Leung Kar-yan
"The Sammo Hung Action Collection - Knockabout" Interview:
'I
had never learnt kung fu. Never even come across it. I had just seen a
lot of kung fu movies. My first movie was "Shaolin Martial Arts". Lau
Ka Leung taught me personally. People who made kung fu movies back
then, they all knew kung fu, except me. "Knockabout" was my first
comedy directed by Sammo Hung. What I didn't know, I imitated him.
There were actually a lot I didn't know. But the end result was pretty
good. I learnt from Sammo, he made all the arrangements. He put many
comic elements into his movies, because he is a comedian himself.
Comedies were also popular at that time. Kung fu comedies did
especially well at the box office.
What I didn't know I was influenced by Sammo. After "Knockabout" I made
many other kung fu comedies. I actually don't have much comedic sense.
Only when I was playing a certain character I would have those crazy
antics that wasn't me in real life. Yuen Biao is a great kung fu actor.
He and Sammo learnt this when they were young. I remember in the movie,
two of us were conning people. Two punks trying their best just to make
a living. Yet always to avail. There was one scene when we tried to
sell a ring that is a family heirloom. Now, I don't remember the
details, but I remember that scene well.
Making a movie back then you needed to have good memory, agility and
stamina. There were over 10 movements in each shot. 7 movements per
shot was considered short, I had done over 30 for some of Sammo's
movies. If I couldn't remember, I couldn't go on. I didn't have time to
think. I could stop and think about your lines and then it would be
1-2-3-4-5-6-7, 7-8-9 and then it would be 8-9-10. you also needed
stamina. Without it I couldn't go on either. Movements were different
for each shot. I must remember each shot, no repeats. 16, 17 movements
per shot were common. But shooting was very strict back then. Not only
you must remember all the movements, but also all the positions and
angles. Any deviations, I must start over. Even if I were at movement
No. 13 if my hand was not at the required angel I would start over.
Sammo, Lau Ka Leung and Yuen Wo Ping, their action movies were among
the toughest, I had ever made in my entire film career. That was why
actors who made kung fu movies in the past, they all knew kung fu.
Sammo's movies were demanding. He would not to a double take and just
capture your reaction. If you needed to kick, you had to kick hard,
otherwise he would make you do it again. He wanted you to kick as hard
as you can or else, he would kick you. He was famous doing real
fighting. When I drove myself home after a shoot, my hands yould shake
on the steering wheel. Sometimes I was so tired I cried. At lunchtime I
stared at my lunch box gasping for air. When I started to eat it was
time to go back to work. I coulnd't eat much, so I was very thin then.
Making movies was hard work back then. But I understood that was the
way it should be. It was not a piece of cake. You must fight on a set,
not to sit around.'"Warriors Two" HKL Interview
„Warriors Two” is a good film and we were committed at that time to make it good. For this film all of us went to learn Wing Chun Kung Fu. The Kung Fu in the film was authentic Wing Chun. All the moves we had were Wing Chun Kung Fu. The two main characters in the film were respected historical figures. Even now I think of the film fondly.
Sammo Hung is an extraordinary figure in the film industry. He is an all-round director. Because he is a good actor, he could teach us to act well. He’s also very strict with his actors. He’s been outstanding in directing and action choreography for a long time. I think it’s rare to have a genius like him in the film industry. He’s an all-rounder. He could do emotional scenes and comedy effortlessly. He could even play a baddie. All with a convincing result. He inspires me a lot. Most of my films now involve drama, comedy or me acting as a baddie. I learnt a lot from him. Sammo Hung is very demanding when it comes to action sequences. There weren’t many people that could perform to his satisfaction. When we were working together we got along well. He was also very satisfied with the fight sequences we did together. So he continued to involve me. I learnt a lot from him over these years. I learnt a lot of Northern Kung Fu from him. I also learnt the skills of filmmaking. Everything that I learned from Sammo has helped me a lot, especially now when I am directing or choreographing action scenes.