Meredith Lewis’s book, ASK FOR THE MOON: INNOVATION AT SHAW BROTHERS STUDIOS is an entertaining read that provides insights on the amazing life journey of Sir Run Run Shaw, the Shaw Brothers, and pivotal Shaw Brothers film talent. The writer also takes a look at King Hu and Bruce Lee, explaining why they did not fit in the Shaw Brothers filmmaking paradigm. Meredith Lewis spoke exclusively to The Last Dragon Tribute about her book, which will encourage fans to return to the Shaw Brothers movie catalog and look at their favorite films through a new lens.
Martial arts film fans often associate the SB logo and triumphant horn blast with high-quality production that has provided us with some of our favorite heroes, heroines, and villains. Shaw Brothers films have influenced artists worldwide, including modern filmmakers Quinten Tarantino, and hip hop producer, turned director, the RZA.
Beyond the walls of cinema Shaolin, there are the stories of the actors, actresses, and directors at Shaw Brothers Studios, known as “Movietown.” Beyond the glory of the cinema talent, there is the tumultuous journey of Sir Run Run Shaw and his brothers, who struggled for several decades in Asia, strategically building their film empire, and persevering through the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong.
The beautiful struggle for Run Run Shaw turned the once successful cinematographer into one of the most shrewd and successful players in the filmmaking business — ensuring that he would have a lasting impact on filmmaking worldwide.
Meredith Lewis admits that she was not a fan of the martial arts film genre; her introduction to Shaw Brothers films came by chance, while she was searching through a DVD bargain bin at a market.
The one-time dancer and arts manager, with a background in choreography, was instantly attracted to the Shaw Brothers films due to the elegance and movement of the fight scenes.
She was also instantly attracted to the aesthetic aspects of the film. Her book points out similarities in production, in both costumes and on sets. “When I watched a Shaw Brother’s film, I was watching films that looked the same, that seemed to be the same sets, costumes and even the same plots, and the same actors, yet feeling really entertained by them,” said Lewis.
Lewis’s book helps us appreciate that the success of Shaw Brothers Studios was due to years of hard work by several of the Shaw Brothers — Runje, Runde, Runme, and Run Run.
Her book provides a glimpse of their journey and business decisions that made them a success in the film industry. “I’m glad you saw that journey around Run Run and his family. As I was researching them, I was staggered at their intelligence and their guts,” said Lewis.
Before the brothers dominated the Asian filming industry in the 1960s and 70s, they began their journey in Shanghai, way back in the 20s.
The Shaws dealt with opposition as they grew, and the writer suggests that their original Hong Kong studio was intentionally burned down in the late 30s. The brothers also found a way to endure the occupation of the Japanese in the early 40s.
Aside from the perseverance of the brothers, several chapters of the book take time to highlight the talent that collaborated successfully with Run Run Shaw’s business and production vision; this included directors Chang Cheh, Lau Kar Leung, and Chor Yuen. Adversely, she explains why directors like King Hu did not succeed at Movietown.
Another interesting point of the book is the subject of Bruce Lee. Martial arts film fans have seen the still images of Lee in costume, holding an ax in a period piece set. We’ve speculated how amazing it would have been for Lee to have been in a Shaw Brothers film, envisioning cinema magic. Lewis believes otherwise, saying, “It would have been a disaster. Run Run and Bruce had very strong personalities. They both had very strong rationals behind doing what they did. Bruce defined his style. Run Run would have never given him that freedom. I can’t see it working.”
Another highlight of the book is a glimpse at the life at Movietown and the number of people employed at the studio. Lewis reflected on martial arts film legend Ching Pei Pei, who thoroughly enjoyed life at Movietown saying, “I remember she loved it. As hard as it was, it sounds like she loved it. She loved the community of filmmaking; she loved being around other young actors. She worked incredibly hard. It was such hard work that a lot of actors didn’t love it.”
Lewis was very honest about life at Movietown, admitting that the demands of Run Run Shaw contributed to unhappiness and great pressure for some filmmakers. “There were casualties. There were directors who worked for the Shaws but weren’t able to fulfill their own personal vision. The directors that we’re talking about, Chung Cheh, Lar Kar Leung, one of their strengths was that they were able to work within Run Run’s production formula, but they were also able to realize their own individual styles… Chung Pei Pei knew a director who lived in the dormitories who committed suicide,” said Lewis.
It took several years for Lewis to write the book, writing and researching part-time. She admits that the most difficult part of the book wasn’t the research; it was approaching it from her mentality. Lewis explained saying, “The most difficult part of writing this book was writing it out of a White brain quite frankly. I’m this middle-aged White woman watching these films, and I’m writing about a culture that is not my own. It was a challenge. I had to position myself as an author and an outsider. That’s having this really great journey exploring this really great thing.”
Lewis list COME DRINK WITH ME and THE MAGIC BLADE as some of her favorite Shaw Brothers films. In the future, she has plans on writing about women in martial arts films, and a book on Golden Harvest films.
Martial arts entertainment fans who think they know Shaw Brothers movies will be encouraged you to return to some of their favorite classics, giving attention to films that were overlooked.
ASK FOR THE MOON should be in any film school library, as it deals with the dilemma of creativity and the business aspects of filmmaking. One day, someone will muster up the courage to direct the epic film based on Sir Run Run Shaw’s life. This book will definitely be a great starting point.
Regardless of who you are, after reading this book, you’ll never look at the SB logo, or as Shaw Brothers film, the same way again.
Keep up with Meredith Lewis:
Website: AskForTheMoon.com.au
Twitter: @FuThoughts
Clarke Illmatical is a writer from Queens, New York. His writing has been featured in The Amsterdam News, The Norwood News, The Brooklyn Eagle, Harlem Community News, Queens Community Politics, The Final Call, Baltimore African American Newspaper, South China Morning Post, China Global Daily, TimeOut Hong Kong, The Phnom Penh Post, and E-China Cities.
TheLastDragonTribute.com is an online community for fans of the 80’s Motown martial arts cult classic THE LAST DRAGON. Using our web and social media presence our mission is to bring together fans from all over the world to help keep the Glow alive! We delve into all things The Last Dragon, Bruce Lee, and Martial Arts Entertainment.
| Twitter: @thelastglow Instagram: @thelastglow Facebook: Fan Tribute to The Last Dragon Podcast: The Last Dragon Tribute Podcast www.thelastdragontribute.com |
Buy The Last Dragon Art, Tees & Merchandise
This site contains some affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.