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The Making of Ip Man: A Biopic About Wing Chun’s Greatest Grandmaster
Action star Donnie Yen, director Wilson Yip and stunt coordinator Sammo Hung have collaborated on some of the most explosive movies in Hong Kong cinema, but their acclaimed biopic Ip Man shows they have come of age as filmmakers. Taking on one of the most respected figures of martial arts was always going to be a daunting task but the trio have created a respectful, mature and entertaining glimpse into the life of a real legend.
Ip Man was a Grandmaster of Wing Chun and one of the first to teach the Chinese martial art, which concentrates on close-range combat, openly. Eventually, he would go on to train superstar Bruce Lee but Wilson Yip’s film focuses on a turbulent period of his life when China was occupied by Japanese forces in the 1930s. Stripped of his wealth and status, Ip Man (Donnie Yen) does his best to support his family but refuses to teach Wing Chun to the oppressors, instead helping his countrymen to fight back and quickly becoming a national hero.
Wilson Yip’s intricate period detail creates an epic feel while Sammo Hung’s beautifully choreographed stunt work make for some of the best fight scenes of recent years. But it’s Donnie Yen’s central performance that is the heart of the movie, bringing quiet dignity to the iconic figure and ensuring that Wing Chun itself is given the respect it deserves.
The film stormed the Asian box office and a sequel is currently being filmed that will follow Ip Man as he brings Wing Chun to Hong Kong and a young Bruce Lee. Donnie Yen, Wilson Yip and Sammo Hung were all able to take a break from shooting and tell Combat about bringing the legend to life…
What drew you to make a film about the legendary Ip Man and this specific period of his life?
Donnie Yen: As a lot of people know, Bruce Lee is my idol, so I always knew of Grandmaster Ip Man as Bruce Lee’s teacher. I never really studied Wing Chun when I was younger, but I would look at books about it, if I met someone who did Wing Chun I would ask them to show me some moves. When (producer) Raymond Wong approached me to play Ip Man, I immediately thought this would be a great challenge and a great opportunity.
Wilson Yip: I thought it would be interesting to look back at Foshan in that period, all these martial arts schools competing against each other. At the start, they’re fighting but it’s quite playful, no-one is getting killed. Then, when the Japanese come, all the Chinese fighters have to join forces against them. It’s a unique time in history, and Ip Man lived through it.
Would the film have worked without Donnie in the lead role?
Wilson Yip: I don’t think so, no. I think he is perfect for this role, and especially at this stage of his life and career. We’ve worked together several times, so I know his character very well. Like Ip Man, he’s devoted to his family and to his friends, and he’s also a martial arts master. I could tell immediately he would be the right choice for Ip Man.
You’ve all worked together on films before; did those experiences help on this project?
Donnie Yen: Obviously, after three films together, Wilson and I have a very good working relationship. For this film, I really stepped back and was just the actor. I trusted him with the drama and director (Sammo) Hung with the action. It really allowed me to focus on my performance, and a lot of people commented on my acting in the film, in a good way, which was very gratifying.
Sammo Hung: I worked with Wilson before, on Sha Po Long (SPL). At that time, Donnie was the action director, I was just the actor. However, we work together very well. Wilson is very quiet, very calm. He trusts his action director, and he focuses on the drama. However, he always wants to be on the set to make sure the drama and the action ‘match’.
Were you ever daunted by the idea you were bringing such an important martial arts figure to the screen?
Donnie Yen: I don’t think you can approach it like that. You have to just create a character for the film, and you have to do your research. If it’s a real person, you can talk to people who knew them. I met several masters of Wing Chun who had known Ip Man, including his son, Ip Chun, and they gave me a lot of information about his habits, his character. I didn’t feel intimidated by it, but I did feel the pressure to live up to this legend.
Wilson Yip: We talked to people who had known Ip Man, and who remember Foshan before the war. We went to Foshan now and visited the museums there. The actual studio we filmed at is in Shanghai, but I feel we really captured the feel of Foshan in that period.
As a character, Ip Man isn’t the typical action hero seen in other Hong Kong movies…
Donnie Yen: Some of the characters I’ve played, all they ever did for the whole movie was fight. This role is very different from that. Ip Man was a family man, a scholar. He didn’t need to teach kung fu for money. He just loved martial art for its own sake. He really doesn’t want to fight, unless it’s a friendly challenge match, like the one at the beginning. Otherwise, he has to be forced into action, so it was a very different role for me, but a very rewarding one.
He’s on the side of those who can’t fight back so in a way it feels like a classic Bruce Lee movie. Was it your intention to pay homage to those action films?
Wilson Yip: No-one can make a martial arts film without being compared to Bruce Lee. He’s still the king! I think that, if Bruce Lee had lived, maybe he would have made a classic ‘kung fu movie’, with a good story and good actors. Definitely I was influenced by him. The scene where Ip Man takes on the ten Japanese fighters is clearly inspired by Lee’s Fist of Fury. He’s the idol of Donnie and myself, so it’s an honour to be compared to him.
What did you know about the art of Wing Chun itself before starting the movie?
Sammo Hung: Many years ago, when I was working at Golden Harvest, I did two movies about Wing Chun (Warriors Two and Prodigal Son) and, for some reason, that style really suited me. Lau Sifu (Lau Kar-leung) always used the Hung Gar style, so I focussed on Wing Chun. My teacher at that time was Guy Lai. He was a student of Ip Man. I often used Wing Chun technique, even on my TV series, Martial Law, and, a couple of years ago, I shot a TV series about Wing Chun. So by now I am very familiar with the style. I can say that, for Ip Man, I think we showed the most accurate Wing Chun on film.
Wilson Yip: I was a big fan of Bruce Lee, and I knew that he had trained with Ip Man. When I was younger, some friends of mine had trained in Wing Chun, and showed me some movements. I was always very impressed by what I saw of Wing Chun, but I never really knew a lot about it until I started researching this film….
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