The Karate Kid

The Karate Kid (1984)

Timing: 2:7 (127 min)

7.218/10
4655

7.308/10
16316

7.3/10
239334

All about film

Video 5

Photo 88

Actors and characters

Release date

1984-06-22

Country

United States

Production

Columbia Pictures, Jerry Weintraub Productions, Delphi II Productions

Genre

Action, Family, Drama, Adventure

Budget

$8 000 000

Revenue

$91 138 075

Website

https://www.sonypictures.com/movies/thekaratekid0

Director

John G. Avildsen

Actors

Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Elisabeth Shue, William Zabka, Martin Kove, Randee Heller, Ron Thomas, Rob Garrison, Chad McQueen, Tony O'Dell
All actors and roles (10)

Scenario

Robert Mark Kamen

Producer

Jerry Weintraub, R.J. Louis

Operator

James Crabe

Composer

Bill Conti

Artist

Audition

Bonnie Timmermann, Caro Jones, Pennie DuPont

Editing

John G. Avildsen, Walt Mulconery, Bud S. Smith
All team (97)

• “Karate Kid” was the name of one of the characters in DC Comic's Legion of Superheroes. At the request of the film studio, DC Comics provided special permission to use this name as the film's title, which was reflected in the credits (acknowledgement).
• Actor and former world karate champion Chuck Norris assisted the film's producers in finding genuine martial arts masters who participated in the filming. Ultimately, three black belt holders – Pat Johnson, Darryl Vidal, and Ron Thomas – took part in the project.
• It was repeatedly reported that the role of Cobra Kai sensei John Kreese was offered to Chuck Norris, who declined the offer because he believed the character was too stereotypical and negatively portrayed martial arts. Years later, Chuck Norris refuted this information.
• Elizabeth Shue's first role, for which she temporarily interrupted her studies at Harvard. Her younger brother, Andrew Shue, also appears in the film as a member of Cobra Kai.
• The studio's initial choice for the role of Mr. Miyagi was Toshiro Mifune, but screenwriter Michael Kamen was strongly opposed to this. Another potential candidate was Mako, who was unavailable at the time due to contractual obligations to participate in the sequel to 'Conan the Destroyer' (1984).
• At the time of filming, Ralph Macchio, the lead actor, was 22 years old. Many of his colleagues on set simply couldn't believe him when he stated his age.
• The role of Daniel LaRusso could have gone to Kyle Eastwood.
• In the very first version of the script, Daniel had congenital spinal problems.
• In one of the early script drafts, after defeating Daniel at the tournament, Bobby approached his teacher, Kreese, removed and threw his belt on the floor, thereby leaving Cobra Kai.
• The film studio wanted to cut the scene where Mr. Miyagi gets drunk and Daniel learns about his past, believing it slowed down the plot. Director John G. Avildsen insisted on keeping it, and later expressed confidence that it was this scene that earned Pat Morita an Oscar nomination.
• The Cobra Kai dojo exists in reality, but teaches jiu-jitsu, not karate.
• The very first scene filmed was the one on the beach, where Daniel first meets Ali and the members of Cobra Kai.
• To film the opening shots of the film, where Daniel and his mother leave New York, at the right angle, director John G. Avildsen had to climb a water tower.
• The song sung by a drunken Mr. Miyagi is actually fragments of an authentic Japanese folk song that Pat Morita often heard as a child.
• Mr. Miyagi's yellow car, which Daniel worked on to train his technique, was gifted to Ralph Macchio after filming and he still has it.
• The final sweeping kick that was delivered to Daniel before Mr. Miyagi saves him actually hit Ralph Macchio and even injured the actor.
• William Zabka had no experience in martial arts before the film, although he was a fairly skilled wrestler. Later, however, he earned a black belt in the Korean martial art of Tang Soo Do.
• The championship scenes were filmed indoors at California State University, Northridge.
• Pat Johnson, a karate master and former student of Chuck Norris, refereed the final match. He was also the fight choreographer for the film and its sequels and has repeatedly worked as a karate instructor for many Hollywood stars.
• "Crane Technique" does not exist in any form of karate or kung fu. It was specifically invented for the film by karate master Darryl Vidal, who appears as one of the semi-finalists defeated by Johnny. Vidal held a first-degree black belt at the time, but has since reached a seventh-degree black belt in Kenpo Karate and has his own Kenpo Karate school in California. According to Vidal himself, the practical application of the "Crane Kick" is very limited in reality. Vidal also doubled for Pat Morita in the beach scene where Mr. Miyagi practices the Crane Technique standing on a small post driven into the sand.
• In the first episode of the sixth season of the series "Futurama" (1999-2013), the scene with the fly and chopsticks is parodied. Professor Hubert Farnsworth catches a fly with something like tweezers at the beginning of the episode.