The Grandmaster (2013)

The Grandmaster (Chinese: 一代宗师) is a 2013 martial arts drama film based on the life story of the Wing Chun grandmaster Ip Man. The film was directed and written by Wong Kar-wai and stars Tony Leung as Ip Man. It was released on 8 January 2013 in China. It was the opening film at the 63rd Berlin International Film Festival in February 2013. The film was selected as part of the 2013 Hong Kong International Film Festival. The Weinstein Company acquired the international distribution rights for the film. The film was selected as the Hong Kong entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 86th Academy Awards, making the January shortlist, but ultimately did not receive the nomination. Despite this, the film was nominated for Best Cinematography and Best Costume Design. It is the only one of Wong Kar-Wai’s films to be recognized by the Academy Awards.

Plot.

Wing Chun grandmaster Ip Man (Tony Leung) reflects on the nature of martial arts as he battles a dozen combatants during a rainstorm in Foshan. Ip wins and experiences flashbacks of his life, from his early training at the age of seven, to his induction into Wing Chun by his master, Chan Wah-shun (Yuen Woo-Ping), and his marriage to Cheung Wing-sing (Song Hye-Kyo). Ip Man’s peaceful existence is threatened by the arrival of Gong Yutian (Wang Qing Xiang), the Wudangquan martial arts grandmaster from northern China, who announces that he has already retired and appointed Ma San (Zhang Jin) as his heir in the North. He then concedes that the South should have its own heir. A fight erupts as various masters attempt to challenge Gong, but they are deterred by Ma San. As the Southern masters deliberate on a representative, Gong Yutian’s daughter Gong Er (Zhang Ziyi) arrives and tries to convince her father not to continue the fight, as she feels the Southern masters are unworthy.

Meanwhile, the Southern masters decide on Ip Man to represent them, and Ip proceeds to be tested by three Southern masters before he challenges Gong Yutian. The “fight” between Ip Man and Gong Yutian turns out to be an exchange of philosophical ideas using a crumbled flat-cake as a metaphor for Chinese unity. Gong proclaims that Ip has shown him the limits of his knowledge and declares Ip the winner. As Gong returns to the North, Gong Er sets out to regain her family’s honor by challenging Ip Man. As they agree that “Kung Fu is about precision,” whoever breaks a piece of furniture during the fight will be the loser. An intense fight breaks out between Ip Man and Gong Er, which concludes with victory for her after Ip breaks a stairstep while saving her from falling. Ip and Gong Er part on friendly terms, with Ip saying he wants a rematch in the future. They keep in contact by exchanging letters, and Ip intends to bring his family with him to northern China. His plans are soon disrupted by the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937.

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Production.

The film is well known for its long development time, having been announced in 2008. It was caught in development hell, partly because Tony Leung broke his arm while training in Wing Chun. The film is Wong’s most expensive production to date. Wong intended the film to be a major collaboration with mainland China’s film industry, noting that the enormous expansion and growth in China’s film industry and market over the past decade has provided filmmakers with resources to make features that weren’t possible before. Wong stated, “Films don’t just belong to the mainland or Hong Kong. They belong to all Chinese and not just to a certain place at a certain time. It’s a legacy that belongs to all of us.”

Reception.

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported that 78% of 138 critics have given the film a positive review, with an average rating of 6.70/10. The site’s critics consensus reads, “Though its storytelling is a tad muddled, Wong Kar Wai’s The Grandmaster still exhibits the auteur’s stylistic flourishes in gorgeous cinematography and explosive action set pieces.” At Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 73 out of 100 based on 37 critics, indicating “generally favorable reviews”. Variety gave the film a positive review, stating Wong “exceeds expectations with ‘The Grandmaster,’ fashioning a 1930s action saga into a refined piece of commercial filmmaking”. The review also says, “Boasting one of the most propulsive yet ethereal realizations of authentic martial arts onscreen, as well as a merging of physicality and philosophy not attained in Chinese cinema since King Hu’s masterpieces, the hotly anticipated pic is sure to win new converts from the genre camp.”

Versions.

Three versions of the film have been released. The first is the domestic “Chinese Cut” of the film that runs 130 minutes. Second is the version of the film that debuted at the 2013 Berlin International Film Festival at 123 minutes. The third, released by The Weinstein Company, is a more linear version that includes explanatory text for Americans less familiar with the story and runs at 108 minutes. Wong wrote in The Huffington Post that he was “never interested in telling a watered down version,” but one that was tighter and provided greater historical context: As a filmmaker, let me say that the luxury of creating a new cut for U.S. audiences was the opportunity to reshape it into something different than what I began with — a chance one doesn’t always get as a director and an undertaking much more meaningful than simply making something shorter or longer. The original version of THE GRANDMASTER is about 2 hours, 10 minutes. Why not 2 hours, 9 minutes or 2 hours, 11 minutes? To me, the structure of a movie is like a clock or a prized watch — it’s about precision and perfect balance.