Monday, 19 November 2012

Film - The Karate Kid Part 1


In this trilogy film the first from a series of three we see a young boy named Daniel Larusso of around 16 years being fatherless living only with his mum in New Jersey.  His mother, finding finding a new job with a computer company, had to leave with Daniel to a new state, that of Los Angeles.


The Karate Kid (1984) Poster

Daniel leaving his own friends behind, an inner conflict developes in him, that of adapting to a new way of life and having to make new friends against wanting to remain  safe as part of his previous life.

This development of inner conflict is shown throughout the film by portraying Daniel always alone with no one of his age around.  Only once we see Daniel meeting a new neighbour of his age who invited him to a beach BBQ.  This invitation develops into an outer conflict as well, as Daniel tries to get himself noticed by a group of girls of his age who were present.  One in particular named Ali. whose he got her attention and by the evening had gotten into a conversation by the beach.  It happened that Ali was an ex-girlfriend of a leader of a gang of karate students, known as the Cobras.

By night these guys came to the beach with motorbikes.   The leader came for Ali and he started shouting at her.   At this point the producer used a heavy rock music signifiying a sense of war.
Daniel intervened and this caused a fight between Daniel and the leader, ending in Daniel being kicked in his stomach and falling down with pain.  He felt miserable and wanted to stay alone, again the inner conflict between making or not making new friends.

Time went by, Daniel kept contact with Ali at school and in her presence he felt important and in touch to himself.  In her he saw the essence presence of fulfilled friendship, and things showed a sign of change, making us more aware of the innner conflict in himself.

By time throughout the film the bullying episodes kept repeating themselves.  Daniel sought a revnge on them, he wanted Miyagi, a Japanese old person working as a handymanin, at the court of apartments, to teach him karate but Miyagi understood that he wanted revenge.  Many times he told him that karate is a last resort to a problem.  Only when Daniel was badly beaten on a particular night and did Miyagi intervene, kicking them back and taking Daniel to care for him in his flat.

Miyagi, who believed Karate should not be used for revenge, however, felt he needed to help Daniel, another inner conflict.  That was the point when Miyagi accepted to help Daniel.
This started at first by Miyagi giving Daniel some home duties like waxing the car, phrase "wax on wax off",  painting a fence up and down strokes.  Daniel felt angry and his inner conflict was transformed lastly in Daniel by his agressive in his tone to Miyagi and wanting to leave.
Seeing this Miyagi shouted and asked Daniel to come in front of him. Miyagi made some punching moves and asked Daniel make the moves of "wax on wax off", and by this movement showed Daniel that these duties were a form of learning karate moves but at the same time developing a sense of internal control through discipline, the key to growth and control of the internal self, leaving one able to deal better with inner conflict.

Lastly his outer conflict is settled by taking part in a karate competition, which although the gang cheated on the rules in order to hurt and humilate him.  Through Miyage's advice about certain moves.
Daniel not only settled the outer conflict with the gang, by winning the tournament, but also his inner conflict by winning the friendship of his bullies and being accepted in society, shown through the applause, showing he became quite known and not just that lonly guy who no one knew.









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