Chan Kong-sang (literally Chan born in Hong Kong) was born in 1954 to political refugees from the Chinese Civil War who sought asylum in what was then still a British city-state. His father was a secret agent for a short time, bringing information out of China. The fear for the life of himself and his family was certainly justified for him.Jackie Chan
Actor, Executive Producer
The boy first grew up in the environment of the French consulate, where his father worked as a cook. After his emigration to Australia and his son’s not-so-good performance at school, they sent the future Jackie back to China. Specifically, to the Beijing drama school, where he began to very consistently develop his interest in martial arts and acrobatics, which he connected with acting from the beginning. Chan did not want to win fights, but to dance on the screen.
School of the Snake | Seasonal Film Corporation He stood in front of the camera for the first time at the age of five as a child actor and in the following years very slowly developed a position as a reliable extra and stuntman. In this role, he also appeared in Fist of Fury with Bruce Lee in 1972, where he was his favorite “slap shot”. In 1978, he was already a sought-after expert in his field, although few people had seen his face on screen yet. That changed when the producers hired him to lead two films, which they entrusted to debutant director Yuen Woo-ping. This became School of the Snake and The Master’s Son (known today under the literal English translation Drunken Master), both released in 1978. Chan had a completely free hand with the choreography during the preparations, and with Yuen’s help he laid the foundation for his rich career. His approach was quite innovative. . We associate martial arts with elegance, austerity, dignity and sometimes propaganda. Just look at the domestic films of the decade of the younger Jet Li, which are often full of Chinese nationalism, although mainly in its pseudo-historical form preceding the communist coup. But that does not mean that the regime cannot make use of this type of fairy-tale nationalism. Chan, on the other hand, represents pure individuality, untamedness and defiance of authority and hierarchies. His vagabond style is deliberately untidy, does not follow clear rules and defies convention. After all, in the School of the Snake, the hero, as an overworked orphan, learns the basics of fighting when he watches privileged youngsters during their lessons while regularly mopping the floor. When fighting, he is dirty, out of breath, often uses various props that he “accidentally” grabs, and actively refers to grotesque classics such as Charles Chaplin and Buster Keaton. This became his trademark throughout his career.Jackie Chan | Lionsgate
Paradoxically, even this aesthetic can be misused by totalitarian propaganda mocking the old order. In the later stages of his career, Chan endured criticism for being too friendly with the Chinese power, with whom he coexisted in a strong and mutually beneficial relationship. Nevertheless, it cannot be denied that few people have turned the traditionally more conservative aspect of martial arts on its head as much as Chan and thus made it even more attractive to a wide audience. It did follow a man who can do something incredible, but is still “one of us”.
Throughout his career, Chan has developed a cult of personality as a tireless worker who doesn’t care about his own health and safety as long as he manages to deliver a top performance. Chan nurtures this reputation to the max, which is why we often find failed filming footage in the credits of his films – he wants us to know how much work he puts into his films and this awareness has enhanced our experience, but also our appreciation of his determination.
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Terence Hill turns 85. He spent his whole life in front of the cameras and found his best friend thanks to themThe more power and control Chan gained over his own films, the more he built a stable character that has followed him through the decades. Like Hollywood’s Golden Age actors, Chan is careful to always play the part. In addition, his films mostly aim to offer family-friendly entertainment. His heroes practically never kill, do not talk dirty, do not have sex. Chan loves Bud Spencer and Terence Hill, whose carefree and playful nature he likes to emulate. It may seem like a bit of a superficial approach, but it is successful – judging by the reactions to Chan, it is safe to say that many people completely believe in his persona and cannot even imagine that Jackie could be anything other than a humble worker who from morning to evening he thinks about the choreography of the fight scenes.Jackie Chan | Getty Images 2015 Even more significantly than other Hong Kong masters (Bruce Lee was technically born in the United States, although his family quickly moved to Hong Kong), Chan succeeded in the West. Films such as Once Upon a Time in the East, Crossroads of Death or Knights of Shanghai received even greater acclaim than Jet Li’s American attempts. Nevertheless, it is true that those who want to admire his talent in its raw form and in the context in which it suits him best, must listen to one of his home productions. After all, Chan has 150 notches, among the most prominent are Police Story, Project A, Divine Relic and Dragons Forever. His films have grossed more than $5 billion.
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Aside from acting, Chan is also dedicated to singing – he was trained as a child in Beijing and has been releasing music since the eighties, which, however, practically never crosses the Chinese cultural space. His promotional song, released exactly one year before the Beijing Olympics in 2008, received less attention. Unsurprisingly, it’s not a style that suits our taste too much.
Chan first announced his retirement from acting in 2012 at Cannes, but was quick to refine that statement to “a little less action scenes and better care of my body”. Since then, he has been in front of the camera more than once, although it is clear that his time has slowly passed. Now he mainly enjoys honorary roles or mentor figures.
Jackie Chan is a true living legend in his field, although his connection to Chinese structures over the past decade has sparked debate about how responsible it is for his carefully constructed image to fail. On the other hand, practically all of Hollywood is in an equally tight pact with, for example, the US military, whose interests they must promote, so we should be careful about pointing fingers. One way or another, Chan has earned his place as one of the most important actors of all time.
Check out the ranking of the best movies of all time according to the Kinobox database.
sources: Wikipedia, Kinobox
