Wong Kar-Wai's Ip Man Movie THE GRANDMASTER

Wong Kar-Wai is considered one of the greatest auteurs in international cinema. His new movie will be one that tells the true-to-life story of the Wing Chun grandmaster Ip Man. The story spans the tumultuous Republican era that followed the fall of China’s last dynasty, a time of chaos, division and war that was also the golden age of Chinese martial arts. The Grandmaster stars Zhang Ziyi, Tony Leung, Hye-kyo Song, Chen Chang, Yuen Woo-ping, Shun Lau and Siu-Lung Leung. The film is scheduled for release in the US August 23, 2013. [check out full article after the jump]

A Hongkong movie based on the same Chinese historical figure was also made and was released 2008, with Donnie Yen playing Ip Man. The film was simply entitled IP MAN and it was a loose adaptation of Ip Man's life story that centered more on the martial arts aspect of Ip Man's life story. The Grandmaster will focus more on the reflections, musings, and philosophies of Ip Man.

Wong Kar-wai's The Grandmaster concentrates more on the end of an era in Chinese martial arts history as the Second Sino-Japanese War broke out. It was created in an almost biographical style, highlighting parts of history. In contrast with the other Yip Man-related projects, The Grandmaster is a more reflective film, focusing more on the musings and philosophies between martial arts and life, as well as Yip Man's journey through the early 1930s to the early 1950s.

It was released on January 8, 2013 in China, and has earned HK$21,156,949 (US$2.7 million) at the Hong Kong box office, and grossed over 312 million yuan (US$50 million) at the mainland Chinese box office, thus becoming Wong's highest grossing film to date. It was the opening film at the 63rd Berlin International Film Festival in February 2013. The film was selected as part of the 2013 Hong Kong International Film Festival. In February this year, the Weinstein Company has acquired the international distribution rights for the film, and set it for an August 23, 2013 US release date. [check out the trailer for THE GRANDMASTER below]