Just like in the movies
Published: Mon, 04/07/14
Venetia and I went to see 'Captain America - The Winter
Soldier' yesterday. If you like superhero action movies then I
highly recommend it. If you are not sure if you would enjoy a
superhero action movie then this could be the one to cut your teeth
on. I am not writing a review here but the film does have a good
balance of action, human interest, humour and a strong reflection
of the Zeitgeist.
The action sequences do require a certain suspension of disbelief
of course (it doesn't stop at the action of course, the film
being based on Marvel Comic characters) and there are some great
fight scenes which have required a combination of clever
choreography, some dedicated training and effort from actors and
stuntmen and very skillful filming and editing. I loved the scene
where Captain America takes on and destroys a jet fighter armed
with just his metal shield, spectacular yes, realistic? Only if
you are a Marvel superhero. So the fight scenes were obviously
informed by considerable knowledge of martial arts but I would
hardly recommend them as training videos. What is seen in a film
such as Captain America is an extreme example of the theatrical
manifestation of martial arts, in this case on the big screen.
This is nothing new, demonstrations of martial prowess in the
context of entertainment probably goes back to the stone age. You
could argue that even animals perform demonstrations of their
fighting skills in mating rituals, sometimes in a symbolic way,
sometimes there is blood spilled, but it is still a ritualised
display.
The fashion for wearing swords and the popularity of fencing in
Renaissance Europe was heavily influenced by the theatre and the
stage fighting that audiences were thrilled by when watching plays
such as Hamlet or Romeo and Juliet. If you are my age with an
interest in the martial arts you will remember that Enter the
Dragon was the most successful advertisement for Martial Arts ever,
and the impression of martial arts created by the star of the film,
Bruce Lee has been almost impossible to live down ever since.
This is the problem with any kind of advertising, you need to catch
the attention of people you hope will be interested in what you
have to offer but you don't want to create unrealistic
expectations which can't possibly be met. Unless you are a
Marvel Comic character of course.
I do believe there is a reality to be discovered through Martial
Arts training and I have been working to uncover it for myself for
the past forty years. Other dedicated practitioners of many
different arts seek to do the same. The movies and other
theatrical expressions do help to bring attention to the martial
arts, this is good so long as you can then get prospective students
to be as exited about the reality of training as they were about
what they saw on the screen or stage. You can see my new movie at
http://www.somersetstav.co.uk it is only 5 minutes long and
Captain America I am not. Howevert it is meant to give an idea of
what is involved in Stav training. Please let me know what you
think of it.
regards
Graham
PS we had a good day on Saturday, if you want to get to the next
course in Crewkerne then put the 10th of May in your diary.