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Rawle Austin presents...

A conversation with Kathryn Wray - Sharing her love for Chinese action movies!

Kathryn Wray has a burning passion for Chinese movies, especially the classics of the seventies. I spoke to her to find out more. Rawle Austin: Could you introduce yourself to Growlersworld.com readers? Kathryn Wray: My name is Kathryn Wray and I live in Derbyshire and work for the NHS. RA: When did you discover your passion for Chinese cinema? KW: Around the end of 1973 to the beginning of 1974, whenever it was that Enter the Dragon was released in Britain. Today, people are more blasé about films, a new much hyped release is very quickly followed by another one.

Enter the Dragon caused an absolute sensation, no one had ever seen anything like it, or any one like Bruce Lee.

It ran and ran at regular intervals for years. But as well as Bruce’s films, there were other Chinese films that were sent around as part of the old double bill system, you watched those first and then the main feature, which of course was always Bruce.

But those films introduced the British audience to other actors and actresses, in the Shaw Brothers and Golden Harvest films.

The fans that stayed the course after the initial impact became very loyal to the Hong Kong cinema. The films were exciting.

RA: What is it about Chinese films that appeal to you? KW: Well firstly, I have always been interested in China and the Chinese, so to see their films was of interest to me. The stars were very charismatic, and although they were very limited by the basic scripts of the Shaw and Golden Harvest films, they still managed to convey melodramatic emotion and give powerful, memorable performances. My favourite type was the costume drama, set in some far-off period of Ancient China, I believe they were known as the Chivalry films.

The story lines were very strong on themes of honour, bravery in the face of adversity that we could only begin to imagine, general codes of behaviour, something like the Knights of the Round Table, all with strong emphasis on doing the right thing, standing by your friends etc.

The British audiences absorbed these themes as well as enjoying the action.

RA: What are your top three favourite Chinese films of all time and why?

KW: Not in any particular order, but certainly I must include Fist of Fury, which to me is Bruce’s finest hour, even over Enter the Dragon.

All the traditions of Seventies Hong Kong cinema are included in it, even the obligatory comedy sequences which could appear in even the most serious action dramas. His performance, both physically and emotionally was mesmerising. I would have to include one of Chow Yun Fat’s eighties gangster films, as they have all the themes of honour, sticking by your friends etc, but in a modern setting, it is difficult to choose, he is so good in everything, but probably A Better Tomorrow. As for the third, well I recently watched again The New One Armed Swordsman, which, for all it’s shortcomings in the special effects department (Do it yourself amputations etc!) had many moments which lifted it above the average Hong Kong non-Bruce “Chop Socky” as they were known at the time.

RA: You are particularly a fan of 1970s Chinese cinema. How would you compare the films of that era with today’s output in terms of quality and style?

KW: Of course the films of the Seventies were naive beyond belief compared with todays output, as well as the filming techniques and special effects which are as good now as anything out of Hollywood.

But the old films had a melodramatic appeal, and somehow, a kind of sweetness and innocence.

They were a raw product from a land the other side of the globe, coming from a different culture, yet after the first culture shock (the abrupt scene shifts, cut off endings with no music or cast list, the artificial dialogue, and best of all, the Americanised dubbing - my eternal favourite example of this from New One Armed Swordsman – “A guy crashed in”) people over here empathised with the characters portrayed.

The actors had charismatic screen personas – the great Ti Lung, David Chiang, surely one of the most interestingly individual faces of the Seventies – Ku Feng – a very powerful persona, whether villain or hero, Lo Lieh, I read only a couple of weeks ago that he has sadly passed away – and not forgetting the actresses, who were equal in every way to the men – remember [the film] Deaf Mute Heroine? [Starring] Helen Ma? The audience in the cinema cheered when she finally overcame the villain. I would love to read up on many of these stars, but there is no info available that I know of. For instance, the actor in the first two of Bruce’s films, the little guy who wasn’t a martial artist – the one who in Fist of Fury said “let him do it again!” after Bruce had “visited” the Japanese karate school – his face is known all over the world, yet I do not even know his name.

On a different note, I am also a big fan of Jet Li, and feel he has bridged a gap between the “Old School Chivalry” type films and modern films.

When I read he had done a re-make of Fist of Fury, I thought "How dare he? How could anyone follow Bruce?". But some time later, I had the chance of a copy of Fist of Legend, and from then on I was hooked.

RA: Why should more people watch Chinese films, in your opinion?

KW: Because they are, generally, a very uplifting experience, and somehow inspiring. Sometime in the Seventies, I think it might have been 1978 I attended a Bruce Lee Convention in Kilburn, London.

All sorts of people from all walks of life were there, including many disabled people who found inspiration in Bruce’s films. I thought this was very touching. Of course the films have been very heavily criticized for the combat scenes, being censored and banned and generally vilified, but people who deride them are completely missing the deeper meaning in them, the above mentioned themes of honourable behaviour etc. One thing that exasperates me is that people often deride Chinese action films as mindless pulp when they are made purely by Chinese for Chinese, but as soon as Hollywood directors get their hands on a star of the Chinese cinema, in a co-production, then suddenly Chinese cinema is “art” and they "simply must" see it, as if only the Western input makes it worth seeing! RA: Who is your favourite Chinese actor, actress and director and why?

KW: This is difficult to make a choice, as I like so many of them for so many different things. For favourite actor, I would say Chow Yun Fat. Who else could portray a top Chinese triad as a “thoroughly decent bloke” – and make you believe it!

His characters are just so good and honourable and kind, through and through. For actress, I would say Angela Mao. “Hapkido” was the very first Shaw Brothers film I bought on video, she has such a dignified yet likable screen persona.

I don’t know much about directors, so I suppose it would have to be John Woo.

RA: What was the last good Chinese film you saw? What was good about it, in your opinion?

KW: The House of Flying Daggers, it reminded me of the Seventies films, it had the emotion and passion. Andy Lau was very good, I thought. I know there are many later genres of Chinese film, and many actors and actresses, which I have missed out on completely because of lack of availability here in the UK. The Hong Kong cinema has split into so many different kinds, - the supernatural films, the comedies, gangster, fantasy swordplay etc. I am well aware that the films I think of as modern – the Chow Yun Fat gangster films – are old now.

RA: How else do you like to spend your free time?

KW: I am finishing off a house conversion, I read, and keep cats! I am also a member of an Anglo-Chinese friendship society – SACU for short, and attend events with them from time to time. They have a website, just put SACU in. [Society for Anglo-Chinese Understanding (SACU)]

RA: Who inspires you in life?

KW: I know this sounds really corny, but sometimes when faced with a difficult situation I think “What would Bruce Lee have done?” I remember him on that American talk show, was it Milton Berle, saying “Be water, my friend, be water”.

In other words, go with the flow. But he did not seem, from the many books I have read about him, to ever have ducked out of any of life’s challenges or taken an easy way out.

RA: And finally, what last words of wisdom would you like to leave us with?

KW: I would say, open yourself to any new influences which are passing by, as I did in 1973, go along for the ride, you may gain something from it. I certainly did!

Take care all of you readers, and thank you for reading my answers.

If you would like to contact Kathryn Wray about this interview you can do so, here (kathryn_wray@yahoo.co.uk).

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