The Man from Hong Kong
| The Man from Hong Kong | |
|---|---|
 film poster by Arnaldo Putzu |
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| Directed by | photography=Russell Boyd |
| Written by | Brian Trenchard-Smith |
| Starring | Jimmy Wang-Yu George Lazenby Rosalind Speirs Frank Thring Hugh Keays-Byrne Roger Ward Sammo Hung Rebecca Gilling Grant Page Bill Hunter |
| Music by | Noel Quinlan |
| Distributed by | Golden Harvest |
| Release date(s) | 31 July 1975 August 1975  5 September 1975  |
| Running time | 111 minutes |
| Country | Hong Kong Australia |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $550,000[1] |
The Man from Hong Kong, known in the U.S.A. as The Dragon Flies is a 1975 action film that was the first Australian-Hong Kong co-production being filmed in both nations. The film was also the first Australian martial arts film. It was produced by Raymond Chow and John Fraser, directed by Brian Trenchard-Smith and starred Jimmy Wang-Yu and George Lazenby. The film was restored by the Australian National Film and Sound Archive.[2]
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[edit] Plot
At Ayers Rock, undercover detectives arrest Hong Kong drug courier Win Chan (Sammo Hung). The film switches to the Royal Hong Kong Police Police Training School at Wong Chuk Hang where a hang glider piloted by Australian Caroline Thorne (Rosalind Speirs) runs out of air currents and lands on the parade square. She is met by Inspector Fang Sing Leng who has coincidentally been chosen to travel to Sydney to interview Win Chan.
Fang is met by Detectives Gross (Hugh Keays-Byrne) and Taylor (Roger Ward) who have been unable to obtain any information from Win Chan. Fang uses traditional but illegal police methods to elicit cooperation from Win Chan. Fang discovers the connection between Win Chan's drug imports and Sydney "colourful identity" (gangster) Jack Wilton (George Lazenby). Inspector Fang becomes a target of death by various firearms, edged weapons, explosives, fast cars, a crossbow and martial arts by both Australian and Chinese criminals. He also reacquaints himself with Caroline who trains him how to fly a hang glider at Stanwell Park that the Inspector uses to gain access to Wilton's crime headquarters.
[edit] Production
The first Australian/Hong Kong co-production was made during the height of the kung fu film craze and the Australian New Wave. According to some sources, Wang Yu directed parts of the film.[3] English expatriate Brian Trenchard-Smith making his directing debut received nine offers of co-production after the film's release.[4] At a screening of a restored print in Sydney, Trenchard-Smith stated that the film didn't do as well as was hoped due to its R adults only rating.
The film was originally costed at $450,000 but the budget increased when the producers wanted more action sequences and a hit song on the soundtrack. A band called Jigsaw recorded 'Sky High' which was used over the opening credits and went number one in several countries.[1]
Wang Yu was injured in a hang gliding sequence whilst Lazenby had severe burns on his hands during a fight scene.[5]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b Richard Brennan, 'Brian Trenchard-Smith', Cinema Papers, Dec-Jan 1979-80 p 600
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ p.218 Hardy, Phil & the British Film Institute The BFI Companion to Crime 1997 Continium International Publishing Group
- ^ p.237 Reade, Eric History and Heartburn: The Saga of Australian Film 1896-1978 1981 Fairleigh Dickinson University Press
- ^ Teo, Stephen. "Australia’s Role in the Global Kung Fu Trend: The Man from Hong Kong | Senses of Cinema". Archive.sensesofcinema.com. http://archive.sensesofcinema.com/contents/cteq/01/16/man_hk.html. Retrieved 2011-12-11.
[edit] External links
- The Man from Hong Kong at the Internet Movie Database
- Australia's Role in the Global Kung Fu Trend http://archive.sensesofcinema.com/contents/cteq/01/16/man_hk.html
- The Man from Hong Kong at National Film and Sound Archive
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- Hong Kong films
- Australian films
- English-language films
- 1975 films
- 1970s action films
- Australian action films
- Kung fu films
- Films directed by Jimmy Wang
- Action thriller films
- Martial arts films
- Films set in Australia
- Films set in the Northern Territory
- Films set in Sydney
- Golden Harvest films
- Australian thriller films
