The Grandmaster
classified 15 SPlease note: This was screened in Dec 2014
Revered Chinese auteur Wong Kar Wai (In The Mood For Love, Chungking Express) returns after a six year absence with this ravish Kung Fu melodrama, which chronicles the life of Ip Man (Tony Cheung), the legendary Kung Fu master whose style would affect a generation of fighters to come (including one Bruce Lee) as well as tracing the history of pre-war China and martial arts.
The saga begins in 1936, when one of Ip Man’s victories sparks a rivalry (and a romance) with a grandmaster’s daughter (Ziyi Zhang). Its many mesmerising fight sequences are orchestrated by legendary choreographer Yuen Woo-Ping (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, The Matrix) and provide the background for a number of reflections on the nature of martial arts and its place in the world.
Grand set pieces and visual opulence aside, this film, whilst rooted in one man’s experiences, is also unmistakably a revealing portrait of a country struggling to maintains its ancient traditions and honour in the face of poverty and war. Like Wong Kar Wai’s subject, come spend some time in the company of a true Grandmaster of his own noble art.
Ticket prices: Screenings before 16:00: £5.50 full / £4.00 concessions. Screenings after 16:00: £8.00 full / £6.50 concessions.