You have to understand that in those movies, the students' families paid for the student to live in the instrcutor's household and learn martial arts. The students helped take care of the household, or in the case of temples, took care of the neccesities of running the temple. This type of relationship is no longer normal. In today's world, martial art instruction is a service rendered. Much like paying a dance instructor, music teacher, or riding instructor. You pay them to teach you and that is the end of the contract. In most cases you do not live with your instructor and are not responsible for the upkeep of his house. Though I have seen a few modern day instructors that try to treat thier students like endentured servants, it is wrong.
There are schools, particularly in the Chinese martial arts systems, that have what are called "outter door" and "inner door" students. Outter door students are the ones you see the most as an instructor. They come and go, often switching from school to school. While instructors teach these students, they rarely achieve much in a particular system. For instructors these outter door students' tuition helps pay the bills.
Inner door students have put the work into a particular system. They've been at the school for a while and the instructor trust them to a certain extent. These students will often have classes that other students are not invited too...such as advanced classes. The material trained in these classes is for serious students and for those that have shown they can grasp the concepts and principles of that particular system. Often these same students will be the ones responsible for the future of that particular system.
Occasionally an instructor will take specific interest in a rare student. That student will have shown to be what epidemizes the system that is being taught. The instructor will pour everything they can into those rare students. Eventually those students will be named the inheretor of the school. Sometimes there will be a group of these type of students.
Now having said all the above, none of it matters. If you train religiously, show a good attitude, and work your tail off, you will get what information you should get from a quality instructor. Be wary of any instructor that starts talking about getting this or that special knowledge, or being a certain kind of student, especially if such honors can only be achieved by paying him extra. Leave such an instructor immediately because niether you or advancing his art are his main concerns.
