Shooting around Kowlong Tong: Ruthland Quadrant ( part 8- finale)

After 7 previous entries dedicated to the filming locations used by IFD & Filmark around Kowlong Tong, I think ( I hope) this is the last entry. I must tell I still can't really understand why IFD / Filmark crew used to shoot in the heart of Kowloong downtown. Reasons may be different from the quiet enviroment around or the proximity of some of the natural parks in Lion rock or Kam Sham. IFD & Filmark crews used to shoot without permissions so it is difficult for me to understand they dared to do it in Kowloon Tong.

Not too long ago, I re-watched War City: Die to Win, another bizarre title for the first issue from IFD War City saga. This saga offered us the adventures / crimes / fights of different crime lords all played by Mike Abbott & the same hero played by Brent Gilbert.

If you haven't been in Hong Kong you may think it is a huge place but when you are there you will find yourself as if you were in a movie plateau. Many corners will bring to your mind dozens of movies, you can easily recognice many streets, places, buildings from many different kinds of genres shot in the ex-colony.
Then if you are a die hard IFD / Filmark fan, Kowloon Tong is like a paradise; just remember Bruce Lee's former house is in Cumberland Road but you also must remember O Mas Hotel from IFD movies is just in the same street.

Check both pics, the above one belongs to War City: Die to Win, we can see a pale pink colour wall & some traffic signals poles. In the pic below, we can see the wall has been painted in white but the pink colour is still around the street nameplate & the blue direction signal is also still there. War City:Die To win was shoot in 1988 & the other pic is from 2010.

Shooting around Kowloon Tong 7: A small park in Cumberland Rd & Essex Crescent junction

I am not feeling so well lately & a big economic problems are making me sick because I can't sleep & the anxiety is too bad, so I am not paying to much attention to the blog & other internet activities. These problems may take a couple of week to be resolved or 6 months...but I don't want to leave the blog to die miserably. After all the contacts I have done, all the new friends, all the good people who has contacted me, I should continue this work. If you have sent me an email or tried to contact me but in vain, don't think I haven't got your mail or call...as soon as I can settle my present situation down, you will get a reply.

I would like to continue & finish the entries I dedicated to the locations IFD / Filmark used in Kowloon Tong. Too many movies shot in just a couple of streets & the surroundings. I still can't understand the "love" IFD & Filmark director had for this place since they could have been shooting 2 movies at the same time just getting the correct camera angles.

The pic above shows a small park located in the junction of Cumberland Road ( where Bruce Lee's former house is located) & Essex Crescent a bow-form street. The small park in the junction has been dozens times in many Hong Kong movies but it was specially used by IFD & Filmark.

Twinkle Ninja Fantasy, directed by Tommy Cheng Kai Ying under the name of Bruce Lambert shot in this park a ninja fight.

Today, the park is still there but the house in the background has suffered a total change.

Then we have another Filmark movie, Ninja in Action, that also used the park but from other camera angle where we can see Cumberland Road & the famous O mas Hotel.

Only the iron bars that protect the park walls have been changed for better!

Other movies produced by different companies who hired Godfrey Ho or Tommy Cheng at the end of the 80's also used this lovely park as a film location.
Live Hard got Godfrey Ho as a second unit director who added some new scenes in Essex Crescent park to the international version.

Fairlie Ruth Kordick who really looks like Sophia Crawford went to Kowloon Tong for her scenes!

And then, finally, almost 25 years later Simon Yam who worked in Live Hard went back to this place to shoot a scene with Samo Hung for Fatal Move.

It is nice to see how the locations used by IFD & Filmark are now "in use" again. Just remember another Simon Yam's movie Election that also used some other locations that were IFD "favourite" places...

Shooting around Kowloon Tong 6: nameless alley across Cumberland Road

One of my favourite Filmark ninja movies is Ninja Force of Assassins. The reasons? Apart from the great thai source movie starred thai superstar Chatchai Plengpanich, because of the locations used in the new pasted scenes that are quite easy to find if you walk around Kowloon.

Once again, Cumberland road, the street where Bruce Lee's home is located was again used in Ninja force of Assassins. The firt post I dedicated to Kowloon Tong locations showed this road & the O Mas Hotel. Well, just few meters away from O Mas Hotel we find a nameless alley that crosses & joins Cumberland Road with Surrey Lane.

O Mas hotel in Cumberland Road leads you to the ninja alley

A view of the ninja alley from Surrey Lane

We can see 2 green/blue knucle pins at the entrance of the alley that allowed me to recognice the place as they are shown in the movie from the opposite angle.

While the bad ninja is displaying his skills, we can see at the background a filipino maiden who in coming back from shopping & passes next to the pins located at the beggining of the alley.

The good white ninja takes an hostage in this nameless alley while a police car is patrolling Cumberland Road

A view from the entrance of the alley to the opposite side. This angle is not covered by Google Street view but Ninja Force of assassins showed it.


MORE TO COME SOON!

Shooting around Kowloon Tong 5: Surrey Lane

The first post dedicated to the shooting locations used by IFD / FILMARK crews around Kowloong Tong was about Cumberland Road, a famous street becuase of Bruce Lee's house set location & the hourly love hotels around.

Cumberland Road also includes crossed streets & alleys that were also used by Godfrey Ho & Tommy Cheng in their ninja adventures. One of the most used streets that crosses Cumberland Road was Surrey Lane.

Here we see Surrey Lane corner with Cumberland Road. we can tell this is the entrance to this street that goes along a subway pass that take us to the MTR station in Yau Yat Chuen.

Look at the top of the pic in the left side, we can see the KCR train, under the train is located the subway pass we have seen in countless Hong Kong movies such as Angel Terminator, Ninja force of Assassins, Ninja the protector or Live Hard just to mention some of them.

Then, on the right side of the pic, we see a narrow alley that has been used also in countless movies from the early 80's to almost today. That alley was seen in The struggle starred by Wilson Tong & John Cheung who will play an important role at IFD during 1986/87 as action Choreographer.

IFD used this alley in a good bunch of ninja movies such as Ninja Dragon in the scene where Richard Harrison kills a guy wearing a white t-shirt using a double chinese broad swords

The same exact location was used for some scenes in Ninja Operation 3: Licence to terminate & Operation Ninja 5: Godfather the Master (aka Power of ninjitsu)
These two movies Joseph Lai was credited as the director but they both were directed by Godfrey Ho & choreoagraphed by John Cheung. There are some pics of those shootings that prove what I am saying.

Surrey Lane Alley was also used by Godfrey ho for the first fight in Lethal Panther (aka) Deadly China Dolls

Filmark used this alley in Ninja in action


MORE TO COME SOON

Shooting around Kowloon Tong 4: Corner 48-6 Fa Po Street / Tat Chee Avenue

Here we go again: I know Frankie Chan's masterpiece Outlaw Brothers has nothing to do with IFD or Filmark productions. Or maybe it has...We can find an All Star Cast gweilohs in this film & all of them were the main starts on Joseph Lai's & Tomas Tang's productions. Even many of them, like Jonathan Isgar, Steve Tartalia, Bruce Fontaine, Mark Houghton & Ken Goodman have more important roles in Outlaw Brothers than in other productions. Even Donald Kong Do, action director & director at Filmark has role in Outlaw Brothers, that why this post is needed to be in this site dedicated to IFD & Filmark.

Some time I go while I was re-watching Outlaw Brothers I recogniced, as it happened in Die Hard, many of the stunts, shots were filmed in Kowloon Tong, a quiet residential place in Hong Kong full of Love Hotels ( no brothels), Schools & even Bruce Lee's former home. Kowloon was a prefect place to shoot inside the city without the noisy & craziness of TST or HK island.

Well, as I said while I was re-watching Outlaw Brothers I noticed a street label in the snapshot below: FA PO STREET a very looooong street surrounded by many other streets with flower names.

Checking the pic we see the Yukari's Car is stopped in a corner that connect Fa Po Street with other road, Tat Chee Avenue. But there are two corners that connect both roads & this part of Kowloon Tong /Yau Yat Chuen, unlike many parts of Kowloon Tong, has changed a lot since 1989 & I needed to find some small details to find out the real location.

And here we are, thanks to Google Earth & Street View tool I have been able to find a similar shot. We don't have Yukari in a red Ferrari but we have a black family van in the same position, & the surroundings has become into tall buildings that don't allow us to enjoy the mountains at the back.

Fa Po street signal that witnessed the shooting of Ourlaw Brothers is still there. The government just added some numbers to it.

MORE TO COME SOON

Shooting around Kowloon Tong part 3: WELLCOME in Selkirk Road /Oxford Road corner

Kowloon Tong was and still is a great quiet place to shoot movies. Its quiet streets & countless alleys allow the crews to shoot with not many public disturbances. As we have checked watching IFD & Filmark movies Ninjas could walk & fight calmly aorund Kowloong without problems or too many witnesses.

Marko Ritchie & Nina Pachy are ninjas who prefer Wellcome rather than Park 'n Shop. When Rage of the ninja was shot Selkirk road Wellcome supermarket was painted on yellow.

While I was re-watching Rage of a Ninja, the second & last movie Mike Abbott starred along Marko Ritchie, I recogniced Selkirk Road, located in the heart of Kowloon Tong but alongside the the area of Cumberland Road where most love hotels, Bruce Lee's home & some Catholic schools are located.
Selkirk Road runs perpendicular between Cambridge Road & Oxford Road. And we can find a WELL COME Supermarket at the corner of Oxford/ Selkirk road where Godfrey Ho put his camera & John Cheung Ng-Long choreographed the ninja fight between Marko Ritchie & Mike Abb0tt's henchmen.

Today, almost 25 years later Selkirk road remains unchanged, only the wall paint has changed from yellow to white!

It is an interesting shot, since we see the hero coming out from that Wellcome supermarket followed by a girl who is also a bad ninja. That branch of Wellcome Supermarket still on bussiness today.

A ninja supermarket in Kowloon Tong!

TO BE CONTINUED

Shooting around Kowloon Tong Part 2

Live Hard directed in 1989 by Yuen Cheung Yan & choreographed by the Yuen Clan is not a IFD / FILMARK / ASSO ASIA movie & the Lai Brothers has nothing to do with it but I have my reasons to include this film in the blog because there is a thin link among Live Hard, Godfrey Ho & the working ways that made famous IFD & Filmark.

Hong Kong art cover for Live Hard, this version doesn't include the new added scenes by Godfrey Ho

Last year, I managed to talk to Steve Tartalia about his experiences & live in Hong Kong during the golden age of HK action movies. An "average" fan would have asked him about his movies with Jackie Chan or his experience while he was working with other big names such as Tsui Hark but I since I am a weirdo I just asked about his movies for Godfrey Ho & IFD & he was kind enough to give me many answers, some of them delighted me like the ones related to Live Hard.

As it has been said above, Live Hard was shot by Yuen Cheung Yan & it was released in Hong Kong as another action movie starred by Simon Yam & "angel" star Elaine Lui who were supported by many kung fu stars who were recycling themselves into modern day action heroes. Some people know this movie was released in the western markets with new added scenes starred by the regular gweilohs & chinese staff seen in most of IFD & Filmark movies...what probably people don't know is those new added scenes for the international version of Live Hard were directed by the one & the only Godfrey Ho.

Steve Tartaglia remembers the shooting of his death in Live Hard. Godfrey was the man behind it.

At the time of Live Hard, Godfrey Ho was already a master editing new fotage in other's people movies. So he was the chosen one to give an international look to Live Hard & since the original cut was shot almost completely around the streets of Kowloon Tong, Godfrey didn't have to think too much about the locations for his new shots.

So all this story comes just to tell you here we have Verbena Road seen at the very first begining after the title credits when a couple of hired killers try to kill Steve Tartalia.

Today, Verbena Road in Kowloon Tong remains almost unchanged. Check the wall blocks in both pics.

TO BE CONTINUED

Shooting around Kowloon Tong Part 1

Kowloon Tong is well-known by two different but related reasons such as it is a place full of love hotels (Do I need to explain what those nice places are????) & because Bruce Lee's house has its location, also turned into a love hotel...just imagine the situation of yourself smooching & "training" with your couple among the walls where Bruce Lee trained his muscles!!!! What a ghoulish experience, right???

But Bruce Lee's house was not the chosen place by Filmark to shoot their scenes around Kowloon Tong, it was O MAS Hotel, a place in the same sidewalk that has a small park close, an adventage to put the camera & enjoy some more angles.

Ninjas in love hotels???? Everything is possible in Filmark movies!

Bruce Lee's home was / is exactly located at 41 Cumberland Road, a place that became very cinematographic in spite the kind of bussiness that are run in the area. Filmark used Cumberland road to shoot many of their ninja / action scenes & they always put on the screen O MAS HOTEL.

It seems Tommy Cheng enjoyed O Mas hotel a lot.

IFD also shot many scenes around althought never offered us the O Mas Hotel directly, we just spotted it in the distance in movies like War City: Die or Win but Filmark movies directed by Tommy Cheng Kei Ying were the ones that always had an excuse to show us the place. Was O Mas hotel a sponsor for Filmark? who knows?

Cumberland road hasn't changed too much since the 80's

Ninja Force of assassins showed us O Mas Hotel several times during its 85 running time minutes and we see one of the main actors going out from the place for no reason since we ncer saw him going inside.

People go to love hotel in couples, but our hero in Ninja force of assassins is a poor lonely man who lives in O Mas Hotel with no companion...what an strange guy.

Then we have Ninja in Action, a movie where O MAS hotel is not only showed to us from outside but also inside: Stuart Smith has an encounter with his girlfriend after they have been attacked by some ninjas.

Jump, come with me, I would like to show you something...

Blue slips in O Mas Hotel...O Mas Hotel is too blue!

Cumberland Road hasn't change too much since Tommy Cheng kei Ying shot there his movies. We can check it by ourselves using google earth tools. O Mas Hotel only changed his original label where a gentleman in a red coat invited us to enter & have a nice time.

Two different angles from cumberland Road & O Mas Hotel

To Be Continued!

Algunas curiosidades sobre NINJA DRAGON de la IFD

Ninja Dragon fue una de las primeras películas que Richard Harrison hizo para la IFD, tras la saga Thunderbolt en 1985 a pesar de que la fecha del copyright sea de 1986. En esa época Joseph Lai y sus secuaces aún se preocupaban por la factura técnica del producto y contrataban secundarios y a técnicos ( cámaras, especilistas, secundarios con curriculum) con más capacidad profesional que los vistos en posteriores producciones.

Tras el éxito que obtuvo Ni nja Thunderbolt en los mercados internacionales del video, Joseph Lai nos ofreció algunas películas con ninjas en las que no era difícil encontrar buenos momentos e incluso calidad técnica como ocurre en Ninja Dragon.

En Ninja Dragon el coreografo de las escenas ninjas fue Donald Kong Do visto además en un papel muy secundario. Las escenas coreografiadas por Kong son dinámicas y rápidas y el prólogo de la película nos es presentado como muchas películas de kung fu clásico donde veiamos a los actores luchar delante de un fondo rojo donde demostraban sus habilidades y movimientos que luego desarrollarian mas profundamente durante el metraje. Poco después Kong Do se marcharia a la Filmark de Tomas Tang y el actor John Chiang tomaría el relevo como coreografo oficial de la IFD junto a Philip Ko y Ridley Tsui.

Visualmente Ninja Dragon formaría una cuatrilogia formada por Ninja Terminator y Diamond Ninja force y Ninja the protector con las que comparte la mayoria de actores secundarios, coreografo, localizaciones de rodaje, vestuario y director.

Caratula original de VHS español

El antagonista de Richard Harrison en Ninja Dragon es Paulo Tocha que por las mismas fechas habia trabajado en Hong Kong Godfather de la Shaw Bros. Lo más sorprendente es que Joseph Lai nos lo quiso vender como un refrito de Bruce Lee y Stallone bajo el nombre artistico Bruce Stallion. La cosa no debió cuajar porque los siguientes trabajos de Tocha para la IFD se limitaron a meras apariciones como extra. Ante tal panorama Tocha cogió puerta y se convirtio en actor estrella en un par de producciones de la Filmark de Tomas Tang. Poco después Tocha llamaria la atención internacional gracias a su papel del Kickboxer Paco en Contacto Sangriento, la película que hizo de Van Damme un autentico ídolo.

Paulo Tocha fue acreditado como Bruce Stallion en su debut como actor principal en la ex-colonia. Poco después saborearia las mieles de éxito en producciones de mayor enjundia, éxito que sigue disfrutando hoy a nivel profesional. Pena que no quiera recordar sus inicios.

Ninja Dragon es una película que sobresale por muchas razones de los productos a los que nos acostumbró Joseph Lai poco después pero quizás el aspecto mas importante sea que su "relleno" sea una película taiwanesa que no es sino un remake de un film de la Shaw Bros llamado BROTHERHOOD. La similitud de ambas películas es tal que no solo el guión y la puesta en escena sean calacadas es que además ambas películas comparten muchos de los mismos actores!!!!!!

Caratula del DVD inglés de Ninja Dragon.

Las escenas ninjas de Ninja Dragon se rodaron en varios puntos de Kowloon Park ( igual que Ninja Terminator) situado en el distrito de Tsim Tsa Tsui a pocos metros de donde se situaban las antiguas oficinas de la IFD. Otros exteriores reconocibles son algunas zonas del distrito Central de la isla de Hong Kong y el duelo final se rodó integramente en Signal Hill, un pequeño jardín situado justo detrás del famoso edificio Chungking Mansions. En ese mismo lugar se rodaron la mayoria de las nuevas escenas usadas en Silver Dragon Ninja, la primera película que Donald Kon Do rodó para la Filmark de Tomas Tang y que casualmente contó con Paulo Tocha como principal actor.

Signal Hill Garden en 1985 cuando se rodó Ninja Dragon

Signal Hill Garden en Agosto de 2009, casi 25 años después del rodaje de Ninja Dragon, el lugar apenas ha sufrido cambios de importancia.

Ninja Dragon nos cuenta la historia de varios mafiosos internacionales que compiten entre si en el Shanghai de los años 30. Gordon Richards ( Richard Harrison) es un banquero que se está quedando con la mayor parte del pastel lo que hará que la competencia tire del ninjitsu para acabar con él, aunque antes tendran que eliminar a su socio.

El film de relleno que usó Godfrey Ho para darle cuerpo a Ninja Dragon, era simplemente un remake taiwanés de una peli de gangsters de la Shaw Brothers.

En definitiva, Ninja Dragon es un buen ejemplo que prueba que si Joseph Lai le hubiese puesto algo más de cariño a sus productos la historia hubiese sido muy diferente a la que conocemos y sus películas no serian tan vapuleadas por los fans como lo han sido y lo siguen siendo.

Localizaciones de la IFD en Taiwan

No puedo estar mas de 4 dias seguidos sin dejar de pensar en la IFD de Joseph Lai o en la Filmark de Tomas Tang. Esta afición mia a los productos de estos caballeros es ya algo más que una obsesión, se han pegado a mi como parásitos chupavidas y no puedo desprenderme de ellos. Cada vez que vuelvo a ver alguna de sus pelis me sale el instinto detectivesco y allá me lanzo en busca y captura de algún tipo de información que arroje algo de luz a las películas mas denostadas pero al mismo tiempo distribuidas a lo largo del ancho mundo y que el tiempo y su extrema bizarrez les están otorgando un estatus de culto en muchísimos lugares por lo que cada vez son más los que salen del armario y confiesan abiertamente que les gustan ( o al menos les diverte) las películas de la IFD y la FILMARK.

Que nadie se lleve a engaño. La IFD nunca rodó nada en Taiwan, el pícaro de Joseph Lai usó películas Taiwanesas para sus productos de terror, ninjas, kung fu..etc etc intercalando imágenes y secuencias rodadas en HK. Quién no conozca geográficamente ambos lugares, no notaría la diferencia, pero cualquiera con un mínimo interés turístico-cultural-cinéfago ( e incluso erótico, no nos engañemos), se daría cuenta de que una persecución en coche que empieza en Japón y termina en TST, Hong Kong, no es muy creible por mucho que los diálogos nos indiquen lo contrario como sucede en Ninja Thunderbolt por poner un ejemplo.

ninja thunderbolt se rodo entre Taiwan,Japon y HK, pero el doblaje nos quiere hacer creer que toda la accion se desarrolla en HK

El turno le toca ahora a GOLDEN NINJA WARRIOR y a DIAMOND NINJA FORCE, ambas pelis supuestamente “dirigidas” por Joseph Lai en el primer caso y por Godfrey Ho la segunda. No quiero reseñar las pelis, ya que existen miles de reseñas, sobre todo de Golden ninja warrior, en casi todos los idiomas usados en internet, pero si quisiera añadir algunos datos y curiosidades sobre estos dos títulos míticos que junto a Ninja Terminator y The Ultimate ninja tienen en común el uso y riñas entre los diferentes imperios ninjas por la dichosa estatuilla del guerrero ninja dorado.

La IFD le dedico 4 magnificas peliculas 4 a esta estatuilla

Entre la mayoria del fandom de las pelis de Joseph Lai, aún existe el falso rumor de que Ninja thunderbolt es la primera y unica peli de Joseph Lai que no tenía insertos postizos o dicho de otra manera que no pertenecia al grupo del “corta y pega” que luego hicieron famosos tanto Lai como Tang. El VCD de Ocean Shores de THE NINJA & THE THIEF demostró que era falso. Todas las pelis de ninjas de la IFD usaron el metodo del corta y pega. La única que incluye menos metraje nuevo es GOLDEN NINJA WARRIOR que se limita a un resumen de la pelea final de Ninja Terminator como prólogo ya que el metraje restante es una película 100% Taiwanesa sin ningún aderezo.

La única peli con ninjas de Lai que no es un "corta y pega" si obviamos la intro

Esta misma localizacion se puede ver de pasada en DIAMOND NINJA FORCE donde los protas asiaticos corren por la playa y en un momento dado se ponen a chingar que da gusto.
Y ademas existe una película titulada WHITE PHANTOM ( editada en España como El fantasma blanco) rodada en Taiwan que tambien uso el mismo lugar para sus enfrentamientos ninja.
Asi que una vez localizado el lugar en la isla de Taiwán, me puse mi gorra de pensar ( como dice el samura) y con el google y el google earth a punto, me dispuse a la caza y captura del dichoso emplazamiento. Y.....bingoooooo, de nuevo. Otra vez di en el clavo!!!!
Las localizaciones de rodaje de GOLDEN NINJA WARRIOR, DIAMOND NINJA FORCE estan situadas en Sanjhih una ciudad al norte de Taipei. Comprueben ustedes mismos las fotos y cuando la impresión les deje respirar tranquilos, enivenme unos jamones, vinillos y muchos litros cubicos de Cerveza Franziskaner para que me pueda reponer de tantas horas de búsqueda y ataduras de cabos.

Tachan, Tachan, ¿Donde esta le golden ninja warrior?

Estos interiores se usaron tambien en White Phantom

Que Bonito es la memoria fotografica ¿verdad?

Según he leido por algunos sitios de internet, este lugar fue una especie de resort turístico, pero que los fuertes vientos que soplan por la zona, hizo que el proyecto se viniese abajo y finalmente fue abandonado. ¿Cuándo se construyo? ¿Cuánto duro el negocio? ¿Cuál fue la verdadera causa del abandono?. Lo que si hay que decir que el sitio da un yuyu impresionante, ya que la atmosfera fantasmagórica y esas formas geométricas del lugar, no es algo que veamos todos los dias a menos que hagais como yo y esteis engachados a las pelis de Tomas Tang y Joseph Lai de forma tan enfermiza como yo.