THE DEPTH OF AN 80´s ICON

"nobody wanted him for the part, producers wanted Toshiro Mifune or some big asian actor, not a comedian, but the director was the only one who wanted Mr. Morita"

-Ralph Macchio

No other movie has made KARATE a common word. Known for being one of the most influential movies of the 80´s it gave us all the right push outside the door to beg our parents for Karate lessons. It´s message is clear it needs no subtitles. This film is The Karate Kid.

Take a skinny kid from new jersey and a wise old mentor  and boom!!! Let THE POP CULTURE LEGACY begin. "The Karate Kid"  a martial arts romantic drama! that every kid could feel identified. I knew when i came out of the movie theatre all i wanted was to get that bandana and kick everyone.

Written by Robert Mark Kamen,  The Karate Kid´s main character was originally called Daniel Webber finally changing to Daniel Larousso and directed by John G. Avildsen (academy award winner for best director in 1977  for  Rocky), starring Ralph Macchio (Daniel)& Noriyuki "Pat" Morita(Mr. Myagi) made in the 80´s what Rocky (Stallone) & Mickey( Burgess Meredith) did in the 70´s. The story of a nobody that needed to believe in himself FIRST, in order to achieve anything. After that it was dedication and training. Pat Morita (earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor) became an eternal character in POPULAR CULTURE as Mr. Myagi. And as every POPULAR ICON he also has his FAMOUS QUOTE.

"Wax On - Wax Off"

This trademark scene made possible that waxing cars, painting walls and doing chores (some thing every kid could relate to)payed off at the end. Daniel learned to defend himself by repeating constantly a chore. Or basically pay attention to your parents, because what they are teaching you now...  will help you in the future. 

There is a scene in the movie, probably the most important for the movie, that very few people remember. But it makes Mr. Miyagi and Daniel´s bond to grow. As they are teacher and apprentice. In the scene where Mr. Miyagi is drunk. Daniel feels sorry for him and becomes the care taker of this man. As he lays him to bed, Daniel realizes Mr. Myagi lost his wife and son.  Mr. Myagi is a troubled human being, full of imperfections. Daniel realizes his teacher as himself has flaws.

Martial Arts is just one piece of the movie.

You are never too old or too young to learn something new from someone. There are no "it has to be like that". Every single person you meet in life is important. Whether its for 10 minutes or 10 years. In the story, Mr. Myagi becomes Daniel teacher and father figure as for Daniel  he becomes Mr. Myagi´s best friend and son . Karate is more than FIGHTING, Karate is a deeper form of art.

One of the many philosophies of Karate is that the student must be "inwardly humble and outwardly gentle." And as in the movie The Empire Strikes Back, Yoda says to Luke " A Jedi uses the force always for knowledge and defense, never to attack" Karate shares the same principle. 

On rainy afternoons, i remember my mom used to drive us to karate class. Myself, my brother and my sister all dressed up in our white suits and our karate belts. I know i felt like Daniel San throwing kicks and imitating what i had seen on that movie. The key ingredient to me was the comfort that i was learning to defend myself. We felt special, powerful but as many of our parents lessons in life, it got us closer as siblings to protect each other. It´s one of those movies everyone saw. The impact of The Karate Kid remains to this day. It is a very important part of movie history, of my childhood and for all that Generation that was instantly drawn to a Karate Dojo.It´s unreal to me that this movie turns 30 years old and its still as relevant as when it opened.

"what the remake felt to me ....was to enhance the legacy of the original 1984 "-Ralph Macchio