How Chang Cheh, director of martial arts movies, got the inspiration for a twist on the kung fu genre
- When the popularity of kung fu films waned, Chang Cheh looked for a twist to keep the genre going. Comedian Michael Hui had an idea: turn Hong Kong films native
- The great martial arts director did so, starting with Heroes Two, a showcase for southern kung fu styles – albeit with characters that were one-dimensional
It is generally accepted by critics that Chang Cheh, one of the great masters of martial arts films, did his best work in the 1960s. By the 1970s the prolific director’s work had become slipshod, something that Chang himself occasionally acknowledged, although his films’ martial arts action scenes maintained their verve and quality.
Even so, the director still managed to churn out enduring works like his Shaolin cycle of films, which continue to be a favourite of martial arts movie fans. The focus of these movies is on martial arts skills rather than the storylines, which are simplistic, and the characters, who are usually one-dimensional representations of well-known martial arts heroes such as Fong Sai-yuk (Fang Shiyu).
“Chang’s kung fu films of this period seem like compendiums of short kung fu segments rather than whole movies,” writes critic and academic Stephen Teo in his book Hong Kong Cinema: The Extra Dimension.
Like any successful Hong Kong director, Chang knew that box-office success lay with finding a new twist to a popular genre, and his idea was to make southern kung fu styles like hung ga (Hong fist) and wing chun the focus of his films, and to depict them as authentically as possible.