Snake in the Eagle's Shadow

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Snake in the Eagle's Shadow is a martial arts film made in Hong Kong in 1978. It was the directorial debut of Yuen Woo-ping, who has since gained international stardom as the action choreographer for films such as Iron Monkey, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, The Matrix series, and Kill Bill.

The film starred Jackie Chan, Hwang Jang-Lee, and Yuen's own father, Yuen Siu Tien. Directly after this film, Yuen Woo-ping directed Drunken Master. Released in the same year, it also starred Jackie Chan, Hwang Jang-Lee and Yuen Siu Tien. Together these two films launched Jackie Chan into national stardom.

[edit] Plot

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Chien (played by Jackie Chan), an orphan adopted by a kung-fu school, is overworked as their janitor and abused by the kung fu teachers as a walking punching-bag. Chien befriends an old beggar (Yuen Siu Tien) by offering him a meal and a place to stay. Unknown to Chien, the old beggar is actually the last surviving master of the Snake-style of kung fu. The old man is on the run from the Eagle Claw clan, which is viciously killing off all of their rival kung fu masters. Seeing that Chien is being abused, the old man gives Chien kung fu lessons so he can defend himself. The old man leaves the school to find a better hiding spot. Chien practices the lessons and learns to avoid being hurt by the school's bumbling teachers. When the school is invaded by the the Mantis school, Chien easily defeats their master using snake to everyone's amazement. Unfortunately, one of the passing wanderers who witnessed the fight was a master of the Eagle Clan.

Chien meets the Eagle Claw clan master, who inquires about the old beggar. Noticing that Chien has learned some Snake-style skills, the Eagle Claw master lies, saying that he was a student of the old beggar and asks Chien to help him find the old man. Realising that his Snake-style fighting is no match for the style practiced by the Eagle Claw master, Chien creates a new style from watching his pet cat kill a cobra. Eventually, Chien unwittingly leads the Eagle Claw master to the old man. In the duel, Chien merges his "cat style" with snake style to finally defeat the Eagle Claw master. Chien announces that he will call his technique "Cat's Claw", but the Old man suggest that he give the techinque the name "Snake in the Eagle's Shadow".

[edit] Trivia

This film is considered by many as the first Jackie Chan film to utilise his true martial arts technique.

It was one of the first films to combine comedy and martial arts, stunts and acrobatics that have become popular in action movies.

Director Lo Wei had originally tried to make Jackie Chan the new "Bruce Lee" in films like New Fist of Fury, but they flopped at the box office. When producer Ng See-Yuen decided to make a comedy with Chan as the star, the film distributors tried to put him off to no avail.

Ng See-Yuen and Yuen Woo-ping checked over many actors for the part of the old, eccentric, wandering Kung Fu master, before Ng suggested casting Yuen's own father, Yuen Siu Tien.

Yuen's character is fundamentally the same character as Su Hua Chi (aka Beggar So) who teaches Chan's character in his next film, Drunken Master. The film had the same director and much of the same cast. Yuen would continue to reprise the role of Beggar So several more times before his death in 1979.