Thursday, September 19, 2013

Free Kung Fu Double Bill! BRUTAL GRACE: A TRIBUTE TO LAU KAR-LEUNG

Free Kung Fu Double Bill!

BRUTAL GRACE:
A TRIBUTE TO LAU KAR-LEUNG

Friday September 20
Innis Town Hall 2 Sussex Ave
(at St. George, south of Bloor)


An Asian Institute & Cinema Studies Student Union Presentation

BRUTAL GRACE: A TRIBUTE TO LAU KAR-LEUNG

Lau Kar Leung, Hong Kong filmmaker, actor, choreographer and martial artist, is one of the true pioneers of Hong Kong martial arts cinema, developing an idiosyncratic action style in the late seventies and early eighties that combined authentic traditional martial arts with an impeccable slapstick comic sensibility. In tribute to his passing, The Asian Institute and Cinema Studies Student Union (CINSSU) will honour the late “Grandmaster”of martial arts cinema with a panel discussion and screening of two of his classic films, 8 DIAGRAM POLE FIGHTER (1983) and DIRTY HO (1979)

6:00 - 7:30 PM - Panel
Join us before the films for a panel discussion on the works of Lau Kar Leung. Snackboxes will be provided to panel attendees.
Panelists:
Noah Cowan - Artistic Director, TIFF Bell Lightbox
Colin Geddes - International Programmer, Toronto International Film Festival
Bart Testa - Professor of Cinema Studies, University of Toronto


7:45 PM

EIGHT DIAGRAM POLE FIGHTER

Directed by Lau Kar Leung I 1983
With Gordon Liu, Alexander Fu Sheng, Lily Li, Kara Hui, Ko Fei, Lau Kar-leung, Hsiao Ho
In Cantonese with English subtitles

In a jaw-dropping and nightmarish opening scene, seven brothers are ambushed. Only two manage to escape. The young Alexander Fu Sheng loses his mind and runs in a fury through the empty rooms of his family home. It is up to Gordon Liu to bear the responsibility... Tragically, the situation is not far from reality. The popular and renowned actor Alexander Fu Sheng was cast for the lead role, but died from a car accident on his way home from the shoot one day. He was only 28 years old. The script was then rewritten with small allusions to the sad event and reworked to be an homage to the charismatic superstar. Gordon Liu had to take the lead, and the respect for their late colleague pushed the entire cast and crew to give their best for this obscure masterpiece that deals with loyalty, fraternity and blood-thirsty revenge.

9:45 PM
DIRTY HO
Directed by Lau Kar-leung I 1979 
With Gordon Liu, Wong Yue, Wang Lung Wei, Lo Lieh, Kara Hui, Hsiao Ho, Chan Lung
In Cantonese with English subtitles

One of the great classics of martial arts cinema, Dirty Ho is a knockout roundhouse from Hong Kong's Lau Kar-leung. While the title has occasioned a thousand double takes, this is not a porn film. The titular Ho (Wong Yue) is a thief who runs afoul of high-living bon vivant Wang (Gordon Liu), who is in fact a Manchurian prince and martial arts expert in disguise. Because Wang cannot reveal his identity, he is forced to use 'stealth kung-fu', employing lethal fighting skills while maintaining the illusion of clumsiness. Full of action and high physical comedy, this is hugely entertaining viewing from one of the great masters of martial arts cinema.

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