BEST mantis kung fu flick?

[shaolinarab]

i feel like renting a cheesy 70's classic after my exams next week, and i was wondering if people could suggest the best kung fu movie that displayed good praying mantis boxing!

thanks for the suggestions

[MasterKiller]

Dance of the Drunken Mantis.

[Life long Student]

I don't remember seeing that one I will have to rent it, but in my opinion the best kung fu movie ever made, has to be the prodigal son.

[B.Tunks]

Off the top of the head, Warriors Two is good and has some Mantis and there is an old one from Taiwan that is called Grand Ultimate Boxing (but I think thats its U.K title) which is full of Tanglang forms, training (though mostly imaginative movie variations eg; fighting giant mantis dummies made from wood and straw), and fighting. Warriors Two has some good Tanglang but as usual some total crap uses of the hook such as one where he claws his way along the floor. Dont get the video about the guy who eats brains, it is total doo-doo (Thundering Mantis).

[loki]

1-Shaolin Mantis with David Chiang by Shaw Brothers.
2-Death Duel of Kung Fu with Wong Tao.
3-Snake in the Eagle's Shadow with Jackie Chan. He fights a villian who does mantis.
4-Seven commandments of Kung Fu
5-My young Auntie, Liu Chia Liang does a portion of Bung Bo at the opening of the film.
6-Sleeping Fist, Li Jiang Ren ? ( Thundering Mantis ) does the first few moves from Bung Bo.
7-Eagle's Claw with Wong Tao, villians do mantis.


Hope this helps. Definitely try to get the 1st one.

[shaolinarab]

awesome! thanks alot loki (and others). i'll surely look into it and report how it goes

[tanglang]

Don't know this one I think? Whitch actors? Another good one is- german title translated into english-sorry..: I think it is monastry of revengers..(???) with Jet Li- where his master a shaolin-monk, is doing mantis( in real life from mainland-china-mantis-JLB-lineage..) and there is a nice sword-fight in it..

[WanderingMonk]

Originally posted by tanglang
Don't know this one I think? Whitch actors? Another good one is- german title translated into english-sorry..: I think it is monastry of revengers..(???) with Jet Li- where his master a shaolin-monk, is doing mantis( in real life from mainland-china-mantis-JLB-lineage..) and there is a nice sword-fight in it..

I think that's "north and south shaolin" (chinese title). In this one, Jet Li goes to beijing to participate in a lion/dragon dance competition and meet up with a south shaolin guy. They tried to assassinate a top government official who killed Jet Li's father.

The Shaolin teacher did the mantis form when Jet Li was still back in the temple. The sifu was sick and did the form to warm his body up and get rid of the fever.

In that scene, Jet Li and one of his kung fu brother was spying on the teacher and imitated the form as the sifu was practicing.

Does it sound familiar?

wm

[-N-]

Tai Chi II has Yu Hai doing some mantis.

N

[B.Tunks]

It is Yu Hai doing his own Tanglang, though in Shaolin Temple in the courtyard you can check him doing some real Lin Jingshan Qixing Tanglang (part from one trademark 'shaking' Yu Hai move). Most if not all the fighting he does in all three Shaoli movies is pretty good and not too embellished apart from when he displays his Shuang Feng Shou or stands up to raise his hooks overhead. thats all for show. Yu Hai is pretty good with the stick too.

[tanglang]

Does it sound familiar?

-
Yes, that's the one. But what about dance of the drunken mantis? What kind of movie is that?

[WanderingMonk]

Originally posted by B.Tunks
It is Yu Hai doing his own Tanglang, though in Shaolin Temple in the courtyard you can check him doing some real Lin Jingshan Qixing Tanglang (part from one trademark 'shaking' Yu Hai move).

How would this shaking be use in combat application?

wm

[B.Tunks]

WM,

How would this shaking be use in combat application?

It is an exaggeration of 'spring energy'. It is something modern performance Tanglang really exaggerates in an over the top manner.

[mantisben]

Originally posted by B.Tunks
WM,

How would this shaking be use in combat application?

I don't associate the "shaking" with combat. Still, for the movie it looks good, and in training - for me at least - it may (or may not) get your mind into the "spirit" of Mantis.

For me, in combat, I try to get my mind into the spirit of the ruthlessness and the you-are-my-food mindset of Mantis. The spirit of ruthless and cruelty should not be neglected in "combat". These things are difficult to train in sparring because you - rather I should say me - don't want to be ruthless and cruel to my sparring partner (or vice-versa).

This mind-set of becoming the insect or animal that you are imitating (Tiger, Snake, etc.) to me, is what separates Chinese Kung-Fu from other styles/methods of combat.

The only other mindset I know of that has this kind of drive and oneness, is that of the Samurai. I'm sure there are more, but these are the only ones I can think of. I'd like to add that I don't know anything about the ways of a Samurai, or Samurai Swords, except that the Samurai "in times past" had very strong spirits...

This "spirit" made them formidable...

Soo, whether my hands shake, tremble, bounce, or remain motionless during a Mantis form, I try to remember the "spirit" of relentlessness, ruthlessness, and cruelty behind the technique I'm executing, and hope it trains me to be prepared for combat "spiritually".

I believe MOST (not all) styles of combat try to train their exponents in ruthlessness.

As for me and my chosen style of combat, I visualize the ruthless of the Praying Mantis insect. Fighting to make a meal of it's prey...

I must add that this is my own limited-experienced opinion, and I could be totally of the mark. Shaking or trembling like a Mantis may do absolutely nothing for you, spiritually or otherwise...

[brothernumber9]

dance of the drunken mantis is a sam seed flick, a classic action theatre movie. I don't know how true it is but I've heard that sam seed was an actual mantis proponent. I don't know who played the villain part. Sam seed always plays an alcoholic in his movies, in this one he is an alkie that knows mantis boxing, a fellow comes along and challenges him, I don't remember if it was for revenge or whatever, but the fellow developed a drunken mantis style that seems to be superior to sam seed's mantis. I think there may also be a sub plot in it where his son who hardly knows him tries to form a relationship and learn from him. Anyway if you never seen it and can find it then rent it, it's pretty good. I won't say any more to ruin the movie and ending.