Kung Fu Movie Guide Live: Drunken Master

We’re well underway taking the Kung Fu Movie Guide podcast on the road! We are hosting screenings of classic action and martial arts movies across the southeast of the UK, followed by live discussions with special guests recorded for the podcast.

On 19 November, we were excited to screen the classic Drunken Master (1978) at the Gulbenkian Arts Centre, which is run by the University of Kent. We were joined by “freerunning” founder and the pioneer of parkour, Sebastien Foucan, whose acting credits also include Casino Royale and The Tournament. What’s more, he cites Jackie Chan (and Bruce Lee) as major influences in his training, and runs the internationally renowned Foucan Academy.

This landmark film helped make Chan a household name in Hong Kong, and remains a kung fu comedy classic which set the foundations for his future successes, from Police Story to Rush Hour. After one scrape too many, Wong Fei Hung (Chan), a talented but arrogant young martial artist, is sentenced by his father to become an apprentice of Beggar So (Simon Yuen), a merciless and frequently inebriated master of ‘drunken boxing’. Dripping with hilarious set-pieces, this is an essential film in the development of Hong Kong action cinema.

We had fun discussing the film and how it revolutionised the kung fu movie genre, established a brand new star and kickstarted the career of Yuen Woo Ping, who would later become known for his outstanding fight choreography in huge international films including The Matrix, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Kill Bill Vol. 1 and 2.

These live shows are presented by KFMG host Ben Johnson and myself as part of the BFI’s Art of Action season, in association with the Independent Cinema Office and Film Hub South East.