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Written by Eric P
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Thursday, 29 September 2005 19:24 |
36th Chamber Of Shaolin
A Review by Eric_P
AKA: Shaolin Master Killer; Master Killer; Kung-Fu Outrage
R3, NTSC, Hong Kong
1978, Uncut, Rated Category IIB, 111 Minutes
Anamorphic Widescreen 2:35:1
Publisher: Celestial Pictures
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The Movie
One of the all-time classic martial-arts films, 36th Chamber Of Shaolin boasts an impressive pedigree. A Shaw Brothers production, this movie was produced by Run-Run Shaw, directed by Liu Chia-Liang, and stars Gordon Liu Chia-Hui (Chia-Lang's younger brother) in the role that made him famous. It also stars the great Lo Lieh, who as both actor and director, cranked out a whopping 70 martial-arts films for Shaw Brothers.
36th Chamber Of Shaolin follows the typical martial-arts formula - wronged man learns kung-fu and takes revenge - but what sets it apart from lesser chop-sockies is its compelling, character-driven script, and detailed, yet fluid direction by Chia-Liang, who was one of Shaw Brothers' top martial-arts choreographers before he became a director.
Run-Run Shaw required all of his actors to not only be able to act well, but to also be highly-trained martial-artists. This resulted in the complex, authentic, brilliantly executed fight scenes for which Shaw Brothers films are so well known.
36th Chamber Of Shaolin is a Chinese historical action thriller set during the Qing dynasty, a time when China was occupied and ruled by brutal Manchu tartars. The film begins with the evil tartar General Tien (Lo Lieh) foiling an assassination attempt by rebels. The would be assassin is beaten bloody and strung up alive for all to see. Tien's partner in crime, General Yin (Liu Chia-Yung, brother of Chia-Liang and Chia-Hui) begins terrorizing the Chinese under his rule, trying to ferret out rebel spies.
San Te (Gordon Liu Chia-Hui) is a mild-mannered college student studying Confucian ethics. The son of a fishmonger, San Te sympathizes with the rebels and tries to help. When a mission backfires, General Yin tears apart San Te's father's seafood shop looking for evidence of spying. San Te just barely manages to escape with his life. He soon learns that his whole family has been killed by General Yin.
Knowing his people are no match for the tartars, San Te goes to the Shaolin Temple, where he asks the abbot if he can learn kung-fu and teach it to his people so they can defend themselves. Impressed by San Te's strong spirit, the abbot allows him to enter the temple and become a monk. Thus begins San Te's five years of training.
To learn Shaolin kung-fu, one must go through not one, not two, not three, but 35 levels of training. Each level is taught within a different training chamber in the temple. As a novice, San Te struggles to learn, providing for lots of comedy bits. The funniest bit involves San Te's inability to hop over logs floating in a sewage moat in order to get to the temple dining hall.
San Te is not about to give up. After five years of hardship and training, he becomes a Shaolin priest. He leaves the temple and returns home, planning to set up a Shaolin kung-fu school for his oppressed people. This leads him to a showdown with General Yin, and ultimately, General Tien.
36th Chamber Of Shaolin became a huge box office hit for Shaw Brothers. At the 24th Asian Film Festival, it won the Best Martial Arts Film award. It was also voted as one of the top 100 Chinese movies of all time. Gordon Liu Chia-Hui's excellent performance in the role of San Te led him to become one of the top martial-arts film stars. A favorite of director Quentin Tarantino, Liu Chia-Hui was cast as The Bride's trainer in Kill Bill, Volume Two.
Tech Specs
Video
In this quality dual-layer Hong Kong import disc, 36th Chamber Of Shaolin is presented in its original 2:35:1 widescreen "Shaw Scope" format, in a gorgeous anamorphic transfer. For a martial-arts film made in 1978, this transfer is just amazing! I wouldn't be surprised if there was some digital restoration done; there's no noticeable grain, nicks, or color fading. It's crisp and clean as a whistle.
Audio
The original Mandarin language track and a Cantonese dub are provided, both in Dolby Digital 2.1. Both tracks feature solid mixes. Selectable subtitles are provided in Chinese, English, Bahasa Malaysia, and Bahasa Indonesia. The English subtitles are small and a little hard to read.
Special Features
Not a bad little package. Here's what you get:
Trailers - the original and re-release theatrical trailers for 36th Chamber Of Shaolin.
New Releases - four trailers for other Celestial Pictures movies.
Movie Information - contains a Photo Gallery of film stills and behind the scenes shots, the original theater lobby poster, Production Notes, and an extensive Biography and Filmography of Gordon Liu Chia-Hui, Lo Lieh, Liu Chia-Liang, and others.
Shaolin - A Hero Birthplace - This 16-minute featurette is the highlight. The history of the Shaolin temple is discussed, and Gordon Liu Chia-Hui is interviewed about his participation in 36th Chamber Of Shaolin. Great short! In Mandarin with English subtitles.
The Report Card
Movie: A+
Video: A+
Audio: A
Special Features: B+
The Last Word
36th Chamber Of Shaolin belongs in every martial-arts film fan's DVD collection. It's a classic of the genre and this Hong Kong import DVD presentation is outstanding.
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Last Updated on Sunday, 23 December 2007 02:58 |
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