Ip Man (film)

Ip Man
Original Hong Kong Poster
Directed by	Wilson Yip
Written by	Edmond Wong
Produced by	Raymond Wong
Starring	Donnie Yen Simon Yam Lynn Hung Gordon Lam Fan Siu-wong Xing Yu Chen Zhihui Hiroyuki Ikeuchi
Cinematography	O Sing-Pui
Edited by	Cheung Ka-fai
Music by	Kenji Kawai
Distributed by	Mandarin Films
Release date	18 December 2008 (2008-12-18)
Running time	108 minutes
Country	Hong Kong
Language	Cantonese
Budget	US$11,715,578
Box office	US$21,888,598

Template:Contains Chinese text Ip Man is a 2008 Hong Kong biographical martial arts film based on the life of Yip Man, a grandmaster of the martial art Wing Chun and teacher of Bruce Lee. The film focuses on events in Ip's life that supposedly took place in the city of Foshan during the Sino-Japanese War. The film was directed by Wilson Yip, and stars Donnie Yen as Ip Man, with martial arts choreography by Sammo Hung. The supporting cast includes Simon Yam, Lynn Hung, Lam Ka-tung, Xing Yu and Hiroyuki Ikeuchi.

The idea of an Ip Man biopic originated in 1998 when Jeffrey Lau and Corey Yuen discussed the idea of making a film based on Bruce Lee's martial arts teacher. However, the studio producing that proposed film closed, and the project was abandoned. Producer Raymond Wong decided to develop his own Ip Man film with full consent from Ip's sons, and had filmmakers head to Foshan to research Ip's life. Ip Chun, Ip Man's eldest son, along with martial arts master Leo Au-yeung and several other Wing Chun practitioners served as technical consultants for the film. Principal photography for Ip Man began in March 2008 and ended in August; filming took place in Shanghai, which was used to architecturally recreate Foshan during the late 1930s and World War II.

During filming, conflicts arose between the producers of Ip Man and filmmaker Wong Kar-wai over the film's working title. Wong, who had been developing his own Ip Man biopic, clashed with the producers after learning that their film would be titled Grandmaster Ip Man (Chinese: 一代宗師葉問), which was too similar to the title of the other film. The producers of Ip Man agreed to change the film title, despite Wong's film being in development hell. Kar-wai's film, titled The Grandmaster, was released on 10 January 2013.

Ip Man is the first film in the Ip Man film series. It premiered in Beijing on 10 December 2008, and was released theatrically in Hong Kong on 19 December 2008, receiving widespread acclaim from critics and audiences. Before the film's release, Raymond Wong announced that there would be a sequel; a second installment titled Ip Man 2, was released in April 2010, and a third installment titled Ip Man 3 was released in 2015. Ip Man grossed over US$21 million worldwide, despite not being released in North America and most of Europe. Following its success, the film was nominated for 12 Hong Kong Film Awards, winning awards for Best Film and Best Action Choreography.

Plot

In the 1930s, Foshan is a hub of Southern Chinese martial arts, where various schools actively recruit disciples and compete against each other. Although the Wing Chun master Ip Man is the most skilled martial artist in Foshan, he is unassuming and keeps a low profile. As an independent wealthy man, he feels no need to accept any disciples and instead spends his days training, meeting with friends, and spending time with his family. However, his wife is often resentful of the time he spends training and discussing martial arts with friends and colleagues. Though not a professional martial artist, Ip is respected in Foshan due to the abilities he displays in friendly, closed-door competitions with local masters. Ip's reputation is further enhanced when he defeats an aggressive, rude, highly skilled Northern Chinese martial arts master, Jin Shanzhao, thus upholding the regional pride of fellow Southern stylists and others in Foshan.

The Japanese invasion in 1937 adversely affects the life of everyone in Foshan. Ip's house is claimed by the Japanese and used as their Foshan headquarters. Ip and his family lose their wealth and are forced to move into a decrepit apartment. Desperate to support his family, Ip finds work at a coal mine. The Japanese General Miura, who is a Karate master, establishes an arena where Chinese martial artists compete with his military trainees. Li Zhao, a former police officer and Ip's acquaintance, is now working as a translator for the Japanese. He offers the martial artists working at the coal mine the chance to earn a bag of rice for every match they win. Ip at first declines to participate in the matches. However, when his friend Lin takes part in a match and does not return, Ip agrees to fight so he can find his friend. Ip watches fellow Foshan martial arts master Liu defeat one karateka, but then insist on fighting three and lose. When Liu attempts to collect the winning bag of rice from the first match, Lieutenant Sato kills him.

Ip figures out that Lin was beaten and killed by the Japanese after an earlier fight. Barely able to contain his rage, Ip demands a match with ten karateka at once. Despite having not practiced Wing Chun since the Japanese occupied their town (to conserve food his family needs), he mercilessly defeats all of them with a brutal and effective barrage of blows, showing none of the restraint he exhibited in earlier matches. His skill arouses the interest of General Miura, who wants to learn more about Ip and watch him fight again.

Ip later visits his friend Chow Ching-chuen, who owns and runs a cotton mill in Foshan. Chow tells Ip that a bandit gang led by Jin Shanzhao is harassing his workers and trying to extort money from them. Ip finally consents to teach others, and trains the workers in Wing Chun for self-defense.

When Ip refuses to return to the arena, Miura grows impatient and sends the sadistic Lieutenant Sato along with several soldiers to find him. Sato sees Ip's wife and moves towards her. Ip defends his wife and incapacitates the three soldiers. They flee their apartment and take a room with Li Zhao's family. When the bandits return to the cotton mill, the workers fight back using the techniques that Ip taught them. Ip himself arrives midway through the battle. He defeats many of the robbers and personally beats Jin Shanzhao, embarrassing him, and warns him never to harass the workers again.

The Japanese soldiers eventually find Ip at the cotton mill. Ip tells Chow to take his wife and son away for protection. Miura tells Ip that his life will be spared if he agrees to instruct the Japanese soldiers in martial arts. Ip refuses and challenges Miura to a match, which Miura accepts, both because of his love for martial arts and because refusing the challenge would be a humiliation to the Japanese. The match between Ip and Miura is held in public in Foshan's square. Sato tells Ip that his life will be spared if he lets the general win.

At first, the two fighters seem equally matched, but Miura soon finds himself unable to penetrate Ip's impeccable defense and is overwhelmed by his relentless and direct blows. Unable to defend himself, Ip effortlessly uses him like a wooden dummy, inflicting a severe beating on him.

As the beaten general falls to the floor, Ip looks at the cheering Chinese crowd and sees his wife and child with Chow. Enraged at the general's defeat, Sato shoots Ip in the shoulder, igniting the Chinese crowd who overwhelm the Japanese soldiers. During the scuffle, Li Zhao kills Sato with Sato's own gun. Ip is taken away amidst the chaos. The epilogue reveals that he survived and escaped with his family to Hong Kong with the help of Chow Ching-chuen. There, Ip establishes a Wing Chun school, where his students come to learn martial arts from him, including Bruce Lee.

Cast

• Donnie Yen as Ip Man (simplified Chinese: 叶问; traditional Chinese: 葉問; pinyin: Yè Wèn), a sole practitioner of the martial art Wing Chun.
• Lynn Hung as Cheung Wing-sing (simplified Chinese: 张永成; traditional Chinese: 張永成; pinyin: Zhāng Yǒngchéng), Ip Man's wife.
• Hiroyuki Ikeuchi as Miura (Chinese: 三浦; pinyin: Sāpnǔ), a Japanese general and a Karate expert.
• Gordon Lam as Li Chiu (simplified Chinese: 李钊; traditional Chinese: 李釗; pinyin: Lǐ Zhào), a police inspector and Ip Man's acquaintance.
• Fan Siu-wong as Kam Shan-chu (Chinese: 金山找; pinyin: Jīn Shānzhǎo), an aggressive northern martial artist who comes to Foshan to challenge other masters.
• Simon Yam as Chow Ching-chuen (Chinese: 周清泉; pinyin: Zhōu Qīngquán), a businessman and Ip Man's close friend.
• Xing Yu as Master Lam (Chinese: 武痴林; pinyin: Wǔchī Lín), the first son of a restaurant owner in Foshan, he is a martial artist and Ip Man's friend.
• Wong You-nam as Yuan, the second son of a restaurant owner in Foshan who causes a lot of trouble.
• Calvin Cheng as Chow Kong-yiu, the son of the cotton mill owner, who is interested in learning kung fu.
• Chen Zhihui as Master Liu (simplified Chinese: 廖师傅; traditional Chinese: 廖師傅; pinyin: Liào Shīfù), a martial arts master.

Production

"We wanted to do this movie because Ip Man was a man who inspired the world and society as a whole. He was a man who believed in certain morals and principles, and we want to use this movie as a platform to convey those values to the audience. For me, that was the most important part of making this movie."

—Director Wilson Yip on making Ip Man.

The idea of an Ip Man biopic originated in 1998 when Jeffrey Lau and Corey Yuen discussed the idea of making a film based on Bruce Lee's martial arts master. However, Paragon Films Ltd, the studio producing the proposed film, closed and the project was abandoned. Producer Raymond Wong decided to develop his own Ip Man film with full consent from Ip's sons, and had filmmakers head to Foshan to research Ip's life. Ip Chun, Ip Man's eldest son, along with martial arts master Leo Au-yeung and several other Wing Chun practitioners served as technical consultants for the film. Principal photography for Ip Man began in March 2008 and ended in August; filming took place in Shanghai, which was used to architecturally recreate Foshan. During filming, conflicts arose between the producers of Ip Man and filmmaker Wong Kar-wai over the film's working title. Wong, who had been developing his own Ip Man biopic, clashed with the producers after learning that their film would be titled Grandmaster Ip Man (Chinese: 一代宗師葉問), which was too similar to the title of Wong's film.

Ip Man is the first film based on the life of Ip Man. It also marks the fourth film collaboration between director Wilson Yip and actor Donnie Yen. The two also reunite with co-star Simon Yam after 2005's SPL: Sha Po Lang. The screenplay for Ip Man was written by Edmond Wong, the son of film producer Raymond Wong. Wong was the screenwriter of Yip and Yen's second collaboration, 2006's Dragon Tiger Gate. Ip Man's eldest son, Ip Chun, his student Leo Au-yeung, and Changquan gold medalist To Yu-hang served as technical consultants for the film, providing advice on the film's story and martial arts choreography. The music for the film was provided by veteran Japanese composer Kenji Kawai, who also served as a composer on the 2006 film, Dragon Tiger Gate which featured Wilson Yip and Donnie Yen as director and actor respectively.

Pre-production

The film was originally conceived in 1998 when Jeffrey Lau and Corey Yuen first thought of the idea of making a film based on Ip Man's life. Donnie Yen signed onto the project, hoping to star as Ip, with Stephen Chow co-starring as Bruce Lee. Yen had signed the contract and received part of the acting fee. However, the studio producing the film closed, and the project was abandoned.

In December 2007, plans to make a new Ip Man film were announced with the filmmakers researching Ip's life in Foshan. Producer Raymond Wong stated that the film would take on a similar look and feel to SPL: Sha Po Lang. On 26 February 2008, a press conference for the film was held in Foshan, where it was announced that Wilson Yip would be directing the film, while Yen would appear in the leading role as Ip. Lynn Hung, Lam Ka-tung, Simon Yam were announced to be appearing in supporting roles, while Sammo Hung would serve as the film's martial arts choreographer. Casting director Zhang Yan Bin spent three months casting actors in various roles for the film. He had completed casting during principal photography in March 2008.

Filming

Principal photography for Ip Man began in March 2008, and was completed by the end of August. A majority of the film focuses on events surrounding Ip Man that took place in Foshan in the 1930s and 1940s during the Sino-Japanese War. Since the buildings in modern-day Foshan are architecturally different from the ones of the film's period, the filmmakers decided to shoot the film in Shanghai.

Filming first took place in a storeroom in the industrial district of Shanghai. Having difficulties scouting a cotton factory suitable for shooting, set designers decided to recreate one in the style of the 1930s. They spent weeks transforming an abandoned storeroom into the Zhen Hua Cotton Mill Factory, a 1930s cotton mill factory founded by Ip's friend Chow Ching-chuen (played in the film by Simon Yam) during the Sino-Japanese War. It was where Ip Man first taught Wing Chun openly to the public.

Production designer Kenneth Mak included Western elements in his design, since Foshan, in earlier years, was a unique place where Chinese and Western cultures converged. Pillars were made to resemble English lampposts, and Western lighting, chairs and tableware were also used. To convey the culture and feel of the time, the buildings were made to look obsolete and worn out. Apart from historical references, Mak also created a glass house which was used in a scene in the film.

Stunts and choreography

"...his biggest achievement lies in playing a true historical figure, unlike fictitious characters he had been doing in the past...he'd have to try his best to understand the thoughts of Yip Man, to be him, and to fit in within the past."

—Director Wilson Yip on Donnie Yen being cast as Ip Man.

The martial arts choreography was designed by Sammo Hung and veteran fight and stunt coordinator Tony Leung Siu-hung. Hung had previously collaborated with Wilson Yip and Donnie Yen as an actor in the 2005 film SPL: Sha Po Lang. He was hired as the choreographer mainly because of his experience on the 1978 film Warriors Two and 1982's The Prodigal Son, both of which involved Wing Chun. When asked how he would work with Yen to direct the action scenes, Hung replied matter-of-factly, "With my mouth."

Yen described the role as the most emotionally and mentally difficult in his career. He spent months preparing for the role by going on a strict diet which consisted of eating one meal a day, training in Wing Chun, and learning more about Ip Man through his two sons. This was all in the hopes of portraying an erudite and cultured Ip Man, as well as bringing out the special traits of Wing Chun. Yen even went as far as to stay in character after filming, wearing his costume and changing his voice and movement patterns. While rehearsing a fight scene, Yen was reportedly injured when an axe wielder accidentally slashed the side of his left eye. Yen also had a masseur on set as he could not raise his right shoulder due to an injury.

Japanese actor Hiroyuki Ikeuchi, who holds a black belt in Judo, found it "difficult" working under Hung's command. In one scene, he suffered a mild concussion after receiving four consecutive blows. Hung later praised Yen and Ikeuchi's performances in the film, even though Ikeuchi was not trained in Chinese martial arts and was not given a lot of complex moves.

Film title controversy

Ip Man's original title was controversial. It was disputed when film director Wong Kar-wai announced plans to make his own Ip Man film with Tony Leung Chiu-wai while filming 2046. Wong had planned his own Ip Man biopic titled The Great Master (一代宗师), with Leung playing the role of Ip. Wong's film, however, had been in development hell, having been announced several years earlier. Producer Raymond Wong wanted to name his film Grandmaster Yip Man, which bore a resemblance to the title Wong Kar-wai wanted to use for his film.

To settle the dispute, Raymond Wong publicly retracted the film title, stating "Actually, all along, we have called our film Ip Man, but our mainland investors said that Yip Man was a great master of his times, so we changed our title to Grandmaster Yip Man out of respect for him." In a more recent interview, Raymond Wong revealed that The Great Master is currently in development. Wong Kar-wai's Ip Man film, titled The Grandmaster, was released on 8 January 2013 in China.

Release

Ip Man premiered in Beijing, China on 10 December 2008, only two days prior to its release in China. The film was later released in Malaysia, Singapore and New Zealand on 18 December 2008, one day prior to its release date in Hong Kong. The film was released in the United Kingdom on 2 October 2009. In 2010, Mandarin Films sold North American distribution rights for the film to distributor Well Go USA.

Reception

Prior to its theatrical release in China, Ip Man held a test screening in Beijing on 4 December 2008. The film was highly praised, based on survey sheets returned by the audience. Donnie Yen's portrayal of Ip Man was repeatedly hailed as the year's best performance. High praise was also given to the film's co-stars, Fan Siu-wong, Lam Ka-tung, and Lynn Hung. Ip Man also received positive reactions from film critics. Salon's Andrew O'Hehir deemed Ip Man a "well-paced and satisfying piece of Chinese-nationalist pulp," referring to the film's heavy anti-Japanese sentiment.

Derek Elley of Variety Magazine wrote in his review, "Yen, who's taking on real star charisma in middle age, is aces as Ip, with a simple dignity that exactly mirrors the movie's own and a gracefulness in combat that's very different from his trademark whiplash style." Malaysian film critic Lim Chang Moh of The Malay Mail awarded the film three stars out of four, writing that the film was "nicely balanced with great martial arts action and an engaging narrative." Lim later placed the film at number six in his list of "Top Ten Movies of 2008." Jen Ogilvie of Fortean Times wrote, "what carries Ip Man is its dramatic charge: it is the story's entanglement in the real horrors of Japanese occupation that pulls the viewer in and builds tension into the fight scenes."

Fact and fiction

The film was never meant to be a true biographical film to Ip Man's life, but to broadly touch on the elements from his life. Most of the central turns of the plot are there only for the purpose of making a movie more exciting, including the scenes depicting duels between Ip Man and the Japanese, including Consul General Miura Yoshiaki (三浦義秋), as well as Ip Man encountering hardship during the Second Sino-Japanese War.

Ip Man's eldest son, Ip Chun, would have preferred the film to be shot on location in Foshan and noted the mansion being more grand than the original.

Box office

Ip Man grossed ¥14,948,157 (US$2,188,982) on its opening weekend in China. The film's revenues increased largely by 86.1%, grossing ¥27,812,224 (US$4,073,201) to retain second place at the box office. The film experienced a small decrease in revenue in its third weekend, dropping 10.5% to ¥24,889,189 ($3,645,112), though remaining in second place. Ip Man continued to decrease in revenue, grossing ¥19,956,454 (US$2,922,695) in its fourth week while staying in second place. After six weeks of theatrical release, Ip Man grossed a total of ¥93,740,529 (US$13,728,640). The film currently remains as China's 13th highest-grossing film of 2008.

During its opening weekend in Hong Kong, Ip Man came in first place at the box office, grossing HK$4.5 million (US$579,715). In its second week, Ip Man moved to second place, while grossing HK$6,156,765 (US$789,303) with a 36.2% increase in revenue. The film continued to decrease in revenue in its third week, grossing HK$3,494,366 ($447,981), while staying in second place at the box office. Ip Man moved to third place in its fourth week, grossing HK$2,075,250 ($266,055). After seven weeks of theatrical release in Hong Kong, Ip Man had grossed HK$25,581,958.69 (US$3,300,847) domestically. The film ranks as the 8th highest-grossing film of 2008. In total, the film had grossed $21,888,598 worldwide, despite not being released in North America and most of Europe.

Home media

Ip Man was released on DVD and Blu-ray disc formats on 13 February 2009. Releases include single-disc and two-disc special-edition formats. Features for the special edition include deleted scenes, a making-of featurette, a theatrical trailer, interviews with director Wilson Yip and actor Donnie Yen and featurettes on both Ip Man and Wing Chun martial arts. Ip Man was released on DVD and Blu-ray in the United States on 27 July 2010. A 3-disc Deluxe Collector's Edition was released in China, but only contains Mandarin-dubbed soundtracks and no English subtitles.

Accolades

List of Accolades
Award / Film Festival	Category	Recipient(s)	Result
Beijing College Student Film Festival	Best Actor	Donnie Yen	Won
	Favorite Director	Wilson Yip	Won
2009 Fantasia Festival	Technical Achievement		Won
	Best Asian Film	Wilson Yip	2nd Place
	Most Energetic Film	Wilson Yip	2nd Place
46th Golden Horse Film Awards	Best Action Choreography	Sammo Hung, Tony Leung Siu-hung	Won
28th Hong Kong Film Awards	Best Film		Won
	Best Director	Wilson Yip	Nominated
	Best Actor	Donnie Yen	Nominated
	Best Supporting Actor	Lam Ka-tung	Nominated
	Best Supporting Actor	Fan Siu-wong	Nominated
	Best Cinematography	O Sing-pui	Nominated
	Best Film Editing	Cheung Ka-fai	Nominated
	Best Art Direction	Kenneth Mak	Nominated
	Best Action Choreography	Sammo Hung, Tony Leung Siu-hung	Won
	Best Sound Design	Kinson Tsang	Nominated
	Best Visual Effects	Henri Wong	Nominated
	Best Original Score	Kenji Kawai	Nominated
Huabiao Film Awards	Outstanding Abroad Actor	Donnie Yen	Won
	Outstanding Co-production Film		Won
Shanghai Film Critics Awards	Film of Merit		Won
Sitges - Catalonian International Film Festival	Orient Express Award	Wilson Yip	Won
2nd Iron Elephant Awards	Best Picture		Won
	Best Action Choreography	Sammo Hung, Tony Leung Siu-hung	Won
	Best Actor	Donnie Yen	Won

Sequels

Main articles: Ip Man 2 and Ip Man 3

Ip Man is the first film in a planned trilogy. Donnie Yen reprised the lead role in the sequel Ip Man 2, the second feature film based on the life of Ip Man. The film focuses on Ip's movements in Hong Kong as he attempts to propagate his discipline of Wing Chun martial arts; at the end it also briefly introduces a young Bruce Lee prior to becoming one of Ip's most famed disciples. Ip Man 2 was released theatrically in Hong Kong in late April 2010. Lynn Hung and Fan Siu-wong reprise their supporting roles, while martial arts choreographer Sammo Hung appears as a master of Hung Ga martial arts.

Yen expressed his lack of interest in making a third film, feeling that, "Ip Man 2 will incontrovertibly become a classic, bettering the first." Yen later stated that after Ip Man 2, he would no longer be involved in a film based on Ip's life. While both Donnie Yen and Raymond Wong were not keen on making a third Ip Man film, director Wilson Yip expressed interest in making one that would focus on the relationship between Ip and Bruce Lee. While Ip Man 2 very briefly shows Lee as a child, Yip hoped to find a suitable actor to portray Lee as an adult for the third installment.

In January 2014, Variety reported that Ip Man 3 would begin shooting in 2015 with Donnie Yen reprising his role as Ip Man and Wilson Yip returning to direct. The film was initially scheduled for a late 2015 release, but it eventually was released in early 2016.

See also

• Ip Man 2, the 2010 sequel to this film.
• History of Wing Chun
• Wing Chun terms, for names of various Wing Chun techniques.
• Branches of Wing Chun, a student-teacher family tree within the Chinese martial art Wing Chun.
• Bruce Lee, Ip Man's most famous student.

External links

• Official website EN
• Official website Chinese
• Ip Man at IMDb
• Ip Man at the Hong Kong Movie DataBase
• Ip Man at AllMovie
• Ip Man at Metacritic
• Ip Man at Rotten Tomatoes
• Ip Man at MandarinFilms.com (English)
• Ip Man at MandarinFilms.com (Traditional Chinese)
• Ip Man at MandarinFilms.com (Simplified Chinese)
• Ip Man movie review
• Ip Man movie review at oldschoolkungfu.com (English)