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There's the noble chinese hero role, best exemplified by Jet Li's portrayal of Wong Fei Hung in the 'Once Upon a Time in China' series. He's a kung fu master, a doctor of chinese medicine, and a pillar of the community. Everything about his behaviour is imppecable and exemplary, but he tends to get fucked with by cowardly, unscrupulous, and generally western antagonists who don't have any honour. This gives them a temporary advantage over him, but he wins out because of his pure heart and kung fu mastery.
This role is interestingly de-tourned by Ching Ying Lam's character in 'The Prodigal Son' where he possesses all of the qualities of the noble chinese hero but with pronounced sexual ambiguity. he plays an actor in the peking opera nicknamed 'girlie man' who is extremely effeminate, spends much of the film in drag, but is a noble kung fu master. There's some quite interesting stuff going on in that film.
Another archetype that crops up in a lot of hong kong films is the 'buck toothed apprentice'. This guy is generally found in the school ran by the noble chinese hero. He's provides a slapstick comedy element and almost always has these weird buck teeth.
Then there's the Drunken Master, who on the surface of things is a comedy foil - not too far removed from the buck toothed fool, but it's all really an act to create a false sense of security as they're really just a pissed up, childlike, possibly enlightened version of the noble chinese hero.
More later when I get the chance. |
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