Ip Man Movie - The Background
Ip Man the movie is based on the life story of Wing Chun grandmaster Ip Man. Due for release in Hong Kong in December 2008, this film is the first important record of the kung fu master's life. Ip Man was Bruce Lee's Wing Chun teacher and was the first to teach Wing Chun openly.
The movie focuses on events in Ip Man's life that took place in Foshan during the 1930s and 1940s during the Japanese occupation of China.
The film stars Donnie Yen as Ip Man with fight scenes choreographed by Sammo Hung. Ip Man's sons, Ip Chun and Ip Ching (also Wing Chun grandmasters) appear in the film as well as some other well known Wing Chun practitioners.
As Foshan is architecturally much different now to how it was in the 1930s and 1940s, filming took place in Shanghai instead.
The Cast
| Donnie Yen | Ip Man |
| Simon Yam | Chow Ching-Chuen |
| Fan Siu-Wong | Jin Shan Zhao |
| Lynn Hung | Zhang Yong Cheng |
| Lam Ka-Tung | Li Zhao |
| Li Ze | Ip Chun |
| Xing Yu | Master Zealot Lin |
| Wong You-Nam | Shao Dan Yuan |
| Li Qi-Long | Green Dragon |
| Chen Zhi-Hui | Master Liao |
| Zhou Zhong | Master He |
| To Yu-Hang | Hu Wei |
| Hiroyuki Ikeuchi | Miura |
The screenplay was written by Edmond Wong, the writer of 2006's Dragon Tiger Gate (Wilson Yip and Donnie Yen's first collaboration as director and star). Ip Man the movie is Yip and Yen's fourth collaboration together.
Ip Man's eldest son, Ip Chun, served as consultant for the film, whilst Mandarin Films produced and distributed it. The estimated budget for the movie is HK$40 million.
The Original Concept For Ip Man The Movie
Jeffrey Lau and Corey Yuen originally conceived the idea for a film about the life of Ip Man in 1998. Donnie Yen signed contracts to take the lead role as Ip Man, and even received a portion of his fee before the project folded and was abandoned.
New plans to make a film about Ip Man emerged in December 2007 and production began in March 2008. By the end of August 2008, filming was complete.
Filming The Movie
After failing to find a cotton factory similar to the one in which Ip Man started teaching Wing Chun, set designers recreated one in an abandoned storeroom. This storeroom became the Zhen Hua Cotton Mill Factory, a 1930s cotton mill factory founded by Yip Man’s friend Chow Ching-Chuen (played in the film by Simon Yam) during the Japanese Occupation of China.
Fight Choreography
Sammo Hung's past experience choreographing Warriors Two (1978) and the brilliant The Prodigal Son (1982) made him the ideal candidate for working on the Ip Man movie.
Naming The Movie Ip Man
Producer Raymond Wong wanted to call the film Grandmaster Yip Man, but as it bore too close a resemblance to Wong Kar-Wai's own intended film about Ip Man, he was forced to rethink. Wong Kar-Wai had announced some time ago that he wanted to make a film called The Great Master about Ip Man's life story. As it happen's, it seems that Wong Kar-Wai's plans are on hold.
Release Date
After a test screening in Beijing on December 4 2008 where the film was highly praised, Ip Man the movie was released on 18 December.
