Bear Mann's video: TunePlay - BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA 1986 John Carpenter Alan Howarth

French critics of the 60s coined the term "Testament Film" to describe the SINGLE cinematic work of a director (not necessarily their most financially successful or lauded) which most exemplifies their technical and tonal style as well as possible socio-political undercurrents . As such CITIZEN KANE is often cited for Welles, VERTIGO for Hitchcock, STREETS OF FIRE for Walter Hill (all of them initial financial and critical failures), and - believe it or not - John Carpenter's BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA. Very much his "fulcrum shift" film, the wild and wholly "martial arts, comedy, action, monster thriller" which played like a live action graphic novel (before that term was invented), featured heroic but dim witted trucker Jack Burton (Kurt Russell) stumbling into adventure with best friend Wang Chi (Dennis Dun) as they seek to rescue Wang's kidnapped fiance from the clutches of 2,000 yr. old "undead" sorcerer David Lo Pan (James Hong), who rules an ancient martial arts army and subterranean empire below contemporary San Francisco's Chinatown. Yes!, it's THAT kind of movie. Originally set in the old west with Burton as a conventionally heroic cowboy, the first time script by Gary Goldman & David Weinstein was picked up by uber producer Paul Monash (BUTCH CASSIDY & THE SUNDANCE KID, CARRIE) and brought to 20th Century Fox where W.D. Richter (writer of BRUBAKER; director of THE ADVENTURES OF BUCKAROO BANZAI) was brought in to both lighten the script's tone while updating it to a contemporary setting. Monash then lassoed Carpenter. Best known for the horror of HALLOWEEN and THE FOG, the director had proven adept at blending action and humor in ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK (1980), and he was aching to do a martial arts film. Fox wanted a major star for Burton (Eastwood and Nicholson were approached but busy) but went with Carpenter's choice of up-and-coming good buddy Kurt Russell, with whom he'd previously worked on the TV movie ELVIS (1979), ESCAPE FROM N.Y. and THE THING (1982). Seeking to both avoid comparisons to the similarly themed upcoming Eddie Murphy comedy / adventure THE GOLDEN CHILD, as well as possible protests from the Asian-American community (displeased with it's representation in Michael Cimino's YEAR OF THE DRAGON), Carpenter, Richter and Russell decided to transform Jack Burton's blow-hard Caucasian American into the comedy relief sidekick ... who doesn't know he's the sidekick (he thinks he's the hero), and the originally scripted sidekick Wang Chi, into the film's stalwart (if humble) action hero who must constantly rescue and reassure Jack at every turn. The quest for a non-conventional / unique tone continued with the film's score - composed (as was all his previous films with the exception of THE THING) by Carpenter himself; this time in association with Alan Howarth, the gifted sound designer / editor (the STAR TREK films, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, POLTERGEIST, GREMLINS) who also doubled as musician, and whom first collaborated in this capacity with Carpenter on ESCAPE. Rather than straight ahead Williams-esque orchestral or stereotypical (as the director put it) "rinky tink, chop suey" music, the two chose to go electronic via rock and roll ... though there IS a wonderfully colorful ethereal quality to "Here Come The Storms" and a nice mellow funk groove opening to "The Final Escape". After working for major studios to acclaim on CHRISTINE and STARMAN, the failures of both THE THING and BIG TROUBLE to find an audience sent Carpenter back to the realm of smaller budget independent films, where (with the exception of 1992's MEMOIRS OF AN INVISIBLE MAN) he's remained to this day. Interestingly however both THE THING and BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA have since gone on to become critically acclaimed cult classics as well two of the finest examples of 80s era genre material at it's best. Unlike THE THING however - a straight ahead horror opus, BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA would capture Carpenter's multi-love of the macabre, action, humor, Howard Hawks-ian visual framing and rapid-fire dialog, and personal affection for mythic pulp fiction (comic books and martial arts cinema) all at once like no other single film of his career. As such this (now) beloved and wonderfully oddball classic emerges as his genuine "Testament". CEJ 1) Pork-Chop Express: Main Title (0:00 of 13:15) 2) Here Come The Storms (4:00 of 13:15) 3) The Final Escape - Pt. 2 (6:13 of 13:15) For more "TunePlay" mini movie music suites go to http://www.gullcottageonline.com/TunePlay-ClarkeApril_12.html "Bear Mann" is a YouTube channel of The GullCottage/Sandlot, a film blog and growing reference library "Celebrating The Art of Cinema, ... And Cinema As Art" Visit us on the web at: http://www.gullcottageonline.com And on FACEBOOK at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-GullCottageSandlot/129683480458380 All rights held by copyright owner. Presented here for educational and criticism purposes only.