The Karate Kid

For other uses, see Karate Kid (disambiguation).
The Karate Kid

Theatrical release poster
Directed by John G. Avildsen
Produced by Jerry Weintraub
Written by Robert Mark Kamen
Starring
Music by Bill Conti
Cinematography James Crabe
Edited by John G. Avildsen
Walt Mulconery
Bud S. Smith
Distributed by Columbia Pictures
Release dates
  • June 22, 1984
Running time
 126 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Budget $8 million[1]
Box office $90.8 million[2]

The Karate Kid is a 1984 American martial arts drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and written by Robert Mark Kamen, starring Ralph Macchio, who was 22 years old during principal photography, Noriyuki "Pat" Morita and Elisabeth Shue.[3][4] It is an underdog story in the mold of a previous success, Avildsen's 1976 film Rocky. It was a commercial success upon release, and garnered favorable critical acclaim, earning Morita an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

Plot

Daniel LaRusso, a high school senior, moves with his mother Lucille from Newark, New Jersey to Reseda, a neighborhood in the Los Angeles, San Fernando Valley area. Their apartment's handyman is an eccentric but kind and humble Okinawan immigrant named Kesuke Miyagi.

Daniel befriends Ali Mills, a high school cheerleader, which draws the attentions of her arrogant ex-boyfriend, Johnny Lawrence, a skilled practitioner of "Cobra Kai", an unethical and vicious form of karate. Johnny and his Cobra Kai gang continually torment Daniel, savagely beating him until Mr. Miyagi intervenes and single-handedly defeats the five attackers with ease. Amazed, Daniel asks Mr. Miyagi to teach him to fight. Miyagi refuses, but agrees to bring Daniel to the Cobra Kai dojo to resolve the conflict. They meet with the sensei, John Kreese, an ex-Special Forces Vietnam veteran who callously dismisses the peace offering. Miyagi then proposes that Daniel enter the All-Valley Karate Tournament, where he can compete with Johnny and the other Cobra Kai students on equal terms, and requests that the bullying cease while Daniel trains. Kreese agrees to the terms, but warns that if Daniel does not show up for the tournament, the harassment will resume and Miyagi himself will also become a target.

Daniel's training starts with menial chores that he believes only makes him Miyagi's slave. When he becomes frustrated, it is explained that these actions have helped him to learn defensive blocks through muscle memory. Their bond develops and Daniel learns about Miyagi's double loss of his wife and son in childbirth at Manzanar internment camp while he was serving with the 442nd Infantry Regiment during World War II in Europe, where he received the Medal of valor. Through Mr. Miyagi's teaching, Daniel learns not only karate but also important life lessons such as the importance of personal balance, reflected in the principle that martial arts training is as much about training the spirit as the body. Daniel applies the life lessons that Mr. Miyagi has taught him to strengthen his relationship with Ali.

At the tournament, Daniel surprises everyone by reaching the semi-finals. Johnny advances to the finals, scoring three unanswered points against a highly skilled opponent. Kreese instructs Bobby Brown, one of his more compassionate students and the least vicious of Daniel's tormentors, to disable Daniel with an illegal attack to the knee. Bobby reluctantly does so, severely injuring Daniel and getting disqualified in the process. Daniel is taken to the locker room, with the physician determining that he cannot continue, but Daniel believes that if he does not continue, his tormentors will have gotten the best of him. He convinces Miyagi to use a pain suppression technique to allow him to finish the tournament. As Johnny is about to be declared the winner by default, Daniel hobbles into the ring. The match is a seesaw battle, as neither is able to break through the other's defenses.

The match is halted when Daniel uses a scissor leg technique to trip Johnny, deliver a blow to the back of the head and give Johnny a nose bleed. Kreese directs Johnny to sweep Daniel's injured leg, an unethical move. Johnny looks horrified at the order, but reluctantly agrees under Kreese's intimidation. As the match resumes, Johnny seizes Daniel's leg and delivers a vicious blow, doing further damage. Daniel, standing with difficulty assumes the "Crane" stance, a technique he observed Mr. Miyagi performing on the beach. Johnny lunges toward Daniel, who jumps and delivers a front kick to Johnny's chin, winning the tournament. Johnny, having gained newfound respect for his nemesis, takes Daniel's trophy from the Master of Ceremonies and presents it to Daniel himself as Mr. Miyagi, Ali, and Daniel's mother all celebrate his victory.

Cast

Casting

According to the special edition DVD commentary, the studio originally wanted the role of Mr. Miyagi to be played by Toshiro Mifune, but writer Robert Mark Kamen was opposed to that casting choice. Mako Iwamatsu was also considered for the role of Mr. Miyagi, but was not available due to prior commitments to film Conan the Destroyer, though he would eventually play a similar role in the film Sidekicks.

Music

The soundtrack album (containing songs from the film) was released on Casablanca Records. Of particular note is Joe Esposito's "You're the Best", featured during the tournament montage near the end of the first film. Bananarama's 1984 hit song "Cruel Summer" also made its first U.S. appearance in the movie but was excluded from the film's soundtrack album. Other songs featured in the film were left off the album, including "Please Answer Me", performed by Broken Edge, and "The Ride" performed by The Matches.

The instrumental scores for all four Karate Kid films were composed by Bill Conti, orchestrated by Jack Eskew, and featured pan flute solos by Gheorge Zamfir. On March 12, 2007, Varèse Sarabande released all four Karate Kid scores in a 4-CD box set limited to 2,500 copies worldwide.[5]

"You're The Best" was originally written for Rocky III, but was rejected by Silvester Stallone in favor of Survivor's "Eye Of The Tiger" Ironically, Survivor also performed the main theme ("The Moment Of Truth") for The Karate Kid.

Track listing for 1984 soundtrack
  1. "The Moment of Truth" (Survivor)
  2. "(Bop Bop) On the Beach" (The Flirts, Jan & Dean)
  3. "No Shelter" (Broken Edge)
  4. "Young Hearts" (Commuter)
  5. "(It Takes) Two to Tango" (Paul Davis)
  6. "Tough Love" (Shandi)
  7. "Rhythm Man" (St. Regis)
  8. "Feel the Night" (Baxter Robertson)
  9. "Desire" (Gang of Four)
  10. "You're the Best" (Joe Esposito)

Reception

The Karate Kid ranked #40 on Entertainment Weekly's list of the 50 Best High School Movies.[6] The film retains a 90% "Certified Fresh" rating at Rotten Tomatoes, based on 41 reviews.[7]

On its release, Roger Ebert called the film one of the year's best, gave it four stars out of four, and described it as an "exciting, sweet-tempered, heart-warming story with one of the most interesting friendships in a long time."[8] Janet Maslin of The New York Times also gave a positive review.[9]

Upon the release of the 2010 remake, Dana Stevens wrote, "The 1984 original ... may have seemed like a standard-issue inspirational sports picture at the time, but (as with another box-office hit of the same year, The Terminator) a generation of remove reveals what a well-crafted movie it actually was. Rewatched today, the original Kid, directed by Rocky's John G. Avildsen, feels smart and fresh, with a wealth of small character details and a leisurely middle section that explores the boy's developing respect for his teacher."[10]

Novelization

A novelization was made by B.B. Hiller and published in 1984. The novel had a scene that was in the rehearsal when Daniel encounters Johnny during school at lunch. Also at the end, there was a battle between Miyagi and Kreese in the parking lot after the tournament which was the original ending for the film but was later cut and was picked for the beginning of The Karate Kid Part II.

Legacy

The film spawned a franchise of related items and memorabilia such as action figures, head bands, posters, T-shirts and a video game. A short-lived animated series spin-off aired on NBC in 1989. The film had three sequels, and it launched the career of Macchio, who would turn into a teen idol featured on the covers of magazines such as Tiger Beat. It revitalized the acting career of Morita, previously known mostly for his comedic role as Arnold on Happy Days, who was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for his performance as Mr. Miyagi. Morita reprised his role in three subsequent sequels.[11]

Awards and honors

References

  1. ↑ Straight to DVD: Original "Karate Kid" on Blu-ray. Salon.com. Retrieved June 14, 2013.
  2. ↑ "The Karate Kid". Box Office Mojo. CBS. Retrieved 2007-03-13.
  3. ↑ "The Karate Kid". Allmovie. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved April 28, 2011.
  4. ↑ Maslin, Janet. "The Karate Kid (1984)". The New York Times. Retrieved April 28, 2011.
  5. ↑ "The Karate Kid". www.varesesarabande.com. Archived from the original on 2007-07-03. Retrieved 2007-03-15.
  6. ↑ "50 Best High School Movies". Entertainment Weekly. 2008-07-31.
  7. ↑ "The Karate Kid". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster.
  8. ↑ Ebert, Roger (January 1, 1984). "The Karate Kid". Chicago Sun-Times (Chicago Sun Times). Retrieved 2009-10-07.
  9. ↑ Maslin, Janet (June 22, 1984). "SCREEN 'KARATE KID,' BANE OF BULLIES". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-05-21.
  10. ↑ Stevens, Dana (June 10, 2010). "The Karate Kid". Slate.
  11. ↑ Thurber, Jon (2005-11-26). "Pat Morita, 73; Actor Starred in 'Karate Kid' Movie Series". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2010-08-25.
  12. ↑ "Jackie Chan set for 'Karate' remake - Entertainment News, Film News, Media". Variety. 2009-07-13. Retrieved 2009-07-13.

External links

Wikiquote has quotations related to: The Karate Kid