The References in Shaolin Soccer | Video Essay
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- Опубликовано: 28 сен 2024
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Accented Cinema - Episode 120
I've always believed that this film is better than Kung Fu Hustle. A love letter to friends is better than a love letter to other movies.
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Well, when making this video, I also went through quite an adventure. I got sick for a week, narrowly avoiding disaster by recording the narration one day before losing my voice. And then I spent 2 straight days uploading 18 versions of this video due to how strict this platform has gotten. Hopefully the video is entertaining and worth the effort.
Anyway, thank you for our patrons for keeping us afloat, and thanks Squarespace for sponsoring the video.
Its awesome.... Thank you for your hardwork.
all yer videos are great!
Hope you get your voice back if you haven't already. All the best.
Amazing video! So happy someone made a video with so many of the references that are even missed by Chinese people. You might only learn about some of these if you go through the comments in a reaction video. It must have taken a lot of research and effort. Thanks for the hard work!
Please do Millennium Actress and its many references!
That was more wholesome than I could imagine. The details behind the scenes made the movie more unique and endearing.
It's great to see somebody give credit to all those who made them a success instead of just leaving them behind.
100% I didn’t realize the silly tsubasa reference was a love letter
Couldn't have said it any better. :)
A few other notes about Shaolin Soccer:
1. The original Hong Kong DVD features the theatrical cut, but extended scenes can be accessed when an icon appears on the screen:
- Sing's dance number before Mui's boss scares everyone off and Sing winks at Mui with the last piece of mantou.
- An extended scene of Mui after her makeover, where she has a heated argument with her boss during the Team Shaolin's drinking party.
- All of the bloopers and outtakes, plus a different ending theme.
2. The original Hong Kong Video CD release is the "director's cut", with all of the scenes above seamlessly included.
3. Sing and Iron Head's song at the bar uses the melody of the Mamas & the Papas' 1965 song "California Dreamin'".
4. Mui's makeover is a parody of Hong Kong actress Anita Mui, based on her appearance during the '80s.
5. The scene where Iron Head counters a flying headbutt from a Team Evil member references Fight Club, which uses the same effect of blowing air in the mouth when Edward Norton's character attempts to shoot himself.
Lmao, I didn't realise the shaolin singing was based from California Dreamin' song, how I didn't realise that
Wow, number 4 finally makes sense to me now after 20 years. I always had a feeling about it but I couldn't realise it.
And the random phone call scene to say I love you, was a parody of a hong kong nokia cell phone commercial
I had a double sided dvd copy of the movie with the original cut and theatrical on the other side. The original cut is in my opinion pretty great. The story structure was better and there were more comedic moments.
the movie just keep on giving trivias
RIP, uncle Tat. He was a spectacular actor!
I remember falling in love with this movie as a teenager. It was my first contact with Stephen Chow. Here it was called "Kung Fu futebol clube" (which is the correct name for the sport, no World Cup, no Opinion) and me, my friends and lots of people I know felt a very deep connection to it. Even with all the cultural diferences between China and Brazil, the concept we called "futebol da vázea" which takes us to a nostalgic times where clubs were smaller, we had lots of empty blocks covered in grass which we turned into futebol areas for the local communities is somthing very nostalgic and hold dear to our collective conscious. The fact that Kung Fu Futebol Clube subverts a lot of tropes from more "serious" old Kung Fu movies adds the final touch for it to be so loved.
And Uncle Tat definitely deserved the spotlight. He's truly an incredible actor. RIP.
Stephen Chow is truly King of Comedy. Nothing could beat the comedy from his movies 🤣🤣
His movies always look cool not cringe
The prologue, where Golden Leg bullies his teammate never appeared on my DVD copy. This changes everything about the motive of Golden Leg's character.
This is one of my favorite movies, but as someone that doesn't speak Cantonese or Mandarin, I feel like I was missing a lot of the jokes and references. Thank you for filling in some of those gaps, I have a newfound appreciation for Shaolin Soccer ❤⚽☯
That's why I really like when Frank Djeng does audio commentaries on kung fu films. He explains some of the slang and humor that non Chinese speaking wouldn't understand.
It was perfectly dubbed in my country India 🇮🇳🥰🥰
Not just the jokes. Many movie easter eggs and reference too.
As a Nigerian growing up, Hong Kong cinema and Bollywood were as popular as movies from the US and Europe.
I am grateful everyday for the blessing I received without even realising.
Stephen Chow is a don.
As an Indian, Stephen Chow is the most prominent name in Indian culture when it comes to Hong Kong cinema, we all grew up watching Kung Fu Hustle and Shaolin Soccer as kids. They're very beloved here.
I only know Shaolin Soccer and Kung Fu Hustle, but they are really great movies! It's time for me to see some more.
Blessed to be in the age where we have access to everything
@@AL-jg4pr I am Gen X. We got everything on from local video clubs. Those local shop owners were ingenious, how they sourced movies from everywhere.
You could get just about anything if you asked and were ready to give them a few weeks to track it down.
Ahh, the summers of my youth.
As an Indian who grew up on (old school) Wuxia dramas, HK action movies and obviously the magnificent comedic talent of Chow, I was really touched by this review, and felt slightly proud that I could understand most of the references. I am so happy to see this comment from you.
The funny thing is as happen to Arnold where they put Devil in the title of movie he is in in Chinese. In Thailand, almost every movie that Stephen Chow play have "คนเล็ก" (Lit. trans: small man) in the title. This also happen to many actor/actress either west or east. Even Arnold has the nickname "คนเหล็ก" (Lit. trans: metal man) in every movie he in in Thai, especially The Terminator Films.
In that Stephen Chow movie where he once wore a Garfield mask and later challenges that super powerful karate guy to a match and 吴孟达 plays his trainer, Ng/Wu’s old fighter persona was named 魔鬼筋肉人 “The Devilishly-Muscled Man”. 😂
It won't be a stephen chow movie without "flower".
Man, this really hits deep. We will never see another movie like stephen chow's movies. Him and uncle tat was such an iconic duo.
The scene in 11:32 is a parody of an ad starring Leon Lai back in the mid 90s to early 2000's. The original ad series featuring various mobile phones were so memorable that anyone in Hong Kong at that time would've known the reference.
They were also memorable for being 1-2 minute long ads that runs during ad-breaks in prime time TV, which was ridiculous compared to the usual 20-30 second ads.
You are spot on about Man Tat. Like you I have grown up watching Stephen Chow comedies and always seen them together. At the end of Shaolin Soccer, when the trophy was presented, I didn't see them as characters of the film, but as real life comrades.
Amazing that Danny Chan played both Lighting Hands and Brother Sum!
Been watching Stephen Chow films forever. He really let's the actors show amazing range. Gonna watch a few this week and reminisce.
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
I don't know if this was true, but Danny Chan played more movies as Bruce Lee than Bruce Lee himself lol
Damn I didn't know Mui spoke Mandarin while everyone spoke Cantonese... That's a great detail and adds a lot of character to both Mui and Sing for putting in the effort to communicate
I didn't know Mui spoke Mandarin while the other characters spoke Cantonese! That and the fact Sing tries to speak her in Mandarin make this wholesome n_n I watched this movie with my brother, I think, I was in high-school, and I just loved how absurd was all. But I think this movie is not so known here in Costa Rica...
Shaolin soccer is the most Anime like live action from a no-anime-adaptation ever made
I've been looking forward to you reviewing this movie ever since I first subscribed to you, and despite my high expectations now that I've gotten accustomed to your work, I still find myself impressed at how you've exceeded them. Thank you for doing this amazing film justice.
Fun Fact: In order to appear as if her head was shaved, Wei Zhao had to sit in the makeup chair for eight to ten hours each day.
Incredible references I would have never known. The Cantonese/Mandarin is so sweet and explaining the dance in Kungfu Hustle is so great. Fantastic video!
Been needing this for years. I was introduced to the film dubbed in English for the Tribeca Film Festival, 2001 I believe. All these references other than Captain Tsubasa went over my head all these years.
I've seen this movie before, but I never would have known about the love song and Cantonese/Mandarin references if I hadn't seen this. Thanks for the great video!
This is the movie I watched the most. After my mom got us the VCD, I put it on almost every day after school as I was having lunch. It was also always shown on TV during Lunar New Year. I can never get bored of it. This movie is also the last time we see Stephen Chow and Uncle Tat together, which makes me treasure it even more.
This movie already holds a special place in my heart from childhood, understanding the refrences just made me love it even more. Thank you for your hard work.
This movie blew my mind when I first saw it! Knowing these references has now given it a new level of appreciation for me. Thanks for making this video!
This a beautiful tribute to Stephen Chow and one of my childhood films
I love this movie. It was so wholesome that it left me grinning and pacing my living room floor. I have only seen it once but never forgotten it
I have absolutely loved this movie from first viewing, and this video gives me an even greater appreciation for it. Sincerely, thank you for putting this together, I never would have known any of these finer cultural details without you.
I just want to thank you for helping me have a whole new appreciation for this film. Growing up as a young Aussie lad in a poor neighbourhood I always connected with this movie amd loved it foundly but to now know so much more about it I couldn't thank you enough
Love learning insight into the meaning and history of the film. Appreciate you taking time to go in depth and sharing all these details.
I love when you make Stephen Chow appreciation videos❤
I saw a sub of this at a Canadian Japanese cultural festival about 20 years ago. A lot of the symbolism of the characters names or characters speaking mandarin never came through. Thank you so much for pointing them out it makes this movie even more special!
Heck, a lot of Cantonese references are lost in Mandarin dubs too.
Thanks for this! I caught a few of the references, but as a westerner who has only seen a few of the previous films, and has pretty much no knowledge of things like Mandarin language with accents, those were lost on me until you shined the light!
WELL DONE! this has been one of my favorite movies growing-up in the Philippines! :) My siblings and I would recreate the scenes.
I’m glad the scene recreations were a cross cultural experience :)
This and Kung Fu hustle were the biggest hits in Russia, people loved the movies, they were so much fun, Great essay!!❤COYG!😜
I hope you watched his video about references in Kung Fu Hustle 😊.
I was actually confused because I thought he reuploaded this video but turned out I was thinking of the Kung Fu Hustle one and this is a new one about Shaolin Soccer 😅 .
I’ve never been more so disappointed by a video not being so long. It was a really great video
It's been far too long since I've seen this. I remember really liking it. I appreciate you explaining the cultural and linguistic significance of some of the scenes. As an English speaker, I never would've gotten that. Cheers!
the first time i saw shaolin soccer was because of my babysitter. she knew exactly what kind of movies i liked and was always ready with an exciting new movie for me every week. i miss her.
The last part made me tear up. Glad I stumbled upon this video.
This was my first Stephen Chow film, and I fell in love right away. Thank You for filling in a whole bunch of gaps in my knowledge, so I can appreciate it even more!
I love Shaolin Soccer, one of the best movies ever made of all time!
Thank you so much for putting in the effort to make this video! I didn't know almost all of those references but still enjoyed the movie a lot. Really shows how genius Stephen Chow is!
I brought and played this movie for my class back in junior high and we all loved it. Now that you explained the details, i love it more than ever. Thanks!
I can't believe it's the same guy from kung fu hustle !!! That one is still one of my favorites of all time
Me and my Brother loved this movie growing up. Its nice to see that this film has a connection to other things in modern Chinese culture that two Black American kids wouldn't know about but still enjoyed.
That's so heartwarming, rip 达叔
Uncle Tat is amazing. I like that both Chow and Tat switch roles between the comic and the straight man. Sometimes in the same film.
Thanks for continuing to touch and reintroduce part of my heritage back to me
Its been great to watch how much love you and effort you put in and see the support you have from the patreons
One of the best movies of my childhood hands down.
just like the kung hustle video essay, you made me appreciate a movie much more again!
Thank you for this video! I appreciate the context and references explained! I feel I can enjoy Shaolin Soccer even more now. I would like to see more videos like this explaining the references of other Chinese language films!
IDK how i got here, but i loved it. One of my favorite childhood movies. I still remember all the scenes. Thank you
Yay more positive reviews of Chinese cinema please! This was and still is one of my favourite Chinese movies in the history of Chinese cinema.
i remember our school having a tradition at some point before where we would watch this every chinese new year. initially it was just a nice thing to be able to take a break and just watch this, but man this movie and kung fu hustle has stuck with me ever since my 1st watch. i didn't know all the throwbacks Chow did for his other friends/colleagues in this. that's such a cool thing to do for such a beloved movie
Watched this movie during middle school on a CRT screen (of course) back in Nepal during mid 2000s. Thanks for this wholesome video. Didn't Stephen Chow was famous. This movie is an emotion filled nostalgia.
Grew up with his older movies like Tricky brains and fight back to school. I remember being so excited for this new 'dvd release' in 2002 when i was in China. I liked it then but now as i got older and started noticing the details and themes in this movie i love this movie to death. it might not be my #1 Chow movie but it is packed to the brim with gratitude and love that it makes me the most emotional. This video essay made me even more emotional 😭 Thank you for your hard work i really appreciate these videos as they help me understand myself thru chinese films.
Thank you so much for your knowledge of these reference. I would never had known the significance of the relationships. Like the different providence.
Just FYI at 2:55 the woodblock print you show on screen is Japanese by Tukioka Yoshitoshi (one hundred aspects of the moon series). Not that it isn't still a depiction of Bodhidharma. Just a fun fact also relevant in case anyone thought it was Chinese.
This movie is my entire childhood and one of my trigger into martial arts which has become my lifelong passion.
I have watched a whole lot of your videos and today I know why. I finally realized that you are one of a kind my friend. There are plenty of people doing movie reviews, all sorts of analyzing, rating and giving scores to movies but I have yet to see someone taking a deep dive, dissecting into a production the way that you do. It's easy to watch a movie and then go make a RUclips video, giving your two cents of which I see another ten thousand people do. Mostly by the means of copying what others had already spoke about. Somehow I felt like while the others are drawing stick men, you are drawing the Mona Lisa. It is what that comes from the heart that connects to people. Going to the theater, spending $25-30 bucks isn't as satisfying till after seeing the movie and sit through your Video Essay. Then one could feel more appreciation to director and film crew.
If only movie studios and screen writers would have half a brain like people like yourself, there would be so many empty seats at the movies. I guess there too many idiots who is willing to shell out their wallet for any garbage entertainment, so they keep coming out with mediocre films. Somehow, Hollywood, Disney and especially the MCU, I find for the last little while has been like a dog that takes a dump and turns around to smells it in great joy.
We used to watch this everyday on my neighbor’s dvd player because they’ve got a hold of a copy.
i always thought that when theyre practicing, the water in the cup vibrating was a reference to jurassic park when the t-rex got out of the fence😅
Wow, I had no idea that Chow had that much history in cinema. That's awesome to see how much those scenes we see as just random are actually really neat references! Double duty
Those transitions are sick!!!
Love this movie, thanks for the video! I thought the "flaming tiger" kick was a "flaming puma", as Puma is one of the sponsors
Great stuff as usual but I just wanted to commend you for "up our Arsenal" and the heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeey. Those jokes caught me out of nowhere
Something about this movie is very soulful and sweet. You get the feeling that Chow loved filming and directing it. Hell, I can say that about all of his movies! Truly one of a kind like Quentin Tarantino.
Thanks so much for doing this. I was in high school when this came out and always loved this film.
You always put so much work into your videos, I was so excited to see this pop up in my subscriptions!
love the movie but did not know any references! well, except the most obvious ones
amazing presentation, thanks!
Thank you so much for this. I'd LOVE the same kind of video on Kung Fu hustle
oh man i cracked up when I saw the subtitles for the singing part heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeey, I'm dead
One of the greatest movies of all time.
Your recap definitely made me want to go and rewatch the movie! I’m not Chinese but grew up watching Steven Chow films as well. Love your channel, keep up the good work!
you make amazing videos, yet another incredible video essay for an incredible film.
I Loveeee when I watch videos like this which gives so much info on the culture and references and so on of movies in foreign languages. It makes me appreciate them more. Stephen Chou movies are always a plus.
The first time I encountered the song at 6:13 was in Jet Li’s 方世玉 (Fong Sai Yuk) when his character was trolling his father-in-law. I never knew it had such a history behind it.
I originally watched it when it came out and I was just starting to practice wushu and was blown away by it lol. Now 20 years later I no longer train but decided to watch it again and it still holds up just as well, a brilliant movie.
I don’t know how, but you made me love this movie even more with this video! I will watch it again before I go to sleep!
I remember watching it when it came out. My local TV station would air a lot of pirated Asian movies, mostly old Jackie Chan films, but then thus. I remember watching it with my mom, we laughed so much. It was such a treat to find something good on TV. As East Europeans we didn't get any of the references but we still loved it. It was one of the newer movies that didn't make it to the cinemas and didn't have Jackie Chan in it. It was so refreshing, really made me register Asian movies for the first time. Thanks to it, when I stumbled on Internal Affairs one evening, I watched it without hesitation - having a mindset that Asian was refreshing and interesting. And then I was blown away. Lifelong love for Asian cinema... I think you are missing the point with this video: no good movie director would put personal favours or actor advertisements ahead of the product. Otherwise you get results like that horrible Korean movie Real. All casting choices work in Shaolin Soccer without knowing who these people are or why they are there, their connections with the director don't add anything to the message. The larger cultural context is interesting through, so thanks for that.
I truly enjoyed this film, more so than many I've seen in years. You have presented details and commentary that have very, very much amplified my understanding and enjoyment. Thank you. Excellent presentation.
This really made me appreciate the movie more. What a beautiful video essay.
If only I could forget watching my favorite Stephen Chow movies, for the "sole" (Get it? Sole? Soccer?) purpose of reliving the feeling of watching them for the first time.
Ive watched stephen chow movies more so of Shaolin Soccer and Kung Fu Hustle even though some of the jokes flew over my head as a kid even still do, it's still something i and my siblings always rewatch and never get tired of it
I could tell there were many references in the movie when I watched it, but I had no idea who they were to be directed at.
Thanks for your review and inclusion of it's references. It just makes the movie more special.
The calm way you said, "doped out their asses" was so funny
RIP uncle tat, the superman parody probably best remember by malaysian in King of Destruction as his peak performance
I remember in high schooll we woulld pass a vhs of this around, and we'd convinced our tennis coach to let us watch it in class. An absolutely fantastic movie!
We watched this with a group of friends in college, one of my favorite memories 😄 didn't realize all the references!
RIP Uncle Tat. He definitely put out a lot of funny moments for Stephen Chow films.
I respect your channel so much i dont skip over the in video ad
Hey Man. You need to make a long form video for Chow whole career. I remember he was labeled as a loner who forgets who he came from and want to go Hollywood.
I remember watching the uncut Chinese version of this movie without subs. Funniest thing I've ever seen.
What a brilliant film and an essay
What an eye-opener! Subscribed!
I remember watching an English Dub of this movie as a kid, with the bad lip sync and everything. I've tried looking but couldn't find any evidence it ever existed. Now I think I'm going crazy.
Great video, the movie makes so much more sense now.
Thanks for this breakdown. Wholesome.
i also watched this in my childhood. it was dubbed tho. but i love it. thank you to talk about the deeper insight of this movie.
This film is so nostalgic. I was just a little kid when I first watched this movie.