During a recent interview with Crescent Street Films, WingTsun Grandmaster Leung Ting spoke briefly about choreographing action for Chang Cheh’s widely popular kung fu classic THE FIVE VENOMS, AKA THE 5 DEADLY VENOMS (1978), which coincidently is arriving on DVD in the U.S. courtesy of Dragon Dynasty on August 18.
The interview took place during the production of an electronics press kit for a leading WingTsun school in New York.
Leung studied martial arts under Wing Chun Master Yip Man, the man who trained Bruce Lee and whose life is portrayed in Wilson Yip’s feature film IP MAN, starring Donnie Yen. In the late 1970s, Leung was hired by Hong Kong filmmaker Chang Cheh as a replacement for action director Lau Kar-leung who split with Chang while on the set of MARCO POLO (1975).
As a Wing Chun expert, Leung choreographed martial arts action alongside Venoms Mob actor Lu Feng and action director Robert Tai for a handful of Chang Cheh’s kung fu films between 1977 and 1980. His most notable contribution was for THE FIVE VENOMS. While not much of a hit in Hong Kong, the film quickly gained a widespread cult following in America and is generally considered today to be one of the most popular kung fu movies ever made next to Bruce Lee’s ENTER THE DRAGON.
In the following video, Leung talks about inventing the Venoms’ distinctive kung fu styles.
Update: As a reader rightly points out in the comments below, some of Leung’s facts are not consistent with the actual film.
peace to KFC