Experiment 626 (which may, or may not be Stitch's real name) is an event embarked upon by the I'm With Geek Film Team. Film knowledge was unearthed, truths were found and a DVD exchange took place. These are the true life stories from that experiment.
Dear Jenny
Though not as epic or anywhere near the same scale as Red Cliff, Ip Man is a film that definitely captures a glimpse of Chinese culture, while still being beautifully filmed in a way that I hope Jenny will appreciate. As a semi-biographical telling of the life of martial arts master Yip Man, the future master of film legend, Bruce Lee, the film is set during the Sino-Japanese war during the fourties, at a time when Chinese culture was straddling their traditional past and the march of industrialisation. The story itself may be a segment of Yip Man’s life, but the true joy of the film lies in the beautiful scenery, impressive choreography and at times the whimsical and witty script in what is an otherwise dark time.
(Sorry, it’s dubbed)
Love, Paul S
Jennifer's Review
An argument made about many autobiographical, semi or otherwise, is that the films themselves can be incredibly romanticised version of real-life events to make the person seem stronger, smarter and/or better than they actually were in real life. That is definitely a criticism of Ip Man: The Legend is Born. Elements of the story definitely happened in the life of Yip Man just slightly altered for the sake of the story. One such example is a scene in the film where he beats up a guy who hits a woman who allegedly injured him. In real life when Yip Man attended St Stephen’s College in Hong Kong, he intervened when he came across a police officer beating a woman. When you have basic knowledge into the life of Yip Man the person, it is easy to see the major liberties that have been taken to create Ip Man: The Legend is Born. It’s a bit ironic considering that three years after this film was made, China basically banned time travel from tv shows and films in an effort to get the citizens to “uphold the country’s values and not promote anything that may re-write history.”
This film has had very little reach outside of its native China which is most definitely a shame. If you can get a copy of this film on DVD, it’s worth watching. Sure it’s not the absolute best film in the world but it’s definitely a good watch.