The Legend Is Born: Ip Man

The Legend Is Born – Ip Man

Original Hong Kong film poster
Traditional 葉問前傳
Simplified 叶问前传
Mandarin Yè Wèn Qiánzhuàn
Cantonese Jip6 Man6 Cin4-zyun6
Directed by Herman Yau
Produced by Sin Kwok-lam
Written by Erica Lee
Starring
Music by Chun Hung Mak
Cinematography Kwong-Hung Chan
Production
company
Distributed by Cathay-Keris Films
Universe Laser & Video Co. Ltd. (Hong Kong)
Funimation Entertainment (USA)
Release dates
  • 24 June 2010 (2010-06-24)
Country Hong Kong
Language
  • Cantonese
  • Mandarin
  • English

The Legend Is Born – Ip Man is a 2010 Hong Kong biographical martial arts film based on the early life of the Wing Chun grandmaster Ip Man, directed by Herman Yau and starring Dennis To in the titular role. Though not made in collaboration with Wilson Yip's Ip Man or Ip Man 2, The Legend is Born features several actors who appeared in Yip's films, including Sammo Hung, Louis Fan, and Chen Zhihui. The film also features a special appearance by Ip Chun, the son of Ip Man.

Plot

As a child, Ip Man learns Wing Chun from Chan Wah-shun together with Ip Tin-chi (Ip Man's adopted brother) and Lee Mei-wai. After Chan's death from an illness, Ip Man continues to learn Wing Chun from his senior, Ng Chung-sok, before eventually leaving Foshan to study in Hong Kong.

In Hong Kong, after a field hockey match, Ip Man and his schoolmates are racially insulted by a Westerner. Ip Man takes offense to the language. The Westerner then slurs them in Chinese. Ip Man challenges the Westerner to a fight and defeats him. Ip Man's notoriety and popularity soar after the incident. While getting medicine to treat the Westerner whom he now refers to as a friend, he meets master Leung Bik, who is actually the son of Leung Jan, Chan Wah-shun's teacher. Ip Man learns a different, improved style of Wing Chun from Leung and his prowess in martial arts improves tremendously. Meanwhile, in Foshan, Ip Tin-chi rose to become a prominent businessman under another Wing Chun martial arts association.

Ip Man returns to Foshan years later and reunites with his peers. Ng Chung-sok sees that Ip Man has mastered a new style of Wing Chun from Leung Bik, which differs from Chan Wah-shun's orthodox style. Ip Man also later falls in love with Cheung Wing-shing, the daughter of the vice-mayor of Foshan. When Lee Mei-wai realises that Ip Man loves Cheung, she accepts Ip Tin-chi's love for her. On their wedding night, her godfather is murdered and Ip Man is arrested as a prime suspect after being witnessed struggling with him. Cheung later lied that Ip Man was with her the entire evening to have him released from jail. Lee discovers a letter to Ip Tin-chi, revealing his involvement in the murder of her godfather. She was saved by Ip Tin-chi when she attempted suicide and both of them leave for Foshan but are stopped by the Japanese. Lee is captured and Ip Tin-chi is forced to kill Ng Chung-sok because Lee showed the letter to him.

At the martial arts association, Ng Chung-sok was defeated by Ip Tin-chi and the Japanese. Ip Man arrives in time to save Ng Chung-sok from being killed and then subsequently defeats the Japanese and Ip Tin-chi. Ip Tin-chi then reveals that he is actually a Japanese named Tanaka Eiketsu, and was sent to China to infiltrate and work as an undercover agent. He then performs seppuku to end his life. Ip Man rushes off to the pier to rescue Lee. He defeats the Japanese and rescues Lee. At the pier, they discover that the Japanese have been smuggling Japanese children to China, possibly as future undercover agents, similar to Ip Tin-chi.

Ng Chung-sok is seen narrating the story of the night to new apprentices at the martial arts association. Ip Man's son, Ip Chun, is seen among the new apprentices. Ip Man arrives back at the association and is shown married to Cheung.

Cast

Release

The film was released in Hong Kong on 24 June 2010.[1]

Home media

VCD

Release date
Country
Classifaction
Publisher
Format
Language Subtitles Notes
REF
26 August 2010 Hong Kong N/A Universal Studio NTSC Cantonese, Mandarin English, Traditional Chinese 2VCDs [2]

DVD

Release date
Country
Classifaction
Publisher
Format
Region
Language
Sound
Subtitles
Notes
REF
26 August 2010 Hong Kong N/A Universal Studio NTSC ALL Cantonese, Mandarin 6.1, Dolby Digital EX(TM) / THX Surround EX(TM), DTS Extended Surround(TM) / DTS-ES(TM) English, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese [3]
13 October 2010 Taiwan N/A NTSC ALL Cantonese, Mandarin Dolby Digital 2.0, Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Digital EX(TM) / THX Surround EX(TM) English, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese [4]
20 December 2010 United Kingdom N/A Metrodome Group (UK) PAL 2 Cantonese, Mandarin English [5]
13 December 2011 United States N/A Funimation NTSC 1 Cantonese, English English [6]

Blu-ray Disc

Release date
Country
Classifaction
Publisher
Format
Region
Language
Sound
Subtitles
Notes
REF
26 August 2010 Hong Kong N/A Universal Studio All Cantonese, Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1,Dolby Digital 5.1 EX, Dolby Digital 5.1 EX Traditional Chinese, English [7]
13 October 2010 Taiwan N/A TBA All Cantonese, Mandarin 7.1, Dolby Digital 2.0, DTS-HD Master Audio, Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Digital EX(TM) / THX Surround EX(TM) English, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese [8]
28 January 2011 Germany N/A Splendid Entertainment B Cantonese, German (Dubbed) DTS-HD HR 5.1 German, Dutch Released under the title "IP Man Zero" [9]
13 December 2011 United States N/A Funimation NTSC (DVD) A Cantonese, English (Dubbed) TBA English Blu-ray + DVD combo [10]
13 December 2011 Canada N/A Vivendi Visual Entertainment NTSC (DVD) A Cantonese, English (Dubbed) TBA English Blu-ray + DVD combo [11]

See also

References

External links

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