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DVDfever.co.uk – IP Man on Blu-ray and DVD
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Posted: October 23rd, 2009.
WINNER OF BEST PICTURE AND BEST ACTION CHOREOGRAPHY AT THE 2009 HONG KONG FILM AWARDS
Directed by Wilson Yip (Flash Point; Dragon Tiger Gate; SPL) and starring Donnie Yen (An Empress And The Warriors) in the title role, the award-winning wartime period action-drama IP MAN brings to the screen the fascinating life of the celebrated Chinese martial artist who famously became martial arts master to Bruce Lee and was the first person to teach the close range combat techniques of Wing Chun openly.
Providing a dream role for Yen, who has always been an outspoken Bruce Lee fan and has gone on record hailing him as one of the greatest Chinese figures in history, the story of IP MAN and his importance in the development of modern martial arts cannot be overstated. In fact, Bruce Lee was so devoted to his master that he would often sit outside the dojo before classes started looking sullen, pretending that lessons had been cancelled so that, once the other students had gone home, he could enjoy personal one-on-one training sessions with Master Ip.
The year is 1935 and Foshan in Guangdong province is a hive of martial arts schools each competing against each other for superiority. The area’s undisputed Wing Chun master is Ip Man (Yen), an independently wealthy and unassuming character who refuses to give classes and only fights behind closed doors in order to protect his challengers from the embarrassment of defeat.
Several years later, invasion by Japanese military forces sees Ip Man and his family destitute and hungry. In desperation, Ip takes a job working at the local coal plant alongside many of his fellow martial artists, where employees are offered bags of rice to take part in bouts fighting against the Japanese soldiers in the commander’s private dojo. Following the death of one of his former peers in the dojo, Ip volunteers to take on ten Japanese fighters at once, an act which arouses the interest of the Japanese commander, Miura. Meanwhile, on hearing they are being harassed by local bandits, Ip agrees to teach Wing Chun to the workers at his friend’s cotton mill so they may defend themselves. Hearing news of this development, Miura demands that Ip Man also instructs his troops in martial arts. Refusing to cooperate, Ip Man instead challenges Miura to a public fight in which he intends to prove the superiority of Chinese over Japanese martial arts once and for all.
The fourth movie collaboration between director Wilson Yip (Flash Point; Dragon Tiger Gate; SPL) and action star Donnie Yen (An Empress And The Warriors), IP MAN boasts incredible fight choreography and action direction by Sammo Hung (Three Kingdoms; Kung Fu Hustle; The Medallion) and Tony Leung Siu Hung (The Legend Of Drunken Master; The Three Swordsmen). Nominated for 12 honours at the 28th Hong Kong Film Awards in 2009 and eventual winner of the Best Picture and Best Action Choreography Awards, the film took the number one spot at the Hong Kong box office during its initial domestic theatrical release keeping both “Twilight” and ‘Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa” off the top of the charts.
A sequel to IP MAN is already in production and is scheduled for release in May 2010, while a biopic of Bruce Lee, produced with the cooperation of Lee’s family, is being planned for release to coincide with the 70th anniversary of his birth on 27th November 2010.
Special Features include: Trailer Gallery; Interview Gallery (Wilson Yip, Donnie Yen, Lam Ka-tung, Hiroyuki Ikeuchi, Ip Chun, Fan Sui-wong, Xiong Dai-lin, Sammo Hung, Simon Yam); “Making Of” Gallery (Making Of, Pre-production, Shooting Diary); Location/Set Design Gallery (The Foshan Cotton Mill, Foshan’s Main Street and Mo Goon Street, Ip Man’s Residence); Gala Premiere footage; Deleted Scenes Gallery; Cantonese 2.0 and 5.1 (with English subtitles) audio options; Cine Asia trailers.
The DVD is released on October 26th, it runs for 106 mins is available on Amazon on Blu-ray for £12.98 (RRP £24.99)and on DVD for £10.98 (RRP £17.99).
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Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.