Hong Kong
This article is part of a series on the history of Hong Kong action cinema – find the other parts here. The 1960’s and 70’s are probably the most pivotal time regarding the growth of Hong Kong action films. The Martial Arts craze would take shape as the Shaw Brothers become the foremost authority regarding the kung-fu craze that would follow in the wake of their massive quantity of quality movies.
One question that I am always trying to answer throughout this series is “what makes Hong Kong cinema so distinctive and great?”. Well, this stage of Hong Kong’s cultural evolution is vital concerning the film business and its multifaceted ability to make highly entertaining movies.
Around the 1930s, Hong Kong was going through a period of change during the devastating war years and Japanese occupation. In this installment of the History of Hong Kong Action Cinema series, we won’t be digging into that many movies, but this time marks a serious change in the blossoming movie business in Hong Kong. As a result the deflation of the Shanghai-based studios and their film crews migration would prove to be a tremendous asset to Hong Kong’s future as one of the leading film markets in years to come.
When I was young my Uncle Fred was our gateway to cool movies at a young age. He would babysit my brother and I, and going to the video store (yes, VHS) was the high point of the evening. After running the gamut of classic R rated action, and horror films we landed on the iconic movies of Bruce Lee.
Every time you look for new horror movies the same ten titles show up. The Shining, Jaws, The Exorcist, The Haunting, Psycho, Nightmare on Elm Street, Alien, Halloween, The Ring, and Night of the Living Dead. Not to say that these aren’t great films, they’re on the best lists for a reason; they’re classics!
There are a million great films outside the U.S, it’s just you haven’t seen them. Good fortune smiles on you today because I’m here to show 15 foreign flicks you should have seen a long time ago.