In 2006, when I was only ten years old, I watched this movie to Jay Chou's ending song (and then I didn't listen to it because I didn't read the subtitles), and I just thought it was good.
Some time ago, I accidentally saw the news that this film was sued by Huo Yuanjia's descendants. On a whim, I found the director's cut version to watch it again.
I don't remember much about the version that was released. What's interesting is that my girlfriend followed me after watching the first half of the movie and kept saying that this movie was too bad, and she looked angry. How could you film Huo Yuanjia like this, "brainless", "should Being sued", "Quickly shut down" Yunyun... It can be seen that the adaptation of this film is bold.
Time has changed, look at the latecomers such as "Ip Man", in fact, the routine is similar, so I don't dare to set such a big flaw for the protagonist. Ip Man has a halo from beginning to end, and the story only focuses on the country that the audience likes to hear and see. Hate family feuds, fight foreigners, highlight a carefree dripping.
If "Ip Man" is a hero's hymn and a carnival of the masses, this "Huo Yuanjia" is more tragic and poignant of personal destiny:
Nearly half of the film is about Huo Yuanjia's youth and frivolity, and nearly a third is the process of awakening; 140 minutes long, leaving only half an hour for the audience, and finally an unhappy ending.
Like a stick in the throat. right?
But in my opinion, this is more like a master who has achieved great enlightenment. He achieves fame and does what he wants, but the deepest ripples are always the mistakes he made when he was young, and the pain and growth he gained from it. This is a bit like "Journey to the West". People may want to know how the Great Sage Monkey King slays demons and removes demons and obtains the scriptures, and the softest place in his heart may still be about the supreme treasure that was once muddled.
Probably this is also the reason why the older generation cannot accept "Journey to the West": we are afraid of subverting, subverting an inherent thing, subverting a perfect image; we are afraid to deny, we are afraid of denying the past, and we are afraid of denying ourselves.
The lines of "Huo Yuanjia" are very straightforward, and the performances of many supporting characters are almost blunt, but I think there are obviously some profound philosophical thoughts and insights, about martial arts and life. In fact, later kung fu films also talked about these concepts - stop fighting, self-improvement, but these things seem to exist in the minds of all people inherently, no doubt, naturally, it seems that few people care about where these ideas come from come. Is it true that someone can grow up without falling, and see a rainbow without experiencing wind and rain? We watch foreigners being beaten so excited and so happy, is it ironic in terms of the film? Have we conquered ourselves?
I think "Huo Yuanjia" may be trying to express these things, but it is just submerged in the torrent of entertainment and the times.
After all, this may be an era of self-improvement, not introspection.
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