Once Upon a Time in China II is a 1992 Hong Kong biographical martial arts film written and directed by Tsui Hark and starring Jet Li returning as Chinese folk hero Wong Fei-hung.[2] It is the second film and first sequel in the Once Upon a Time in China film series. The Mandarin version of the iconic theme song A Man Should Better Himself (男兒當自強) was performed by Jackie Chan while the Cantonese version was sung by George Lam.
| Once Upon a Time in China II | |
|---|---|
 Japanese film poster | |
| Directed by | Tsui Hark |
| Screenplay by | Tsui Hark Chan Tin-suen Cheung Tan |
| Produced by | Tsui Hark Ng See-yuen Raymond Chow |
| Starring | Jet Li Rosamund Kwan Max Mok Donnie Yen |
| Cinematography | Arthur Wong |
| Edited by | Marco Mak Angie Lam Andy Chan |
| Music by | Richard Yuen Johnny Yeung Chow Gam-wing |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Golden Harvest |
Release date | 16 April 1992 |
Running time | 113 minutes |
| Country | Template:FilmHong Kong |
| Languages | Cantonese Mandarin English |
| Box office | HK$30,399,676.00[1] |
Plot
In 1895, during the late Qing Dynasty, Wong Fei-hung travels by train to Canton to attend a seminar on Western and traditional Chinese medicine. He is accompanied by his romantic interest 13th Aunt and student Leung Foon. He gives a lecture on the benefits of acupuncture while a fellow Chinese doctor helps him translate for the predominantly foreign audience.
The seminar is disrupted by the fanatical White Lotus Society, an extreme nationalist cult led by the sinister and seemingly-invincible Priest Kung. The sect aims to drive all foreigners out of Canton and has been killing Westerners and destroying everything regarded alien to Chinese culture. Wong later learns that the translator Sun Wen is actually the leader of a group of pro-democratic rebels aiming to topple the Qing government and establish a republic in China. Sun and his friend Lu Hao-tung are heading to Hong Kong to continue with their plans for revolution.
Wong decides to assist Sun Wen and the rebels but they encounter a Qing official called General Nap-lan, who stands in their way. Chaos ensue when the White Lotus Society attacks a foreign-language school for children. 13th Aunt brings the students to hide in the British consulate. Nap-lan suspects that the rebels are also hiding in the consulate and he orders his men to disguise themselves as cult members and attack the building. Wong defends the consulate while Sun Wen escapes secretly. Nap-lan then enters the consulate under the pretext of protecting the foreigners from the cult, while using the opportunity to search for Lu Hao-tung. Lu disguises himself as Leung Foon and follows Wong out of the consulate safely, while Leung pretends to be Lu and lures Nap-lan away. To put an end to the White Lotus Society's evil activities, Wong and Lu travel to the sect's headquarters to confront Priest Kung. Wong defeats Kung in a fight and the cult disbands.
Wong, Lu and Leung proceed to retrieve a hidden list containing the names of the rebels but run into Nap-lan and his soldiers and Lu is killed by gunfire. In the final scene, Wong engages Nap-lan in a fight and kills the latter and obtains the name list. He returns the list to Sun Wen, who is waiting at the dock, and Sun sails to Hong Kong.
Cast
- Jet Li as Wong Fei-hung
- Donnie Yen as General Nap-lan
- Rosamund Kwan as "13th Aunt" Siu-kwan
- Max Mok as Leung Foon
- Zhang Tielin as Sun Wen
- David Chiang as Lu Hao-tung
- Hung Yan-yan as Priest Kung
- Yen Shi-kwan as Governor Chung
- Dion Lam as Chung's assistant
- Ho Ka-kui as Innkeeper Mak
- Paul Fonoroff as British consular
- Mike Miller as Dr Thompson
- Chu Kai-sang as White Lotus regiment commander
- Chun Kwai-bo as cult member
- Kong Chuen as cult member
- Chan Siu-wah as cult member
- Ling Chi-hung as cult member
- Leung Yat-ho
- Ho Chi-moon
- Chow Shu-kei
- Chang Kin-ming
- Wong Wai-leung
- Leung Shing-hung
DVD release date
On July 2, 2001, DVD was released in Hong Kong Legends at Europe in Region 2.
Two years later, Hong Kong Legends DVD were released on April 7, 2003 at 3 disc set Tsui Hark's Once Upon a Time in China Trilogy.
Three years later, The Donnie Yen Collection DVD were released on May 29, 2006 at 4 disc set including two films they were New Dragon Gate Inn and 2 disc platinum edition Iron Monkey.
Historical references
- Sun Wen (Sun Yat-sen) and Lu Hao-tung are historical characters. The former was the founding father of the Republic of China while the latter was the designer of the Republic's emblem.
- The film is set after the First Sino-Japanese War. At the beginning there is a student protest against the Treaty of Shimonoseki in which Formosa (modern Taiwan) was handed over to the Empire of Japan.
- The White Lotus cult in the film is based on a xenophobic underground society called the "Righteous Harmonious Fists" (also known as the "Boxers" of the Boxer Rebellion). The cult also has references to the historical White Lotus, such as the cult of Maitreya.
- An "Eastern Extension Australasia and China telegraph company" office can be seen, where the locals are demonstrating outside.
Alternative version
The Taiwanese VHS release distributed by Long Shong opens with a 7 minute-long recap of the first film in series.
This version also includes scenes cut from the international releases:
- 13th Aunt tastes some medicine and says that it tasted bitter. Leung Foon tries it and agrees. Wong Fei-hung returns but they are unsuccessful in their prank on him.
- Lu Hao-tung discloses Sun Wen's plans for revolution. Wong Fei-hung protests angrily by saying that China should not experience any more turmoil.
- After the scene featuring children learning martial arts at the foreign-language school, 13th Aunt and Leung Foon discovers that they were writing their wills. Unexpectedly, Leung manages to raise their spirits by teaching them martial arts.
Box office
This was a rare sequel to a Hong Kong film to exceed the original film's box office take. It grossed $30,399,676 HKD.[1]
Awards and nominations
- 1992 Golden Horse Film Festival
- Won: Best Original Song (James Wong)
- 1993 Hong Kong Film Awards
- Won: Best Action Choreography (Yuen Woo-ping)
- Nominated: Best Film
- Nominated: Best Supporting Actor (Donnie Yen)
- Nominated: Best Director (Tsui Hark)
- Nominated: Best New Performer (Hung Yan-yan)
- Nominated: Best Art Direction (Eddie Ma)
- Nominated: Best Cinematography (Arthur Wong)
- Nominated: Best Film Editing (Marco Mak)
- Nominated: Best Original Film Score (Richard Yuen, Johnny Njo)
References
- ^ HKMDB
- ^ "MOVIE REVIEW : 'China II': History in a Martial Arts Fantasy". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2010-12-27.