Chan, Vera

Journal of Martial Studies (formerly UCMAP Monograph)
Volume 2, Issue 2, pp. 156-171 (1996)

Recommended

Chan points out in this article the various influences that martial arts fighting techniques have had on the American entertainment industry. Many actors that do not regularly practice martial arts credit a lot of their techniques to actors from some original martial arts movies. Sandra Bullock for example said that she owed a lot to Jackie Chan for her work in Demolition Man. Similarly there have been a number of movies that either used, or are based on certain martial arts. This is common in movies ranging from James Bond, to Steven Seagal, even to Ninja Turtles. Of course with films like these focusing more on the physical aspect of the martial arts, they tend to lose sight of the philosophies behind them. TV events like the Ultimate Fighting Championships have also taken away from this aspect.

The author goes on to discuss where some of the American interest in this subject spawned from. Some of it goes back to World War II where US soldiers were heavily exposed to martial arts and took a liking to it. Japanese immigrants in the 1930s and 40s brought their traditions to the US, and many dojos were set up in the 1950s. He continues to explain how its effect on pop culture including some Bruce Lee movies and his influence. Naturally this leads into the rise of such stars as Chuck Norris. Overall this article provides a thorough overview of the causes of the rise in interest in martial arts in the United States.

Annotated by: Reid Benditt (February 2004)

Martial Arts: Aikido | Hapkido | Iaido | Karate | Kung Fu/Wushu |

Topics: cinema/film | history |