“After using all my might for 56 years in the film industry, making more than 200 movies and breaking a lot of bones, finally I get this Oscar statuette. Thank Hollywood! Thank you for teaching me lots of things, and I make a name for myself.” Jackie Chan, in black Chinese-style costume, said in the Oscar awarding ceremony. Jackie Chan is the first Chinese, the fourth Asian, the youngest, to win the Oscar Honorary Award. The Award was presented by Chris Tucker, Jackie Chan’s partner inRush Hour, to Jackie Chan for his lifetime achievement and outstanding film career.
In fact, before receiving the Award, Jackie Chan is already the symbol of Chinese culture in the world. His name reminds people of China, and people think of his name when they think of China. No one is like Jackie Chan after the Bruce Lee time.
When 22, Jackie Chan first went to American. He did nothing but studied English for almost 9months. After that, he began to play in the movie. The Hollywood didn’t recognize Jackie Chan’s action style at the beginning. The Hollywood liked super-hero or tough guy better, such as Clint Eastwood who could kill someone with one shot or knock someone down with one punch, of which they think to be manlier. But Jackie Chan’s action is fundamentally different. Jackie Chan punches but immediately takes the fist back and gulps. The audiences would think he was not the hero, and didn’t accept the acting style. Besides, the culture shock also made things worse. The American heroes are very Americentrism, and they can fly, and they can save the world, and they can save the human being from extinction. But Chinese heroes save their families, villages, or countries at most circumstances. Jackie Chan played very hard only to see his show being cut, which made him rather depressed.
But Jackie Chan did not give up. He struggled to make film in accordance with his temperament and blood by trial and error. The film career is the process of leading him to the nowadays style. He is not genius but try to do things good every day. He matches the plots, actors and different surroundings. Because different actions change little, the real human actions have come to the end, but computer graphics have much development space, of course. But Jackie Chan is smart enough to make the action happen in different places, such as on the sofa, the desk, the bed, and so on, to catch peoples’ eyes. Unlike other actors who play monotonously, he plays rhythmically, just like music. Imperceptibly, the audiences get excited with the rhythm, and they never feel boring. He gathers good scripts, good directors, good martial art consultant, good environment, time, and money to make good films. So many small details make the Jackie Chan style. He teaches people to make film through the lenses. He remains the same in and out of the movie, but he and his film changes with the age.
From the start when Jackie Chan played film in America, the American would not listen to Chinese people as they did not recognize their actions and thoughts. The Hollywood films were for the American and English-speaking area market, not for China. But now, the American will care what Chinese people like, what film name attracts Chinese people, what will influence the Chinese box office. Jackie Chan is so proud that China and Chinese movie become strong, and the Chinese market becomes the biggest box office around the world, and the time when people won’t listen to the Chinese people remains the past. Now, Jackie Chan becomes a sharp film people. He will get the right of final editing to determine the film to remain his style.
People say Jackie Chan deserves the Oscar Honorary Award, because he almost risks his life for it. “I am very proud to be a Chinese,” said Jackie Chan in the Oscar awarding ceremony. Years later, when talking about Chinese film people, people will say that there was a Bruce Lee in China, and there was a Jackie Chan in China.
