![]() “Why Bruce Lee and kung fu films hit home with black audiences”įrom Blaxploitation movies to the Wu Tang Clan to animations like The Boondocks, kung fu aesthetics became prevalent in Black culture. You can see why his creed of righteous self-reliance appealed to black audiences, who were emerging from the civil rights struggles, but were still subject to plenty of prejudice. His four (completed) films amounted to a picture of a world in which oppression – whether from drug lords, Japanese imperialists or cat-executing pseudo-Bond villains – was swatted aside with hyper-kinetic ultraviolence. In the 1970s, Lee was a rare non-white leading man, and an unfeasibly cool one at that. Due to such rejection of white supremacy through BIPOC leads and its anti-imperialist nature, kung fu films in America quickly became successful among marginalized groups like the Black community. Revered as a classic action sequence, the scene also imparts unsubtle symbolism with an Asian man physically overpowering a white opponent in a historical site associated with white conquest. One of the most notorious examples was Lee’s directorial debut, Way of the Dragon, in which he defeats Chuck Norris in a ten minute fight sequence in the Roman Colosseum. Bruce Lee was also able to defy the stereotypes of emasculated Asian males by portraying hyper-masculine heroes with powerful physiques, impressive martial arts, and a refusal to be passive when confronted. ![]() With these movies, Lee offered a stark opposition to onscreen Asian stereotypes during a time period rife with yellow face, Fu Manchu characters, and cold war fears towards Asian countries. Although Five Fingers of Death was the initial introduction for many Americans into kung fu, it was Bruce Lee who defined the genre with films like Fist of Fury, Enter the Dragon, and Way of Dragon. The popularity of the kung fu genre recommenced overseas with the release of Five Fingers of Death, a kung fu film starring Indonesian actor Lo Lieh which topped the American box office. Even when kung fu movies became far more lighthearted during the 1980s with actors like Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung who mashed up kung fu with comedy, their films still focused on decolonization with Chan often playing policemen being forced to serve corrupt British officials. One of the most famous examples was Bruce Lee’s Fist of Fury which simultaneously displayed the brutality of Japanese imperialism and highlighted the oppressive colonial government who treated Hong Kong’s native occupants as second hand citizens. Other prominent themes involved anti-imperialist portrayals of the Japanese invasion of China during World War II. Characterized by ultra-violent action, sadomasochistic heroes, and tragic plotlines, kung fu movies quickly morphed into a vehicle for political statements that advocated for the decolonization of Hong Kong. Although containing elements from China’s long-standing Wuxia films and novels, kung fu differentiated itself by avoiding overt fantasy elements and adapting more realistic combat. Pioneers like Bruce Lee and director Zhang Cheh produced hit films like Fist of Fury, Five Deadly Venoms, and One Armed Swordsman. Although the earliest instances of kung fu movies appeared during the 1930s and 1950s, the genre only became popularized around the 1970s in British occupied Hong Kong. ![]() Graphic: Emily Ma, Social Media Strategistīefore examining the shifting roles of kung fu movies in America, we have to go back to the origins of kung fu media which have roots that were far more political than just aestheticized action scenes. So how did this genre that was once a breakthrough become a boundary for Asians? Asian cultures were appropriated in mainstream films until kung fu was used as another form of mockery and stereotype rather than a tool of empowerment. The same Asian actors who were given lead roles due to kung fu were pigeonholed into the same typecasts. But as time went on, it became clear that the popularity of kung fu movies was a double edged sword. ![]() For the Asian diaspora, the popularity and influence of kung fu films was a great thing at face value: Asian actors were finally being casted in lead roles and the popularity of kung fu movies also led to flourishing business for martial arts gyms. Although its popularity has dwindled in recent decades, it goes without saying that kung fu films have had an explicit influence on nearly every action movie in America since the 1970s with its stylized choreography and fighting forms. Looking back, those instances represent a lot of the virtues and problems with the American kung fu genre. As a kid, I took the comments in stride despite the obviously racist microaggressions since I idolized Bruce Lee. Growing up, one of the most quintessential Gen Z East Asian experiences was getting called some variation of Bruce Lee or Jackie Chan.
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