The Ultimate Aim
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| The Cover of The Ultimate Aim |
Ged Morgan and Maria Hugh of Legend Productions in Manchester England once again were phenomenally kind enough to send me this video production. It was astonishing to see how far they have come since I reviewed the last video this fine company has sent me. The colors, the sound, the transition material between takes and interviews, the images, the graphics, everything was very tight, and very well organized.
This video seems to me, as an outsider to British karate circles as well as the very recent shake up of the KUGB in the UK, to be a definitive work that acts as a transitional statement between the KUGB of which Enoeda was the head, and the KUGB that is now under the leadership of Mr. Sherry. The KUGB claims the heritage of Enoeda's karate as its own, and as such this film highlights some gentlemen who have been with that organization from its inception.
As an historical document this video has quite a bit of interesting footage of Enoeda-Sensei, early instruction, tournaments, and film of Japan. A cynical person might call this production KUGB propaganda, but I think that would be missing the mark. For this reviewer, I am not a member of the KUGB, but I still found the work quite articulate, interesting, and informative about the organization that Enoeda has devoted the bulk of his life to. The KUGB's claim on their deceased head teacher is entirely appropriate, and the way that it is done here is tasteful, intelligent, and devoid of any form of false veneration or inappropriate adulation of Enoeda. In fact, a good portion of the film highlights the accomplishments of the organization as a whole, with quite a bit of interesting interview material from several remarkable non-Japanese karate instructors, both inside and outside of the KUGB.
If I have any criticism of this production, it is that there are two or three missing interviewees that ought to have been included here. As to why such interviews were not possible or forthcoming, I am unaware. There is no material of Andy Sherry or Frank Brennan speaking to us at all in this production. And although there is footage of both of these men in action (in short phenomenal) that was a little surprising and disappointing. Otherwise, I found that the gentlemen who were interviewed throughout the work very intelligent, well-spoken, and amply capable of explaining and describing their own experiences and thoughts on a variety of pertinent issues surrounding karate training and its development, particularly within the KUGB context. There is also a lot of old footage and material in this production I have never seen before, and I thought that I have seen a fair bit. That was a nice little bonus.
Another minor quibble that I have with this work is that although the narrator of the video was able to address the audience in nicely rounded tones, articulated carefully and with perfect rhythm, he was untaught about the proper pronunciation of Japanese names, places, ideas, and terminology. The result were periodic twitches on my part during moments of mispronunciation. This was a minor issue, but entirely avoidable with a quick check with someone familiar with the Japanese language.
Besides these minor criticisms, I have high praise for this video. Very good style, and excellent content. If you are a member of the KUGB you will find this particularly interesting and informative. Find out where the karate you are learning is rooted. Support your karate teachers and your organization. Hear what some of your teachers have to say, besides the times when you experience them barking at you to fix your stances while you train in the dojo.
In short, a very worthwhile, educational, and an excellent document that does what karate is supposed to do: acknowledge and respect the old, but also develop the new.
The production is available in video formats and DVD. Contact information is as follows:
Email: info@legendtv.co.uk
Call: (24 hour answering line) (+44) 01204 791 038
FAX: (+44) 01706 712 102
Legend Productions
28 Wood Edge Close
Moses Gate
Bolton
BL3 2PD
United Kingdom
http://www.legendtv.co.uk/
Mark Groenewold
Kanazawa, Japan
February, 2004
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