Master For All Seasons

Summary

Based on a true story, after 25 years after its creation, this film can still stand comparison with temporary martial arts films. Considered to be the finest Wing Chun movie ever made, and Sammo Hung's best directorial effort.

Although Yuen Biao and Frankie Chan star and deliver impressive performance, Lam Ching Ying totally steals the show. His performance as the asthmatic Peking Opera performer is incredible, probably the best role he has ever got.

The Prodigal Son is the story of Leung Jan. He is a teenager at the beginning, but at the end of the film, after his master's death, he is a grown up man.

Leung Jan lives in Fut Shan and he is widely known as the Street Brawler. He has the reputation on never losing a fight. But he is a spoiled rich kid, and quite vain enough to beleive that.

What he doesn't know is that his father is paying off people to lose fights to him, because he doesn't want him to be hurt. Even his servants and his kung fu teacher are in the conspiracy. They all exaggerate his progress and his talent as a fighter.

 

   The Street Brawler                               Bribery

One night Jan's servants visit the Peking Opera troop's performance, who entered their town. One of them is struck by the beauty of the leading lady and wants to have dinner and spend a good time with her that night. Poor fellow doesn't know, that in the Opera troop men play women. The actor is Leung Yee Tai, who first take his invitation as a joke, and plays with him, makes fun of him, teases him. But the guy is getting angry about his refusal and starts to behave violently.

 
Courting for Yee Tai's attention                           The unlucky gallant

Leung Yee Tai can't stand it anymore and utterly humiliates him, soundly beats him up, paints his face into a clown during their fight.

To put the lid on his tragedy the fellow actors announce that Yee is a man. The unfortunate gallant runs home to sobb out his grief.

So, it's Jan's turn to take revenge. Off he goes to the theatre to challenge and teach a lesson to Leung. Probably the weirdest moment in Hong Kong movie history, Yuen Biao and Lam Ching Ying serenade to each other while having a fight. Of course Jan's servant tries to bribe Yee Tai not to fight seriously. But he does fight, seriously enough to crush Jan with his unique Wing Chun technique, then he is tells him that his kung fu is useless, and above all reveals what his father has done.

 
Total defeat                                Loving Father

Jan is utterly devastated. To make amends his father tries to ask Leung Yee Tai to teach his son kung fu. He refuses, telling openly that Jan is too young, thoughtless and he wouldn't use his skills for the right cause. There is no other way for a rich, caring father than to buy the whole troop.

Leung Jan does not give up easily

So to Yee Tai's disgust Leung becomes his assistant, constantly persuading him to become his Sifu. He wants it so very much, that he even asks his servant to keep attacking him without a notice, just to develop his skill to be alert at any time. This is so far his best idea, as a misunderstanding caused by this, later on saves his and Yee's life.

Things become complicated when one night Jan has to replace the main actor, and instead of him Jan gets the beating from a gang of thugs. Somehow he lands on the stage and Yee Tai has to save him. He disposes the opponents in no time.

Aftermath of a misunderstanding

In the audience sits Prince Ngai, the son of a Manchurian official, who loves martial arts and his aim in life is to find opponents worth to challenge. Leung Yee Tai is his choice. He doesn't know the major similarity between him and Jan. His father is rich and loves him as much as Jan's father loves Jan. He ordered Ngai's servants to kill the challenger who possibly would hurt him.

Lord Ngai invites the whole troop for dinner the following evening in hope of arranging a friendly match with Yee Tai. He really is a good boy, no evil in him, as it turns out at the end, he is only in conscious of is position.

 
Royal Prince               Silence is golden

Yee Tai doesn't want to fight at all. He uses his brain and his sharp tounge to find plausible excuses, but thanks to Jan's silly behaviour there’s no way to refuse a friendly game.

It's a very nice fight, they give their best, but suddenly Yee Tai's strucked by an asthma attack, so they have to postpone their battle.

 
Ready to fight             Humiliating moment

But Lord Ngai's bodyguards could size up the danger Yee Tai would mean to their boss, so it's time for them to act quickly, while Yee is ill. Under cover of the night, dressed as ninjas, they arrange the massacre of the whole company. Thanks to another misunderstanding Jan is not in the building. Yee wakes up and tries to save his life, but he is in pain, out of breath, he can't really manage. Luckily Jan comes back in time and though one of the bodyguards breaks his arm, he could save himself and Yee Tai. They safely escape from the flaming house. Their enemies can't find them, they presume their death in the river.

Dangerous and narrow escape

Tai takes the injured Jan back to his old home, where he lives next door to his martial arts brother, Wong Wa Po. He is a tiresome loudmouth, who wants to be expert in every kind of arts, from poetry, through challigraphy to kung fu. He pokes his nose into everything, mainly into his old pal's lifestyle. He criticizes him, insults him. He tells him what he is doing wrong, especially in his relationship with Jan. He is raising a daughter by himself, called Twiggy...

Uncle fat-mouth

Jan and Yee Tai does not get along very well at the beginning, but they know that they are in the same boots. They are both wanted dead by the bodygurds, and Ngai's father. They can only trust each other. Their lives entwined forever by saving each other. Jan is eagerer then ever to learn kung fu, Yee Tai is as unwilling as he was. But after a truthful conversation the situation changes. Yee Tai tells his point of view about Jan's careless behaviour. He tells him, that his style of Wing Chun is not for silly games, not to show off with and not for getting into trouble. Jan on contrary cleverly tells him his thoughtful ideas about saving martial arts by passing it on from sifus to studets. During a lonely night Yee Tai thinks his words over and takes him as his understudy.

 
Leung Jan has to learn a lesson                 Listen to me Big Brother!

Wing Chun lessons start. Wong Po is closely watching, making jokes about Tai's feminine style and apperance. But we know that Leung Yee Tai is a real expert. Though he is small and delicate, he is extremly powerful and has a great amount of technique to compensate his lack of size. Later on we can see a close-up of his skills in one of the lessons performed on a tabletop.

Perfect moves

Day by day Jan knows more and more, and their relationship starts to change. He was a pain for Yee at the beginning, but slowly starts to endear himself to him.

Friendly smile

Yee Tai knows that he is not as good in long range combat as Wong is, so they convince him with a trick to teach Jan his skills.

Be leagued together

On an autumn day Yee Tai's health condition gets worse, so they move back to town, where they could get medicines easier and Jan can meet his family again. They take Yee Tai into their home, as well.

Sick-bed

One day they have an unexpected visitor, who happily undertsands that Leung Yee Tai is not dead and he is next door. He visits him with his bodyguards. Yee Tai is not as happy as Lord Ngai is. Of course this is the day of reckoning. The Lord doesn't understand a word, but his guards do. And they act. To our horror they brutally stab Yee Tai to death.

An innocent's death

But the truth is out and Ngai is as merciless as they were. The guards are killed. But nothing brings Tai back. The two young prodigal sons are mourning.

At Sifu's mortuary

Jan is mourning over his sifu's death. Prince Ngai is bewailing for an innocent man, a true talent.

In deep mourning

Jan has to take revenge for his Sifu's death. So they meet in a deserted place. Just the two of them. The Lord is without guards, without his lethal rings. They are both in mourning garments. A skillful, strong, but lethal battle starts. Bruses, scars occur, they are not merciful at all. Jan wins and Ngai says the magic words out: "You re the better!"

 
Final battle              The winner

The two young, careless boys, thanks to Leung Yee Tai, have grown up.

Leung Jan is ready to move on, stronger, wiser, braver then he ever was. And his interesting life starts. As it is based on a true story, we still have students of his amongst us.

A grown-up man

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