장처(張徹) 무술영화의 현지화와 무술의 정치학

Abstract

The current paper discuss Chang Che’s martial arts films—which basically had filmed stories of the legendary martial artists in Southern China in mid to late 1970s (e.g., Hung Hei Gun, Fong Sai-Yuk, etc.)-- exploring 1) how the films were made; 2) what they meant to the audience; and 3) finally, what was the underlying politics of the martial arts in the films. The major characteristic of the films can be judged as the localized Hong Kong martial arts films. Specifically, in genre perspective the films were born in Chang Che’s attempt to overcome the dark age of martial arts film after Bruce Lee’s death and in socio-cultural perspective the films were made in response to Hong Kong people’ acceptance of their identity as Hong Kongers instead of the old Chinese in 1970s. Chang Che’s martial arts films highlight the martial arts and artists in southern China making a contrast with the northern martial arts. The martial arts in each part of China symbolize the political situations of the area (i.e., the capitalism of Hong Kong and the communism of the mainland China), and the films were somewhat related to the anti-communism atmosphere of the society. The quality of the films seems to fall short of the director’s previous films. However, the films clearly demonstrate how the director, Chang Che, tried to maintain and develop the genre of martial arts film after Bruce Lee’s death. Therefore, by reviewing the films, Chang Che’s significance and contribution to the martial arts genre can be understood.