Once Upon a Time in China III (1993)
Once Upon a Time in China III is a 1993 Hong Kong martial arts film written, produced and directed by Tsui Hark, starring Jet Li as Chinese martial arts master and folk hero of Cantonese ethnicity, Wong Fei-hung. It is the third installment in the Once Upon a Time in China film series.
Plot:
In the late 19th century China during the Qing dynasty Chinese sovereignty is being eroded by foreign imperialism. Empress Dowager Cixi and Li Hongzhang decide to stage a lion dance competition to showcase Chinese martial arts and restore national pride. Interested parties from all over China are invited to participate and compete for the title of “Lion Dance King”. Wong Fei-hung travels by train from Foshan to Beijing with his romantic interest 13th Aunt and apprentice Leung Foon to meet his father, Wong Kei-ying, at the Cantonese Ten Tigers Association. At the train station, 13th Aunt meets Tomanovsky, a Russian diplomat, who was her classmate when she was studying in Britain. He starts vying for her attention and annoys Wong, who is disgusted by the Western custom of kissing a woman’s hand. When Wong reaches the Association, he learns that his father has been attacked by a wealthy rival martial artist, Chiu Tin-bak, and Chiu’s henchman, Clubfoot.RELATED:
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Luckily, the elder Wong sustained only minor injuries. Wong Kei-ying decides to give his blessings to his son and 13th Aunt when he sees their romantic relationship.
Before the competition officially begins, all the lion dance troupes that have gathered in Beijing are already fighting among themselves and holding another competition of their own. Wong does not participate and spectates instead. Unknown to him, Leung and his friends have secretly joined the competition out of mischief. A short chase takes place between Clubfoot and Leung when the latter annoys the former during the contest and flees. Clubfoot’s legs are crushed when Leung accidentally releases a stampede of horses from a stable. Chiu abandons Clubfoot when he sees that he is now a useless cripple. Wong takes pity on Clubfoot, brings him in, and heals his legs. Clubfoot is initially hostile towards Wong, but he feels so touched and grateful to Wong that he starts bawling emotionally, and becomes Wong’s new apprentice.
Alternate versions:
The film was released in Hong Kong on VHS by Paragon Films in 1996. The opening is in Mandarin while the rest of the film is in Cantonese. It was converted from a LaserDisc and some chapters are incorrectly arranged. The film was released again in Hong Kong on DVD by Hong Kong Legends on 21 January 2002. The Taiwanese release of the film is in Mandarin and has 15 minutes more footage than the Hong Kong version. It was distributed by Long Shong Pictures and features a 4:3 cropped image with embedded Chinese and English subtitles, and the distributor’s logo on the upper left corner of the screen. Both the Hong Kong and Taiwanese versions were released on DVD in North America by Columbia TriStar. There is also an English export version of the film called The Invincible Shaolin. In comparison with the original version, the end credits of The Invincible Shaolin are in English and some footage is cut out.RELATED:
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Cast:
- Jet Li as Wong Fei-hung (doubled by Hung Yan-yan)
- Rosamund Kwan as “13th Aunt” Yee Siu-kwan
- Max Mok as Leung Foon
- Hung Yan-yan as Kwai Geuk-chat (“Clubfoot Seven Chiu-Tsat”)
- John Wakefield as Tomanovsky
- Lau Shun as Wong Kei-ying
- Chiu Chin as Chiu Tin-bak
- Wong Tak-yan as Yan
- Ge Cunzhuang as Li Hongzhang