![]() Fans get a strong sense and experience of the kind of self-effacing humour that he made his trademark, often calling out audience expectations of how he should act and sound as a Japanese American comedian. ![]() That rise to fame is very interesting to see recalled by both Morita and those who were around him at the time. Miyagi does indeed still take up a great deal of this narrative, but there are also some fun dives into his rise as a stand up comedian, a move he decided to make when he hit the age of 30 and decided if he was ever to get into show business, it was now or never. They clearly all relish talking about their late colleague, with many of them quick to enthuse about his spirited personality. Through talking head interviews, archive footage of Morita himself, as well as new talking heads with the likes of Henry Winkler, Ralph Macchio and Martin Kove, most of the significant cast members who shared the screen with Morita are present and correct. ![]() It is this candid approach that makes More Than Miyagi a truly enlightening film, one that crafts a picture of a charismatic and well loved man, but a very troubled one at that. It is a portrait made up of talking head collaborations with many of his colleagues from his Happy Days tenure to The Karate Kid franchise, but is largely driven by Evelyn Guerrero, Morita’s widow, who promised to deliver his life story truthfully and in a very candid manner. It is this aspect of the role, and Morita’s life before, during and after the success of The Karate Kid that takes the focus of this new documentary that seeks to reveal more about the man, his struggles and the impact his career has had concerning on screen representation as a whole.ĭirector Kevin Derek, who was also behind the documentary The Real Miyagi which focused on Morita’s stunt double for The Karate Kid films, karate master Fumio Demura, crafts quite an intimate portrait of the late Morita (who passed away in 2005). It is the kind of defining role that both cements an actor’s legacy and also, in the case of Morita, further pigeonholed the Japanese-American actor in the eyes of Hollywood. Avildsen’s enduring 80’s classic The Karate Kid. Nette Anekdoten, die einen besseren Film verdient hätten.Noriyuki ‘Pat’ Morita will always be remembered for his Oscar-nominated portrayal of Mr. Macchio und Zabka glänzen allerdings durch Abwesenheit. Dazu dann auch viele Personen aus dem Cast der 3 Karate Kid-Teile, sowie Regisseur Avildsen. Schade, aber trotzdem nicht ganz uninteressant kommen doch gern gesehene Gesichter wie Dolph Lundgren, Billy Blanks, Steven Seagal, Michael Jai White oder Isaac Florentine zu Wort, um Demura's Einfluss auf ihr Werden und Wirken zu erklären.Īm spannendsten und auch ertragsreichsten dann der Mittelteil, der nochmal aufzeigt, welchen Einfluss das Wesen Demura's auf Pat Morita und seine Darstellung hatte, und welche Freundschaft zwischen den beiden sich dann über die Jahre entwickelte. Mehr Fanboytum als einer Doku gut tut, und dabei leider auch auf handwerklicher Ebene nicht gänzlich überzeugend. Mehr Heldenverehrung des legendären (und durchaus sehr sympathisch wirkenden) Karatekas Fumio Demura denn echte Biographie, die mehrmals vor Ehrfrucht erstarrt, denn Regisseur Kevin Derek ist mehr an einem Denkmal denn an der realen Person gelegen.
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