The Karate Kid

For other uses, see Karate Kid (disambiguation).
The Karate Kid

Theatrical release poster
Directed by John G. Avildsen
Produced by Jerry Weintraub
Written by Robert Mark Kamen
Starring
Music by Bill Conti
Cinematography James Crabe
Edited by
Distributed by Columbia Pictures
Release dates
  • June 22, 1984 (1984-06-22)
Running time
 127 minutes[1]
Country United States
Language English
Budget $8 million[2]
Box office $90.8 million[3]

The Karate Kid is a 1984 American martial arts drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and written by Robert Mark Kamen, starring Ralph Macchio, who was 22 years old during principal photography, Noriyuki "Pat" Morita and Elisabeth Shue.[4][5] It is an underdog story in the mold of a previous success, Avildsen's 1976 film Rocky. It was a commercial success upon release, and garnered critical acclaim, earning Morita an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. The film became the first in a series, spawning three sequels and a remake in 2010.

Plot

Daniel LaRusso and his mother Lucille move from Newark, New Jersey to Reseda, Los Angeles, California. Their apartment complex's repairman is an eccentric but kind and humble Okinawan immigrant named Kesuke Miyagi.

Daniel befriends Ali Mills, a high school cheerleader, which draws the attentions of her arrogant ex-boyfriend, Johnny Lawrence, a skilled practitioner of karate and member of Cobra Kai, a karate dojo. After Daniel tries to defend Ali, Johnny and his Cobra Kai gang begin to bother and harass him. Daniel fights back in self-defense until Mr. Miyagi intervenes and single-handedly fends off the five attackers with ease. Amazed, Daniel asks Mr. Miyagi to teach him to fight. Miyagi refuses, but agrees to bring Daniel to the Cobra Kai dojo to resolve the conflict. They meet with the sensei, John Kreese, an ex-Special Forces Vietnam veteran, who callously dismisses the peace offering. Miyagi then proposes that Daniel enter the Under-18 All-Valley Karate Tournament, where he can compete with Johnny and the other Cobra Kai students on equal terms, and requests that the bullying cease while Daniel trains. Kreese agrees to the terms, but warns that if Daniel does not show up for the tournament, the harassment will resume and Miyagi himself will also become a target.

Daniel's training starts with menial chores that he believes only makes him Miyagi's slave. When he becomes frustrated, it is explained that these actions have helped him to learn defensive blocks through muscle memory. Their bond develops and Daniel learns about Miyagi's dual loss of his wife and son in childbirth at Manzanar internment camp while he was serving with the 442nd Infantry Regiment during World War II in Europe, where he received the Medal of Honor, the Army's highest award for valor. Through Miyagi's teaching, Daniel learns not only karate but also important life lessons such as the importance of personal balance, reflected in the principle that martial arts training is as much about training the spirit as the body. Daniel applies the life lessons that Miyagi has taught him to strengthen his relationship with Ali.

At the tournament, Daniel surprises everyone by reaching the semi-finals. Johnny advances to the finals, scoring three unanswered points against a highly skilled opponent. Kreese instructs Bobby Brown, one of his more compassionate students and the least vicious of Daniel's tormentors, to disable Daniel with an illegal attack to the knee. Bobby reluctantly does so, severely injuring Daniel and getting disqualified in the process. Daniel is taken to the locker room, with the physician determining that he cannot continue, but Daniel believes that if he does not continue, his tormentors will have gotten the best of him. He convinces Miyagi to use a pain suppression technique to allow him to finish the tournament. As Johnny is about to be declared the winner by default, Daniel hobbles into the ring. The match is a seesaw battle, as neither is able to break through the other's defenses.

The match is halted when Daniel uses a scissor leg technique to trip Johnny, deliver a blow to the back of the head and give Johnny a nose bleed. Kreese directs Johnny to sweep Daniel's injured leg, an unethical move. Johnny is horrified at the order, but reluctantly agrees under Kreese's intimidation. As the match resumes, Johnny seizes Daniel's leg and delivers a vicious blow, doing further damage. Daniel, standing with difficulty, assumes the "Crane" stance, a technique he observed Miyagi performing on the beach. Johnny lunges toward Daniel, who jumps and delivers a front kick to Johnny's chin, winning the tournament. Johnny, having gained newfound respect for his nemesis, takes Daniel's trophy from the master of ceremonies and presents it to Daniel himself as Miyagi, Ali, and Daniel's mother all celebrate his victory.

Cast

Production

Casting

According to the special edition DVD commentary, the studio originally wanted the role of Mr. Miyagi to be played by Toshiro Mifune, but writer Robert Mark Kamen was opposed to that casting choice. Mako Iwamatsu was also considered for the role of Mr. Miyagi, but was not available due to prior commitments to film Conan the Destroyer, though he would eventually play a similar role in the film Sidekicks.

Music

The musical score for The Karate Kid was composed by Bill Conti, a frequent collaborator of director John G. Avildsen since their initial pairing on Rocky (1976). The instrumental score was orchestrated by Jack Eskew and featured pan flute solos by Gheorge Zamfir. On March 12, 2007, Varèse Sarabande released all four Karate Kid scores in a 4-CD box set limited to 2,500 copies worldwide.[6]

A soundtrack album was released in 1984 by Casablanca Records containing many of the contemporary songs featured in the film. Of particular note is Joe Esposito's "You're the Best", featured during the tournament montage near the end of the first film. Originally written for Rocky III, "You're the Best" was rejected by Sylvester Stallone in favor of Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger". Coincidentally, Survivor also performed the main theme ("The Moment of Truth" Music & Lyrics: Bill Conti, Dennis Lambert, Peter Beckett) for The Karate Kid.

Bananarama's 1984 hit song "Cruel Summer" also made its first U.S. appearance in The Karate Kid but was excluded from the film's soundtrack album. Other songs featured in the film but left off the album include "Please Answer Me" performed by Broken Edge and "The Ride" performed by The Matches.

Track listing for 1984 soundtrack
  1. "The Moment of Truth" (Survivor)
  2. "(Bop Bop) On the Beach" (The Flirts, Jan & Dean)
  3. "No Shelter" (Broken Edge)
  4. "Young Hearts" (Commuter)
  5. "(It Takes) Two to Tango" (Paul Davis)
  6. "Tough Love" (Shandi)
  7. "Rhythm Man" (St. Regis)
  8. "Feel the Night" (Baxter Robertson)
  9. "Desire" (Gang of Four)
  10. "You're the Best" (Joe Esposito)

Reception

Critical response

The Karate Kid ranked #40 on Entertainment Weekly's list of the 50 Best High School Movies.[7] The film retains a 90% "Certified Fresh" rating at Rotten Tomatoes, based on 42 reviews.[8]

On its release, Roger Ebert called the film one of the year's best, gave it four stars out of four, and described it as an "exciting, sweet-tempered, heart-warming story with one of the most interesting friendships in a long time."[9] Janet Maslin of The New York Times also gave a positive review.[10]

Upon release of the 2010 remake, Dana Stevens wrote, "The 1984 original ... may have seemed like a standard-issue inspirational sports picture at the time, but (as with another box-office hit of the same year, The Terminator) a generation of remove reveals what a well-crafted movie it actually was. Rewatched today, the original Kid, directed by Rocky's John G. Avildsen, feels smart and fresh, with a wealth of small character details and a leisurely middle section that explores the boy's developing respect for his teacher."[11]

Accolades

Legacy

The film spawned a franchise of related items and memorabilia such as action figures, head bands, posters, T-shirts, and a video game. A novelization was made by B.B. Hiller and published in 1984. The novel had a scene that was in the rehearsal when Daniel encounters Johnny during school at lunch. Also at the end, there was a battle between Miyagi and Kreese in the parking lot after the tournament which was the original ending for the film but was later cut and used as the beginning of The Karate Kid, Part II.

A short-lived animated series spin-off aired on NBC in 1989.

In 2015, toy company Funko revived The Karate Kid action figures. A version of character Daniel Larusso, a version of character Johnny Lawrence and a version of Mr. Miyagi were part of the line. The toys were spotted at retailers Target and Amazon.com.[12]

Sequels

The original 1984 film had three sequels, and it launched the career of Macchio, who would turn into a teen idol featured on the covers of magazines such as Tiger Beat. It revitalized the acting career of Morita, previously known mostly for his comedic role as Arnold on Happy Days, who was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for his performance as Mr. Miyagi. Morita reprised his role in three subsequent sequels.[13]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "THE KARATE KID (PG)". British Board of Film Classification. July 2, 1984. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
  2. ↑ Straight to DVD: Original "Karate Kid" on Blu-ray. Salon.com. Retrieved June 14, 2013.
  3. ↑ "The Karate Kid". Box Office Mojo. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2007-03-13.
  4. ↑ "The Karate Kid". Allmovie. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved April 28, 2011.
  5. ↑ Maslin, Janet. "The Karate Kid (1984)". The New York Times. Retrieved April 28, 2011.
  6. ↑ "The Karate Kid". www.varesesarabande.com. Archived from the original on 2007-07-03. Retrieved 2007-03-15.
  7. ↑ "50 Best High School Movies". Entertainment Weekly. 2008-07-31.
  8. ↑ "The Karate Kid". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster.
  9. ↑ Ebert, Roger (January 1, 1984). "The Karate Kid". Chicago Sun-Times (Chicago Sun Times). Retrieved 2009-10-07.
  10. ↑ Maslin, Janet (June 22, 1984). "SCREEN 'KARATE KID,' BANE OF BULLIES". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-05-21.
  11. ↑ Stevens, Dana (June 10, 2010). "The Karate Kid". Slate.
  12. ↑ "The Karate Kid (1984) Action Figures have been Revived by Funko". Z.Love's Entertainment Blog. 2015-10-10. Retrieved 2015-10-10.
  13. ↑ Thurber, Jon (2005-11-26). "Pat Morita, 73; Actor Starred in 'Karate Kid' Movie Series". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2010-08-25.
  14. ↑ "Jackie Chan set for 'Karate' remake - Entertainment News, Film News, Media". Variety. 2009-07-13. Retrieved 2009-07-13.

External links

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