for this movie, but Miramax does it a lot with Chinese movies because they want to Americanize the movie. They think their edits will be more digestible for the US audience.
It ends up being a terrible mix - fans hate it and in part because of the bad or meh reviews the mainstream audiences don't bother.
@@GameFuMaster Miramax is infamous for editing any chinese (asian) movie. Be it a Jackie Chan, Jet Li (Hero), every movie needed to be changed.
It won't be a stephen chow movie without "flower".
Man, this really hits deep. We will never see another movie like stephen chow's movies. Him and uncle tat was such an iconic duo.
One of the best, if not the best Stephen Chow movie ive watched, glad to see it being talked about here as well. Definitely deserves to be watched atleast once by everyone. Also, theres a new shaolin soccer movie being made???
i think so, womens version or something
The scene in 11:32 is a parody of an ad starring Leon Lai back in the mid 90s to early 2000's. The original ad series featuring various mobile phones were so memorable that anyone in Hong Kong at that time would've known the reference.
They were also memorable for being 1-2 minute long ads that runs during ad-breaks in prime time TV, which was ridiculous compared to the usual 20-30 second ads.
What's even more amazing to me is that I saw the movie and loved it without knowing any of that! Being able to make a movie that speaks to people in and out of the know is awesome
You need to watch Stephen Chow's other movie. Every movie he made has a comedy way of making you laugh, sad, and cheers.
@@Linkwii64 I have seen more of them since then! Saw Kung Fu Hustle first, went back and saw Shaolin Soccer, then started watching them as they came out like CJ7, his Journey to the West, The Mermaid. Still gotta go back and watch the pre-Shaolin Soccer movies for sure.
In 2003, in my first month of high school Chinese class, my Hong-Kong-raised Mandarin teacher began showing us Chinese-langage films every month. This was the first one he showed us, and it will honestly forever hold a special place in my heart. Thank you for helping me bring my understanding of it full circle
This movie already holds a special place in my heart from childhood, understanding the refrences just made me love it even more. Thank you for your hard work.
Amazing that Danny Chan played both Lighting Hands and Brother Sum!
Been watching Stephen Chow films forever. He really let's the actors show amazing range. Gonna watch a few this week and reminisce.
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
I don't know if this was true, but Danny Chan played more movies as Bruce Lee than Bruce Lee himself lol
Fun Fact: Puma is the one of the sponsor of this movie, You can see the logo on all the clothes and shoes, that's why you see the Puma Kamehameha shoot.
My mom bought a "DVD" collection of all the Stephen Chow movies since we had only ever rented the VHS versions. I like to think it made a positive impact on my childhood lol.
Fun Fact: In order to appear as if her head was shaved, Wei Zhao had to sit in the makeup chair for eight to ten hours each day.
This a beautiful tribute to Stephen Chow and one of my childhood films
I didn't know Mui spoke Mandarin while the other characters spoke Cantonese! That and the fact Sing tries to speak her in Mandarin make this wholesome n_n I watched this movie with my brother, I think, I was in high-school, and I just loved how absurd was all. But I think this movie is not so known here in Costa Rica...
Damn I didn't know Mui spoke Mandarin while everyone spoke Cantonese... That's a great detail and adds a lot of character to both Mui and Sing for putting in the effort to communicate
I love when you make Stephen Chow appreciation videos❤
You know what is pure and sweet? This video! Thank you!
You are spot on about Man Tat. Like you I have grown up watching Stephen Chow comedies and always seen them together. At the end of Shaolin Soccer, when the trophy was presented, I didn't see them as characters of the film, but as real life comrades.
Love when you talk about the Stephen Chow movies. They’re always so interconnected. It reminds me of the scene from Night is Short, Walk on Girl when the god of used book fairs explains why no book is isolated
This is the movie I watched the most. After my mom got us the VCD, I put it on almost every day after school as I was having lunch. It was also always shown on TV during Lunar New Year. I can never get bored of it. This movie is also the last time we see Stephen Chow and Uncle Tat together, which makes me treasure it even more.
I've been looking forward to you reviewing this movie ever since I first subscribed to you, and despite my high expectations now that I've gotten accustomed to your work, I still find myself impressed at how you've exceeded them. Thank you for doing this amazing film justice.
I love this movie. It was so wholesome that it left me grinning and pacing my living room floor. I have only seen it once but never forgotten it
This will probably remain my favorite movie of all time. I always loved the release with all the bloopers and extended scenes worked in.
What a great breakdown of references and tribute to this movie.
I'm going to watch this again with my parents.
This and Kung Fu hustle were the biggest hits in Russia, people loved the movies, they were so much fun, Great essay!!❤COYG!😜
I hope you watched his video about references in Kung Fu Hustle 😊.
I was actually confused because I thought he reuploaded this video but turned out I was thinking of the Kung Fu Hustle one and this is a new one about Shaolin Soccer 😅 .
Another great deep dive & I appreciate the kudos for Uncle Tat 🤍 Stephen and Uncle Tat are the textbook definition of dynamic duo. Stephen absolutely wouldn't be where he is today without him and I was truly saddened by his passing. They were both such a core part of my childhood.
I have never seen Liu Sanjie (1960), but I have seen Tao Hua Lian or Desperate Love Bitter End (1980). It was prevalent in the United States of America's Hmong community. It was the first riddle song at the film's beginning between the city doctor and village girl, Tao Hua that hooked me in.
Incredible references I would have never known. The Cantonese/Mandarin is so sweet and explaining the dance in Kungfu Hustle is so great. Fantastic video!
I literally was brought to tears by this video. Amazing.
После этого видео я ещё больше полюбил китайскую культуру. Хорошая работа, ACCENTEDCINEMA
I just want to thank you for helping me have a whole new appreciation for this film. Growing up as a young Aussie lad in a poor neighbourhood I always connected with this movie amd loved it foundly but to now know so much more about it I couldn't thank you enough
WELL DONE! this has been one of my favorite movies growing-up in the Philippines! :) My siblings and I would recreate the scenes.
I’m glad the scene recreations were a cross cultural experience :)
I was in high school when I watched this movie for the first time. It was a bootleg without subtitles. Since we do not speak cantonese or mandarin we started riffing at the plot parts. We were familiar with Captain Tsubasa at least. It was a ton of fun.
Love learning insight into the meaning and history of the film. Appreciate you taking time to go in depth and sharing all these details.
I saw a sub of this at a Canadian Japanese cultural festival about 20 years ago. A lot of the symbolism of the characters names or characters speaking mandarin never came through. Thank you so much for pointing them out it makes this movie even more special!
Thanks for making this! This is definitely one of my fav HK & Chow Sing Chi's films ever. What makes this even more special, just like you & your buddies, is that i always watch this with people i love. Man, I wanna watch this with my siblings again for the millionth time.
It's really neat learning the inside scoop and cultural references that I would've never understood on my own. Thanks for deepening my appreciation for a classic!
Thanks for continuing to touch and reintroduce part of my heritage back to me
Its been great to watch how much love you and effort you put in and see the support you have from the patreons
Watched this movie during middle school on a CRT screen (of course) back in Nepal during mid 2000s. Thanks for this wholesome video. Didn't Stephen Chow was famous. This movie is an emotion filled nostalgia.
I have absolutely loved this movie from first viewing, and this video gives me an even greater appreciation for it. Sincerely, thank you for putting this together, I never would have known any of these finer cultural details without you.
This movie blew my mind when I first saw it! Knowing these references has now given it a new level of appreciation for me. Thanks for making this video!
Thanks so much for doing this. I was in high school when this came out and always loved this film.
You always put so much work into your videos, I was so excited to see this pop up in my subscriptions!
I brought and played this movie for my class back in junior high and we all loved it. Now that you explained the details, i love it more than ever. Thanks!
Thank you for this video! I appreciate the context and references explained! I feel I can enjoy Shaolin Soccer even more now. I would like to see more videos like this explaining the references of other Chinese language films!
This was my first Stephen Chow film, and I fell in love right away. Thank You for filling in a whole bunch of gaps in my knowledge, so I can appreciate it even more!
I truly enjoyed this film, more so than many I've seen in years. You have presented details and commentary that have very, very much amplified my understanding and enjoyment. Thank you. Excellent presentation.
this movie was monumental to me in childhood. and brought me to venture into loving Kung Pow , Kung Fu Hustle and the Slapstick Spaghetti Shaolin Genre
I loved this movie growing up! I had actually never seen any of this director’s other movies. I only saw this film because it somehow showed up in my local library’s movie selection. Thank you so much for this video! It brought a whole new appreciation for all the small details
This actually made me emotional. Great video. Thank you, Accented Cinema.
I first watched this movie as a kid and it was special then. Learning more about it just make it even more special. My dad used to bring home those weird dvds and that was one of them. My whole family loved the movie and I see it now.
I love Shaolin Soccer, one of the best movies ever made of all time!
Thank you so much for putting in the effort to make this video! I didn't know almost all of those references but still enjoyed the movie a lot. Really shows how genius Stephen Chow is!
You've added so much to my understanding of this great film. 感謝感謝
This film holds a special place in my heart. I had a cd of it when I was a child and everytime my friends came over and wanted to watch a movie I'd put this on the crt tv. Me and my cousins probably watched this movie over 20 times. It made my childhood so much better
i don't know why among of so many wholesome characters from diff. movies mui is the one that has a special place in my heart since the day I saw it for the first time
This was an awesome watch, thanks so much! I need to rewatch the movie now.
Thanks so much for this deep dive presenting new information about a very important film
I forgot how much I loved this movie. I was half way eye teary during the whole video, you made it a lot richier now.
you make amazing videos, yet another incredible video essay for an incredible film.
was literally about to sleep but I saw this and figured i'll delay my sleep for a while. Thank you Accented Cinema. I always look forward to your videos!
Your recap definitely made me want to go and rewatch the movie! I’m not Chinese but grew up watching Steven Chow films as well. Love your channel, keep up the good work!
I respect your channel so much i dont skip over the in video ad
Thank you so much for this. I'd LOVE the same kind of video on Kung Fu hustle
I absolutely love this breakdown
I've seen this movie before, but I never would have known about the love song and Cantonese/Mandarin references if I hadn't seen this. Thanks for the great video!
Uncle Tat and Singa duo is perfect in every movie,
Thanks for this breakdown. Wholesome.
Shaolin Soccer and Kung fu hustle are favorite movies for us Indians too ❤
Thank you for this video!
Love the movie and had no idea about some of these references, like the song for example :)
Great stuff - I can't believe I didn't notice the God of Cookery line :D
That was an amazing watch. Thanks for a great video
This movie brings back so many good memories for me.
What an eye-opener! Subscribed!
its feel like a dream, 2 years ago watching kungfu hustle refrence, now shaolin soccer..dude ur channel its goat
What a great analysis. Bravo!
Such a great video on such a great film!!! Thank you for putting this together. ❤
So happy to see someone talking about Shaolin Soccer. I can't stress how much of a formative event in the development of my sense of humor seeing this movie as a little kid was
I loved this film, it was a formative experience as a child but my appreciation for this film just reached new heights after watching your video!
love the movie but did not know any references! well, except the most obvious ones
amazing presentation, thanks!
thank you, this video elevates an already great movie higher
I'll be honest, I got excited when I saw you acknowledge the existence of 'Forbidden City Cop' by featuring it in a short montage! It's my personal favourite. ^-^
Love your analysis all the way
Thank you so much for your knowledge of these reference. I would never had known the significance of the relationships. Like the different providence.
Bruh, I love this movie. A friend of mine back in highschool had a copy and we passed it around. classic!
Shaolin Soccer has the most anime in a kung-fu movie. Stephen Chow might be the most cultured GOAT filmmaker not only in Hong Kong cinema but in world cinema
The last part made me tear up. Glad I stumbled upon this video.
It's been far too long since I've seen this. I remember really liking it. I appreciate you explaining the cultural and linguistic significance of some of the scenes. As an English speaker, I never would've gotten that. Cheers!
Excellent as usual, thank you!
I don’t know how, but you made me love this movie even more with this video! I will watch it again before I go to sleep!
When I saw my first Stephen Chow movie, I went down a rabbit hole of cinema that I'd been missing out on. Now I watch things from many different cultures fucking worth it.