According to Quentin Tarantino, when it comes to martial arts cinema, the 1970s is the most important decade for the genre. Apart from kung fu films becoming an international phenomena and being brought to the masses, the 1970s had major breakthroughs in fight choreography and filmmaking, and we saw the rise of the genre’s most influential actors and directors, like Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Chang Cheh, John Woo and Yuen Woo-ping. In fact, over 20 countries cumulatively made >2150 martial arts films during the 1970s.
Even the poorly, English-dubbed Chinese kung fu films quickly became an influential part of American pop culture.
The Power of 1970s Kung Fu Cinema is the title of a presentation being given by Dr. Craig D. Reid on Friday, January 20, 2012 at the prestigious Pacific Asian Museum (as part of their Active Cultures lecture series) located at 46 North Los Robles Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91101). http://www.pacificasiamuseum.org/_events_calendar/series.aspx
The films of the 1970s also had other important impacts: It gave a nation an identity; it made Asian Americans proud of their heritage; and they had a personal impact on the presenter Dr. Craig D. Reid… they literally saved his life.
Apart from practicing martial arts for 38 years, Qigong (chi gong) for 31 years and Qi Healing for 24 years, Reid was a pioneering stuntman in Chinese kung fu films and TV in Taiwan in the 1970s-1980s, a fight choreographer in Asia and Hollywood, a film historian and the author of the critically acclaimed book The Ultimate Guide to the Martial Arts Movies of the 1970s.
The museum’s gallery doors and store opens at 6:00 pm; the bar and lounge opens at 7:30 pm and the lectures begin at 8:00 pm. The price of admission is free for members of the museum and $10 for the General Public.
Reid’s book will be on sale at the museum store and for those interested he’ll sign them after the presentation.