Top Fighter 2 (1996) - full transcript

- [Narrator] The
woman you're watching

is not avoiding danger,
but pursuing it.

In the current world climate
of equality among the sexes,

no category is left unturned,
including hand to hand combat.

The first athletic endeavor
that broke the barrier

for women fighters was
professional wrestling.

Although it was viewed
as an undercard amusement

leading up to the main event,

the technical
proficiency displayed

by these female grapplers

is on par with their
male counterparts.



In the film world, women
were used in action films

as novelties or whipping
posts for a sadistic villain,

where graphic scenes comprised
the majority of the film

until the last reel,

wherein the heroin could
exact some fitting revenge.

Women fighters were
not taken seriously.

This kind of exploitation
has found a permanent market

thanks to stars like Amy Yip.

Indeed, the continued
prosperity of these films

falls squarely on the shoulders
of this buxomy starlet,

though is almost a
throwback to the by gone era

of cheesecake stars like Jane
Mansfield or Bridget Bardot.

Yip's assets quickly took her

from tit part roles
to movie stardom,



all done without a single
pubic hair or nipple exposed.

This lack of exposure
actually made her devoted fans

come back time and again,

in the hope that the
next film would show her,

albeit cosmetically
enhanced, breast sellers

in their full glory.

Amy Yip went on to catch
what many Asian starlets

catch towards the
prime of their career,

a rich husband who
wouldn't mind a trophy wife

that half the world's
population dreams about.

Although Amy showed a
willpower to succeed,

it isn't enough to get
the audience's respect

for what a woman is fully
capable of achieving.

Most people would be
surprised to learn

that one of the most
proficient kung fu systems ever

was invented by a woman,

who, in turn, passed
it onto another woman.

It is the art of Wing Chun.

- Because Wing
Chun can either all

what we call the
little movements.

With little movements,

you really cannot
make it so beautiful,

because especially we
don't have high kick.

- [Narrator] This system
was created by the only nun

who survived the burning
of the Shaolin temple.

To help her fight
a persistent bully,

the nun created a system which
stressed close quarter combat

and technique over
brute strength.

The result so pleased the nun

that she named the system
after her student, Wing Chun,

in honor for her tenacity.

The old adage, "Behind
every great man

stands a strong woman,"

can be best applied
to Fong Sai-yuk,

the legendary Chinese fighter.

It is reported that his mother

singlehandedly pushed
him mercilessly,

yet still gave him a
mother's affection.

- Ma, you alright?

- [Narrator] Women have always
had a place in martial arts,

but usually doing forms.

From the relaxing
postures of Tai Chi

to the lightning fast hands
and techniques of Wu Shu,

the woman is on par with her
male counterparts in this area.

Chinese opera gave the
female equal billing,

or actually the female role,

since men sometimes played
all the parts on stage.

With the advent of film,

movie producers literally
transferred the opera

to the big screen.

The popularity of women
fighters on screen

was not lost on producers
who put money before gender.

This led to a landmark film

featuring not a student
of Chinese opera,

but a dancer from Shanghai.

The film was called
"Come Drink With Me,"

and Cheng Pei-Pei was the
first woman in Hong Kong

to receive top billing
in a swordplay film.

The Shaw brothers' produced
film was a huge success,

and opened the doors for women
at the action box office.

Like Cheng Pei-Pei,

Hsu Feng was a prodigy
of director King Hu.

Her first starring
role in "Touch of Zen"

captivated audiences worldwide,

keeping her popular
throughout the 70s.

She recently turned
to producing,

"Farewell My Concubine" being
her most famous production.

One lucky young
lady was Shih Szu,

who was chosen by the
Shaw brothers executives

at the young age of 15, to fill
the shoes of Cheng Pei-Pei.

Aside from swordplay films,

Shih Szu also worked
on the new action craze

sweeping Chinese cinema,
the kung fu movie.

- [Director] And one,
two, three, four,

five, six, seven...

- [Narrator] Hong Kong
was not the only country

reaping the rewards
of this newly found

source of entertainment.

Taiwan's film industry
didn't hesitate

to bring their own heroins
to the front lines.

- My name is Polly
Shang Kuan Ling Feng.

- [Narrator] Polly
Shang Kuan Ling Feng

became an overnight movie
queen with her first role

in King Hu's "Dragon Inn."

Polly devoted considerable time

cultivating her
martial art skills,

gathering black belts in
judo, karate, and taekwondo.

The biggest compliment
the Chinese paid to Polly

was when they said that
Bruce Lee is the dragon,

but Polly is the phoenix.

- Because I'm very...

I shouldn't say that
one few, fewer problem.

I'm very fast for the action.

I put it in my memory.

When I see that, I don't
need too much time practice.

Very quick.

So probably that's
why I'm involved

in kung fu movie so much.

I got, a couple time,
dangerous situation.

But people, when they realize
I'm a good kung fu actress,

they didn't fight with
me, they just left.

- Let's go, come on!

- People like it, like
it when I'm dressed up

like a little boy,
little young male.

I'm earn the best actress,

that was in a
comedy action movie.

- [Interviewer] Oh, really?

- So, I am funny, okay?

I am funny, yeah.

I don't drink, I don't
smoke, no drugs, okay?

Even I don't have
too many boyfriends.

Spend too much time with
boyfriend, that's a wasted time.

Have to take care of
your body, very good.

Yeah, most of the time,
just take care of you...

Yeah, and practice your
kung fu action every day.

I told all the
reporter, news reporter,

I said, "If you want
me go back to my field,

please don't let me play Mama!

No Mama, no!"

I say, "Still fight!

I want a, yeah, action movie.

Don't give me the mama, yeah,

I don't want to be a mama,

I never have children,
all my life!"

Kung fu, fighting's much better.

- [Narrator] Chinese opera
always had an influence

in Chinese films, so it was
only natural for the student

of the discipline be
chosen for the lead role.

Judy Lee is one of the
few women in Chinese opera

who could also play male roles.

The combination of feline beauty

and rugged physical abilities

netted her over 60 film roles.

- I was seven years old,

going to Fu Shing to
learn the Chinese opera.

And I graduated 14 years ago.

The reason I'm learning
the Chinese opera,

because my family,
my father, my aunt,

they are all Chinese
opera actor, actress.

We practice very, very hard.

Every morning, five
o' clock, we wake up.

Then six o' clock, we
have the first class.

Just doing the

(speaking Chinese)

Sorry, I have to speak Chinese,

I don't know how to speak
English in this word.

Some action films,

(speaking Chinese)

Then, after the two hours,

then we're eating breakfast,

then we are taking another class

for the singing and
the performance.

So we are learning, study,
and practice the whole day.

And shower nine o' clock,
something, every day.

Seven years.

I was very famous on the stage,

after I graduated
from art school.

In that time, as my boss...

Right now he's in Hong
Kong, very famous actor.

Yang Shing.

He's my foster boss.

He saw me, the
performance on the stage,

he said I'm very good,
doing very good job.

So he asked me to
try the first movie.

I remember, 18 days
we finished that film.

And I was very hard,
and the work very hard.

So fortunately, the
first film became famous.

So it's helped me to smooth
doing the job for the future.

Before I'm doing the movie,

I'm just very good
foundation, you know,

because we are Chinese opera,
we are doing very seriously,

very (speaking Chinese)

So, we have the
beginning of the kung fu.

But no (speaking Chinese),

I mean, the no get hurt.

If I hurt somebody, no power.

So just pretty, we can
do the very pretty.

But, after a few years,

everyday we are practicing, you
know, we're doing the movie,

we have to learn,

we have to learn lots of
the (speaking Chinese),

I mean, the...

Can make the good
work for the movie,

so (speaking Chinese)

means that sometimes
we hurt somebody.

Some kung fu movie, the
story very, very good.

You are very enjoyed
to perform it.

I don't think so, some
silly, I think it's good.

I never think about,
well, famous or success,

but I think if you're doing,

you know, you do yourself,
you do your best to do it,

you will see the result.

- [Narrator] You are
watching a kung fu fanatic.

If there was an award
for obsessive training,

it would first go
to Yeung Pan Pan.

Pan Pan is probably
the only child in China

to actually bait her
mother to take her

to the Chinese opera
school for tutelage.

- In school, we
all train together.

When we kicked, we
did it in unison,

just like they do
in China nowadays.

Kicking, acrobatics,
and weapons.

We all train together, basically
northern style kung fu.

I studied northern
style for two years.

I never learned opera, I
just learned the flexibility,

and the kung fu styles,

which I made use of
in the films I made,

like the one I did
with Sam, "The Seed."

When I made "Duel
Of The Seven Tigers"

and "Story Of Drunken Master,"

my nickname was
"Lady Jackie Chan."

When we shot the
drunken style movies,

we used to perform over
30 movements in one shot.

We used no pads, no
wires, just real kung fu.

- Wow, small waist!

- The action movies now

are a lot more
comfortable and safer.

We have many things to help us.

It's funny, when I have
to fight with a man,

he'll size me up and
say "Oh, you're a girl,

but I'm not gonna
take it easy on you."

Because we want to make
the scene look realistic.

We really hit hard,

you can hear the sound
of our arms hitting.

So we used pads so that we
could fight much longer.

Often we had to redo
the scene several times,

it really does hurt.

So we must have pads, and
the results look beautiful.

Sometimes, when I
take the pads off,

my arms are bruised and swollen.

I love shooting action films.

When we start filming, I get
really happy and excited.

- [Narrator] Hui Ying Hung
is a Shaw brothers film brat

who actually grew up
on their film lot.

Her nickname, "Auntie,"

came from one of her most
famous roles for them.

Auntie also branched
out into television,

and even posed for the
Asian edition of Penthouse.

- Hello, I'm
Auntie, how are you?

I'm 30 years old.

I stopped in school.

No school.

And I go to nightclub,
Chinese nightclub.

And I started this
dancing, Chinese dancing,

so making money to
feed my smaller sister

and my brother go to school.

So...

I'm not in school long time.

I'm 16 years old, I go
inside the Shaw's spot.

I prefer doing
traditional films,

because the stories are better,

and the fighting
is much prettier.

Modern films rely more on power.

Yes, so I prefer traditional.

(speaking Chinese)

I think the most
important quality

for an action actress is guts,

and you must be
prepared to get hurt.

If you have guts, you
can achieve anything.

But most important for me is
that I don't want to be poor.

I don't want to be a poor girl,

so I want to be hard, I
want to get something.

So, that's my power.

- [Narrator] One of the fast
tracks to stardom in Asia

is to do television,

and after a dozen TV series,

actress Moon Lee
gave movies a try.

It's hard to believe Moon Lee

was a ballet and
classical dancer

before putting her feet
in people's vital parts.

- Action movies is...

Can directly give
you some message.

If you just drama,

I think have some countries,

people can't understand them.

What are you doing?

What are you saying?

What are you meaning?

It is almost guaranteed
you will get hurt

when you're shooting
action movie.

Explosions start before I jump.

I could smell my hair burn,

and by the way down,
I reached the ground.

My wrists and part
of my face are burnt.

I spent months in the
hospital before I recovered.

- [Narrator] The popularity
of these female fighting films

brought girls from overseas.

Yukari Oshima grew up watching
Chinese kung fu action movies

in her native Japan,

and decided that this was
the future she wanted.

- When I was 13 years old,

in Japan,

(speaking Japanese)

I learn as a Japanese
Goju-ryu karate,

from Mr. Miki, is one of
the masters of karate.

Because why?

Because...

Of course I saw many movies,

like action martial art
movies, and Chinese movies

that I'm very interested about.

So I learned it.

Also, I study with sanichiba
dance school one years.

So, Hong Kong movies
is real, real fighting,

like sometimes it's really
punch, it's very hard,

sometimes really hit
people, really kick people,

so, very different.

Japan is like, um...

Just a double, just a double.

But Hong Kong movies real.

- [Interviewer] Have you
ever been really hurt?

- [Yukari] Yeah, many
times, like glass.

I punch glass, something
ahead, break something.

And then, also hard
foot or something.

Not big accident.

- [Interviewer] Train every day?

- Almost, almost, it's umm...

Usually it's
stretching, stretching.

And if you're not shooting,

it's like maybe
stunt training also.

It's a hard time.

I want to do action.

My feeling is like this.

Don't think I want to be
famous, not like this.

Just want to show
my action, power.

- [Narrator] Here's
somebody who doesn't mind

playing with guns.

Elaine Lui, a femme fatale
in the classic sense.

Elaine has played
a diverse resume,

ranging from super agent
to cold blooded killer.

And she carries with each role

with an ease that only
seasoned veterans show.

- I don't know anything
about kung fu before.

But, in my first
movie, 99 percent there
is fighting scenes.

Then I have to fight all
the time, like fighting dog.

In every single movie,

I have to do different kind
of kung fu all the time.

So it doesn't matter,
you practice this time,

actions for your next movie,

all that prep.

Some kind of acting.

And, in fact, most of the
kung fu we did is stunt.

I'm a stuntwoman too.

Can you believe that?

I was in the rapids,

near the waterfall.

I was lying in the waterfall,

for how long, you know,
the whole day long.

And even my skin could
peel off very easy

after shooting for one day long.

And I'm just sitting in between
the line of life and death.

I was hanging out
of the helicopter

with wire, four feet long.

In fact, it means nothing to me,

especially when you fly
up 1,000 feet height.

And then, the wind's so strong.

It goes through your eyes,
your ears, everywhere.

We can't even talk.

And I can hear nothing,
and it's quite scared.

Not quite, it's very scared.

But, you know what, sometimes
you'll get sick of it.

When you wake up and you
have to think about your job,

it's all fight, fight,
fight, fight, fight...

For what?

When you go home,
when you dream,

it's all fight, fight,
fight, fight, fight, again.

I feel crazy sometimes!

Oh God, especially when
two movies, you know,

they bounce together.

For the ending, the most
important part is the ending.

And when two of
them get together,

you have to fight from morning

to next day morning.

And then wake up again,
it's fight again.

Don't sell me out!

- [Narrator] This lady was
born to be a superstar.

Michelle Yeoh was discovered
after winning a beauty contest

in her native Malaysia.

Mega stardom came after
sharing top billing

with Cynthia Rothrock in
her first feature film.

- I've always loved
physical activities,

like, I was a sports
player, I swim.

Since I was in school, I've
been involved with sports,

like running, high
jump, swimming, diving.

Anything that I could
lay my hands on.

And also, I did ballet
lessons since I was four.

So when I did my
first action movie,

it was just another
medium of movement for me,

and because I loved physical,

you know, the challenge so much,

it felt like such a shame to
let somebody else have the fun.

- [Narrator] Michelle got
into national recognition

after co-starring with
Jackie Chan in "Super Cop,"

and opposite James Bond himself
in "Tomorrow Never Comes."

If anybody has the task

of representing girl
power on the screen,

it couldn't be handled
better than Michelle.

(speaking Chinese)

- I used to spend, like,
six to nine hours in the gym

with the stunt boys,
and they were very good.

They would come there
on rotational basis,

just to teach me the moves
and things like that.

And because I was a ballerina
before, I'm very supple.

And also, I'm coordinated,

and I'm able to
pick up movements,

and mimic movements quite well.

So I was just learning how
to transfer that energy,

and to get that power
across to the camera.

As long as they were
willing to teach me,

I could try it
out, I could do it.

But, you know, when you work
with them a little bit more,

and then also when I hit them
a couple of times quite hard,

then they realize, "Okay,
if she can hit us that hard,

then she must be able
to take something back."

And it has to be like
that, because, you know,

how the directors in Hong Kong.

Unless you get a good hit,
it's not gonna be a good take.

So I'd rather be hit
two or three times well

than 15 to 20 times not so good.

- [Interviewer] What
about period films?

You know, the costume
fighting, you like doing those?

- Yes and no.

Yes, because it's
actually easier to do

than contemporary action movies.

- [Interviewer] Why?

- Because with the
action sequences,

there's a lot of wire work,
that's the only tough part.

All that flying around,
you know, it's...

It's very visual.

But when it comes down to
the actual action of it,

it's not so detailed.

It's like Wing Chun,
which I did with

(speaking Chinese)

That kind of fighting
gets to be more physical,

with all the arm movements,
and you learn a lot more.

So when we were in China,

I had that wooden
stance on my balcony.

Every morning that I came out...

- [Interviewer] Like Jackie
in "Rumble In The Bronx?"

- Yeah, you have to do that,
so that when you did it,

you were convincing.

Honestly, whenever you
do an action sequence,

when I walk off the set,

when you go home and you're
sitting in your bath,

you literally look like
someone's thrown you

down a flight of stairs
at least 10 times over,

because you're literally black
and blue all over the place.

(speaking Chinese)

When you see the reaction
of your audience,

and you think, "50
years down the road,

I'll be sitting in
my rocking chair,

and this is the same
kind of reaction

I'm going to get still."

And then you know it's worth it.

- [Narrator] After Michelle
Yeoh's first retirement,

Taiwanese dancer Yang Li Tsing

was picked to succeed
Michelle and Cynthia Rothrock

as the production
company's lady whirlwind.

She was given the new
name of Cynthia Khan,

and her duties
were quite simple:

Surpass the quality performances

of your earlier counterparts.

It would be unfair
to make comparisons

between all these
unique individuals,

but it is safe to
say that Cynthia Khan

holds her own weight on
any scale of comparison.

As aerobics and weight training

started becoming acceptable
activities for women,

the physical appearances
of the leading ladies

started to change.

There was no need to wear only
buttoned up Mandarin collars

without so much as a
wrist or ankle exposed.

The new breed didn't just
show it, they flaunted it.

Following a strict regime
of weight training diet

and martial arts instruction,

British actress Sophie Crawford

gained constant
employment on screen.

- I have no
foundation whatsoever.

The only sports I had done

was like the usual,
swimming, riding...

Okay, I was fairly fit.

But I had to build up some
muscle, some strength,

and the flexibility, and
then punch the bag every day,

and the kicks, and
everything like that.

And after that, you
might think that

okay, from there, you can
go straight into films,

but when you actually
get onto the set,

you might spend hours and
hours punching the bag

with full contact, but
then you get onto the set,

and the first thing
they do is tell you

to hold your power,
hold your power.

So, in the beginning, there
were a couple of occasions

when I accidentally hit
a stuntman or an actor.

But you learn the
control as you go along.

Shit!

I think Hong Kong is a
great foundation for me

to get as much
practical experience
as I can for my future,

because you can
really experiment

in front of the camera here.

You can do basically
what you like,

you can play around.

- [Narrator] Michiko gained
fame in her native Japan

by becoming a three times
powerlifting champion.

Aside from her strength,
Michiko is also adapt

at gymnastics and martial arts.

Needless to say, she developed
an instant following.

- At first, when I was in high
school, I tried gymnastics.

And then, I try bodybuild
and power lifting.

I used to be bodybuild
champion, powerlifting champion.

And later I tried karate
and Chinese martial art.

And also filming,
I try Japan first

and then I come to Hong Kong.

There was a lot of
problem, because of women.

It's easier now, somebody
helps make fighting, sometimes.

But the first time,
I almost try myself.

That's why I get some scar.

- [Interviewer] Can
we see the scar again?

- This is a nick from
shooting with Jackie Chan.

I'm a natural action
actress in Japan,

but I can do, and also,
sometimes is very exciting.

In fact, I think
for western people,

Hong Kong film is not
really about action.

But we need making very creepy,

also making very
sharp and beautiful.

Please don't thinking about

I'm action actress,
fighting actress, I'm...

Filming, I can try romantic
film, and everything.

I think my English is getting
very good, getting better.

If you need Asian
girl, please call me!

- [Narrator] This Taiwan
weight lifting champion

is a female Bruce,
or brunette Lee.

Although it seems
difficult at times

to distinguish her from a man,

the Lady Dragon shows us that
the gap between the sexes

isn't necessarily that wide.

If you are looking for grace

as well as beauty
under pressure,

then look no further than

world champion
kickboxer Kathy Long.

Her training schedule
and ring record

put respect in women fighting
with capital letters.

- It's a lot of hard work.

I've had my hands broken,
I've had my ribs broken,

I've had my nose broken,
my shin fractured.

And all these injuries
were in training.

And I've had torn muscles,

and I've just been
tired and achy,

and you have to keep going.

You have to understand
that it's not easy.

It's not a walk in the woods.

And it's not gonna
happen overnight.

I do love to fight,
yeah, it's very exciting.

There's nothing
more real or honest

than getting hit in the face.

You don't have to
wonder what's going on.

You don't have to wonder if

"Am I supposed to
hit this person?"

No, that's what
you're there for,

and it's the ultimate
one on one competition.

There's no team that
you have to rely on,

other than your
cornerman, obviously.

But when you're in the
ring, you're doing it.

You're either doing it
or you're not doing it.

And no one's gonna help you,

no one's gonna make
the decision for you.

- [Narrator] Meet Kung Fu Mama.

Words cannot describe
the real ability

of this Qigong and
kung fu mistress,

whose exploits have yet
to be matched on film.

But then again,
who would want to?

Cynthia Rothrock actually
broke the barriers

of Chinese only as lead
roles in Chinese films.

You could say that what Bruce
Lee did to Hollywood films,

Cynthia did to Hong Kong movies.

Cynthia impressed fickle
directors and choreographers

by holding her own
time and again.

- It was probably the best
training ground for me,

is to start in Hong Kong.

A fight scene in Hong Kong

you might take one
month to shoot,

in America, they'll say
"We got one day to do it."

So there's a big
difference there.

When I made my
transition from films,

I would hit them a
little bit harder,

and all the stuntmen
were going "Ow!"

And complaining, I
was like "I'm sorry!"

I just came back from Hong Kong,

cause I was used to them saying

"Cynthia, more
power! More power!"

And you can get anybody and
teach them a roundhouse kick.

And a punch.

You can teach anybody in one day

how to look like you
could fight like that,

but the way what
they do in Hong Kong

is you have to be a
skilled martial artist

to be able to
perform those moves.

You can't fake it.

(speaking Chinese)

(speaking Chinese)

I feel very strongly that it's
so easy to defend yourself,

and it could save
your life someday,

so I think I have always
been sort of a crusader,

especially for women,
that they should learn

some type of martial art.

- [Announcer] Angela Mao.

She's the renowned
deadly China Doll.

She's clever.

She's quick.

And she fights to kill.

- I am Angela Mao.

- [Announcer] She's
100 percent lethal.

She's lady whirlwind.

Mistress of the death blow.

Queen of the deep thrust.

- My martial art
skills were very good,

so I was taught
fighting warrior roles,

both fighting and singing.

We woke up at five in the
morning to train gymnastics.

Midday we'd practice singing,

afternoon we studied books,

and more acrobatics
in the evening.

In 1970, Raymond Chao
of Golden Harvest

came to Taiwan looking
for new actors.

A writer friend of mine,
Chu Kar-shen, introduced me.

He loved watching Peking opera,

and he knew I was
famous on the stage.

They needed a female lead
for a martial arts film

called "Angry River."

It was to be directed
by Huang Feng,

who later became my godfather.

My ability met his requirements,

and that's how I got
into Golden Harvest.

- [Narrator] But if
one woman can encompass

all the traits of a top fighter,

it would have to
be Angela Mao Ying.

Angela appeared on
the silver screen

at the height of
the kung fu craze.

The result was an instant
success at the box office.

Her western name was
originally Barbara Lee

in order to cash in on
the Bruce Lee mania,

but studio owner Raymond Chao

insisted on giving
Angela her own identity,

and it paid off.

- Sammo Hung, Chang Yi, and I

went to Korea to film
"Lady Whirlwind."

Whilst we were there,
we learned Hapkido.

We really trained hard,

and were awarded
third dan blackbelts.

When we got back to Hong Kong,
we made the film "Hapkido."

After "Hapkido" I was approached
by Bruce Lee and Bob Klaus

to guest star in
"Enter The Dragon."

I had signed with Golden
Harvest for five years.

When the contract was up,

I returned to Taiwan
to shoot films.

I shot "Dance Of Death,"
directed by Jackie Chan.

In that film, I used
a lot of opera moves

like backflips and somersaults.

Wash your hands!

Wash hair!

Wash feet!

- The dancing girl
washing, that's mine!

(groaning)

- Dancing holding.

- Dancing holding,
that's mine too!

- Washing the clothes.

Wash hands.

Wash feet.

Washing the face.

- On New Year's Day,
I was coming home

from my godfather's house,

when this guy attacked me.

I was young and cocky,

so I kicked him a few
times and he ran off.

This incident made TV headlines.

I had just moved to the states.

I took my son to 42nd Street.

Some people came
up to me and said,

"Are you Angela Mao?"

I was surprised
they knew who I was.

Pai Lai Lee, I've come
here to get revenge

for my murdered brother.

I don't even care
if it kills me!

But you won't live either!

- [Narrator] To show the
true meaning of girl power,

we feel this fight
scene of Judy Lee

from the film "Queen
Boxer" best proves the fact

that hell hath no fury like a
female top fighter attacked.