When Jimmy Wang Yu died on 5 April 2022 at the age of 79, Jackie Chan took to his social media accounts to pay his respects, stating that "the contributions you've made to kung fu movies and the support and wisdom you’ve given to the younger generations will always be remembered in the industry." But Wang Yu's legacy is a complicated one. Despite being a huge Hong Kong martial arts star in the 1960s and 70s, his international status has now been overshadowed by his contemporaries - especially Bruce Lee - and his infamous off-screen antics have, particularly in Asia, threatened to overwhelm his cinematic contributions. However, he unquestionably remains one of kung fu cinema's most influential figures; Shaw Brothers' first martial arts star whose break-out role in the wuxia classic, 'One-Armed Swordsman' (1967), helped it to become the first Hong Kong film to gross HK$1m at the box office. His pioneering directorial debut, 'The Chinese Boxer' (1970), is credited for being the first empty-hand kung fu movie - a runaway hit which saw the martial arts genre move away from the traditional swordplay films which had made Wang Yu a household name, and paving the way for the kung fu boom of the 1970s. The film was also the catalyst for the rebellious star to break his contract with Shaw Brothers, an unprecedented move which saw him work with the rival studio, Golden Harvest, and relocate to Taiwan where he was allocated the freedom to write, direct and star in many of his own productions, including the fan favourites 'One-Armed Boxer' (1971), 'Beach of the War Gods' (1973), and 'Master of the Flying Guillotine' (1975). Joining me to look back over the colourful life and career of the late Jimmy Wang Yu are the writer and film historian, Samm Deighan, and the Asian cinema expert, Frank Djeng. We dive into Wang Yu's early life and interests, his cinematic inspirations, his notorious private life and affiliations with criminal gangs, and we select our favourite Wang Yu movies. Samm Deighan is a Philadelphia-based writer and film historian, author of 'The Legacy of World War II in European Arthouse Cinema' and a presenter on the cult film podcast, 'Twitch of the Death Nerve'. Frank Djeng is an Asian cinema expert based in San Francisco.
LINKS
Jimmy Wang Yu profile on Kung Fu Movie Guide: http://bit.ly/JimmyWangYu
Tribute to Jimmy Wang Yu podcast page on Kung Fu Movie Guide: https://bit.ly/TributeToJimmyWangYu
'One-Armed Swordsman' (1967) review on Kung Fu Movie Guide: http://bit.ly/OneArmedSwordsman
'The Chinese Boxer' (1970) review on Kung Fu Movie Guide: https://bit.ly/TheChineseBoxer1970
'One-Armed Boxer' (1971) review on Kung Fu Movie Guide: https://bit.ly/OneArmedBoxer1971
'Master of the Flying Guillotine' (1975) review on Kung Fu Movie Guide: http://bit.ly/MasterOfFlyingGuillotine
Follow Samm Deighan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sammdeighan/
Follow Samm Deighan on Twitter: https://twitter.com/sammdeighan
Become a Samm Deighan patron at https://www.patreon.com/sammdeighan
Buy Samm Deighan's book, 'The Legacy of World War II in European Arthouse Cinema', on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Legacy-World-European-Arthouse-Cinema/dp/1476683522
'Twitch of the Death Nerve' podcast: https://cinepunx.com/podcast-episodes/twitch-of-the-death-nerve/
Follow Frank Djeng on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frankdjeng/
Cool Ass Cinema - 'The Flying Guillotines: History of the Shaw Brothers Trendsetter, its sequel and Imitators Part 1': http://www.coolasscinema.com/2020/06/the-flying-guillotines-history-of-shaw_8.html
‘Big Boss Theme’ by Peter Thomas Sound Orchestra: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyZn_3jnrVA
'Sky High' by Jigsaw: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjtD8A-MWBc
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