The Karate Kid

The Karate Kid is a 1984 American film directed by John G. Avildsen from a screenplay by Robert Mark Kamen. It was shot from late October to mid-December 1983 in Los Angeles and reached American cinemas on 22 June 1984. Italian-American teenager Daniel LaRusso moves to Los Angeles, where he is bullied by classmates from the Cobra Kai dojo. He begins training karate with the building's caretaker Mr. Miyagi so that he can enter the All Valley tournament. The Cobra Kai dojo is run by John Kreese, in the film a former Special Forces member and Vietnam veteran, who teaches his students an aggressive form of karate. The film sets two conceptions of karate against each other: Miyagi is an Okinawan teacher of Goju-ryu, while Cobra Kai represents aggressive, attacking karate. Miyagi is played by Pat Morita, and his stunt double in the fight scenes was the karateka Fumio Demura. Among the film's signature elements is the crane kick, which Daniel watches as Miyagi demonstrates it on the beach. We did not find it in the sources as an established technique of an existing style. According to the English Wikipedia, the film is credited with popularizing karate in the United States. It was followed by three sequels (1986, 1989, 1994), a 2010 remake with Jackie Chan, a 1989 animated NBC series and the series Cobra Kai (since 2018). Pat Morita was nominated for an Oscar and a Golden Globe for his role as Miyagi, in the supporting actor category.

Martial arts in this work

Origin

Screenwriter Robert Mark Kamen began training martial arts at the age of seventeen for self-defense after a gang of bullying peers attacked him. He later trained Okinawan Goju-ryu with a Japanese instructor who had studied under Chojun Miyagi. The screenplay combined his experience with a newspaper article about the son of a single mother who earned a black belt to defend himself against bullying. Producer Jerry Weintraub held an option on the rights to the article. Columbia approached Kamen after it had hired Avildsen and was looking for a film similar to Rocky. The character of Mr. Miyagi bears the name of Goju-ryu founder Chojun Miyagi. The real Miyagi does not appear in the film, and the name is a tribute through Kamen's teacher. Pat Morita was a Japanese American born in Sacramento, not an Okinawan like his character. The studio initially wanted Toshiro Mifune for the role, who did not speak English. Morita succeeded only at his second audition.

Fight choreography

The fights were choreographed and coordinated by Pat E. Johnson, who began training Tang Soo Do in 1963 in South Korea under master Kang Do Hee and later reached the 9th dan. He had previously appeared in Enter the Dragon (1973), and in The Karate Kid he also plays the head referee of the All Valley tournament. According to the English Wikipedia, he was one of four cast members who already had martial arts training before filming. Pat Morita's stunt double was Fumio Demura, a Shito-ryu karateka (9th dan since 2005) who had earlier worked with Bruce Lee and inspired the character of Miyagi. In the film he does not demonstrate his own Shito-ryu but the character's karate, that is, Goju-ryu. He also doubled Morita in the third and fourth films of the series. William Zabka, by contrast, who plays Johnny Lawrence of Cobra Kai, was a wrestler with no karate training when he was cast. He convinced the director by pointing to Bruce Lee, who defeated taller opponents.

People and martial arts

• John G. AvildsenDirector
• Pat E. JohnsonFight choreographer· Tang Soo Do (real practitioner)
• Pat MoritaActor — as Mr. Miyagi· Goju-ryu (portrays the art on screen)
• Ralph MacchioActor — as Daniel LaRusso· Karate (portrays the art on screen)
• William ZabkaActor — as Johnny Lawrence· Karate (portrays the art on screen)
• Martin KoveActor — as John Kreese· Karate (portrays the art on screen)
• Fumio DemuraStunt performer — as Mr. Miyagi (dublér)· Goju-ryu (portrays the art on screen)
• Pat E. JohnsonStunt coordinator· Tang Soo Do (real practitioner)

Awards

• Nominated · Academy Award, Best Supporting Actor (1985) — Pat Morita
• Nominated · Golden Globe, Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture (1985) — Pat Morita

Series