Thanks to everyone for joining us at Films at the Gate 2009.

See you next year.

Join us for our final night as we show Shaolin Soccer at Chinatown Park. The park is just on the other side of the Chinatown Gate from our traditional home on the vacant lot. We’re grateful to the Greenway Conservancy for working with us to make this possible.

Come down and enjoy the show (and the park).

Over-the-top physical comedy and a heart-warming story about underdogs who triumph over evil made this film an international hit. Learn more about Action Director Ching Siu-tung from Films at the Gate Curator, Jean Lukitsh.

Tonight’s film will be preceded by a Tai Chi and martial arts demonstration class by Bow Sim Mark Tai Chi Arts Association and a short film by local filmmaker Nathan A. Quattrini titled: AMERICAN CHOP SUEY, starting at approximately 6:30PM.

Shaolin Soccer will be shown with Chinese language audio and English subtitles. Directions and event details here.

A limited number of rented chairs will be available. Please bring your own seating if possible, so we can save chairs for people who need them. See you tonight.

Check this site for the latest announcements about tomorrow’s schedule. We’ll aim to close out the series tomorrow night (Sunday) with SHAOLIN SOCCER.

Thanks to performers, volunteers, and crew for being on stand-by today. See you tomorrow night.

Tonight’s film, Drunken Master, is scheduled to be shown at the Chinatown Park, just on the other side of the Chinatown Gate from our usual location. In case of heavy rain heading into the evening, tonight will be cancelled—there will not be an indoor rain location.

Thanks for coming out last night. An early rain cleared up, and we all enjoyed Fist of Legend:

Thanks for another great night at Films at the Gate.

(Sent from my mobile phone)

In this 1994 film, Jet Li plays Chen Zhen, the hero made famous by Bruce Lee in FIST OF FURY, who avenges the death of his teacher despite the opposition of the Japanese military. (Special thanks to Bey Logan, Vice-president of Asian Acquisitions and Co-production at The Weinstein Company, for permitting the screening of the Dragon Dynasty DVD Fist of Legend.)

Friday’s film will be preceded by a lion dance, a demonstration class, and a Kung Fu demonstration from approximately 6:30 PM to 7:30PM by the Wah Lum Kung Fu Athletic Association. Learn more about the demonstration classes at this year’s Films at the Gate. Tonight’s film will also be preceded by a short film by local filmmaker Nathan A. Quattrini titled: FIVE MINUTES FLAT at approximately 7:30 PM.

Thanks for helping us bring back a tradition of watching movies together in Chinatown. Full film schedule. Directions and details.

Nathan brings a fan’s passion for classic kung fu movies combined with a professional’s eye for choreography and direction to his work. The result is a New England take on Hong Kong action! See FIVE MINUTES FLAT on Friday and AMERICAN CHOP SUEY on Sunday at Films at the Gate.

Photography by Jeremy Brown.

Swords and sorcery save the day in this comedy/horror film about a hapless young scholar who loves a ghost and must learn to fight the demon who has enslaved her. Learn more about Director Ching Siu-tung from Films at the Gate Curator, Jean Lukitsh.

As we enter the home stretch:

Download terrific new posters and bookmarks created by Catherine Lim of ACDC and help spread the word.

Become a Sponsor—there is still plenty of time to make a difference and see your name up on the screen.

Bring your own seating, if possible, so older folks can use our rented chairs.

Plan your visit to Chinatown, including a visit to local restaurants and shops.

See you tonight for A CHINESE GHOST STORY.

Drunken Master (1978): Yuen Siu-tin (left) & Jackie Chan

On Saturday night, Films at the Gate will feature Jackie Chan’s DRUNKEN MASTER. Check out the full schedule of films here, or read on as Films at the Gate Curator Jean Lukitsh introduces the real drunken master behind Saturday’s film:

Jackie Chan’s DRUNKEN MASTER (1978) is one of the best-loved kung fu comedies of all time. The story is very loosely based on the oral traditions of the Hung Gar school about a famous kung fu expert named Wong Fei-hung. The real Wong Fei-hung died in 1924, but his exploits have been inspired dozens of films. For DRUNKEN MASTER, Jackie Chan and his director, Yuen Woo-ping, decided to have a little fun with the legendary hero. They re-imagined Wong Fei-hung as a naughty teen whose high spirits and lack of restraint exasperates the adults around him. The joke was appreciated by Hong Kong audiences used to seeing Wong portrayed as an austere patriot.

Thundering Red Rose (1963): Yuen Siu-tin at left.

For Chan’s comic foil in the film, Yuen Woo-ping (best known for choreographing KILL BILL, the MATRIX films, and CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON) called in his own father, a veteran kung fu actor. Yuen Siu-tin (also known as Yuan Xiaotian) had been working in films since the late 1920s. His career started in Shanghai, the first Chinese film capitol, when he was hired to choreograph and stunt perform in a series of swordplay films by the pioneer action filmmaker Ren Pengnian (Yam Pang-nin). Ren’s wife, the martial arts actress Wu Lizhu, was the star of the films. Ren and Wu emigrated to Hong Kong shortly before World War II, and Yuen Siu-tin followed them after the war. Soon all three were working together again in the local film industry.

Yuen Siu-tin became one of Hong Kong’s top kung fu movie choreographers, joining an elite group called the “Dragon Tiger Masters.” He worked on dozens of martial arts and action films from the late 1940s through the 1960s. His sons, including Woo-ping, followed him into the profession. For DRUNKEN MASTER, Yuen Siu-tin stepped into a rare leading role. He plays the disreputable Beggar So, an unconventional kung fu master who whips Jackie’s bad boy into shape. Despite being over forty years older than Chan, Yuen Siu-tin is a worthy adversary. His comic timing and adroit way with the action choreography (he’s sometimes stunt-doubled by his son Brandy Yuen) contributed greatly to the success of the film. Yuen went on to reprise the Drunken Master role in at least a half dozen other films before his death in 1980.

ALL THE PEOPLE OF ONE MIND (1948), directed by Ren Pengnian, starring Wu Lizhu, and with Yuen Siu-tin playing a Japanese soldier.