Shao Lin san shi liu fang

If you want to see some of the coolest Shaolin training sequences ever, check this one out. Gordon Liu always plays the best young Shaolin fighting monks (he's done it ALOT) and this is his great directing debut. This movie actually has a story to it. Although the hero wants to learn shaolin kung fu for direct revenge at first, his training causes him to seek a different path. During this path, he goes through alot of crazy funky training sequences. If you're a kung-fu fan who loves to see insane tests of skill, this is your movie. Plus, if you love this one, see "Shaolin and Wutang" with Gordon Liu and Adam Cheng.

This is a Run Run Shaw Brothers classic film and widely considered to be one of the greatest Kung Fu flick of all time . Epic imperial and subsequent upheaval during China's Ching dynasty , being spectacular and colorfully directed . The picture starts with an opening credits showing a demonstration of martial arts against an empty backdrop . The anti-Ching rebels , under the guidance of Ho Kuang-Han, have secretly set up their base in Canton , posing as school masters . During a cruel Manchu attack, the patriot San Te or Liu (Chia Hui Liu) arranges to getaway and devotes himself to learning the martial arts at Shaolin temple in order to seek vengeance . In a short period of time he learns the art of fighting , thanks his expert Bhuddist masters . When his learning is completed , he battles the Manchus commanded by his chief , General Tien Ta (Lo Lieh).

This luxurious Kung Fu film was marvelously filmed with good production design , colorful cinematography , a lot of zooms and breathtaking scenes . The flick displays lots of violence, action filled , thrills and fierce combats . This is a colourful, Hong-Kong set and quite budget movie ; leave no cliché untouched , though the fighting are magnificently staged . The picture is full of tumultuous sequences with frenetic action , surprises ,fierce combats and groundbreaking struggles . Amid the glamour and grandeur of the scenarios is developed an intrigue about nasty Manchues and a learning period at famous Shaolin temple , including betrayal , crime and exploring the dark side of Chinese Ching dynasty . Despite the US title for the film ¨The Master Killer¨, the idea of taking a life would be abhorrent to a real Shaolin or Bhuddist monk . Impressive and rousing fights with deadly use of fists , feet and palms , along with such weapons as swords, sticks , and lances . And hundreds of armored warriors reenacted by lots of extras . Overwhelming attacks and exciting combats very well staged , the result is a strong entry for action buffs . Kung Fu training scenes are a direct reference in ¨Kill Bill¨ by Quentin Tarantino , enhanced by the fact that Gordon Liu stars in both movies . Even the faded colours in this scene match that of the Shaolin movie . The movie was well directed By Chia Liang Liu and won the Best Martial Arts Award at 24th Asian Film Festival and was the 1978 Top 10 Box Office Hits in Hong Kong . Chia Liang Liu or Lau Kar Leung made stunts and directed several Kung Fu movies as ¨Legend of drunk master¨ , ¨Shaolin executioners¨, ¨The invincible pole fighters¨, ¨Seven swords¨ and the following : ¨Return to Shaolin¨ with Gordon Liu and ¨Shaolin 3 : Martial arts of Shaolin¨ with Jet Li .

Firstly, let me say that Chia Hui Liu (aka Gordan Liu) "MAKES" this movie. It would not be what it is without him. To be fair, I have to give notice that every movie with him and the director (who I understand is a relative) is good. Now, let me tell why. Liu gives effort and emotion to his parts. Every part and every movie I have seen him in, this has been the case. When there is anger, you see it in his face. When there is despair, you see it. He makes it almost tangible. Plus, he has "skills". Also, this movie has plot and believability. It's interesting and "absorbing". The one I watched was "English" dubbed, but the dubbing was good. Even the sound track was complimentary for the scenes.

I's unfortunate that the asian movie industry has been in the past just like the American sports industry was. The take talented young people, chew up their juices, and then spit them out all used up.

I wonder if Liu even suspected that he had attained "Classic" status with this movie as far as "old school Kung-Fu fans" in the North-east USA are concerned?

Perhaps cultural differences prevent understanding the significance and excellence of this film.

The original title The 36th Chamber of Shaolin refers to San Te requesting from the Head Abbot of Shaolin permission to teach Shaolin martial skills to Han Chinese to give them the tools needed to fight the occupying Manchus of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1910) who were seen as outsiders. Chinese today still generally hate the Qing and wish that dynasty never happened, as their corruption and shortsightedness in the 20th Century was perceived to have weakened the country leading to some regions being colonized by many foreign powers at the time. Hong Kong was a colony taken by the British after humiliating the Chinese in a resounding defeat in the Opium Wars.

The fact that the Hong Kong film industry made films about rebellion should be understood within this context of Hong Kong as a British Colony. Master Lau is Cantonese (as was Wong Fei-hung), so has a particular closeness to the problematic colonial relationship with the occupying British. This is why I consider this film to be an interesting example of post colonial film.

This background is essential to understanding the significance of the statement made by Master Lau in this film. It is not "just a simple revenge tale" but the revenge is the moral and ethical response (in Chinese the technical/philosophical term is "righteousness" or in English best described as "justice") for the brutal murder of his classmates, ethics teacher, and his family. In the first part of the film, Master Killer (played by Master Lau's adopted brother, Liu Chia-hui, Master Lau's real brother plays the rebellious General Yin who fights with the ax) is studying Confucian ethics. After all their friends and family are ruthlessly slaughtered for participating in a revolt against the occupying Qing (Manchu) forces, Master Killer's friend laments that it was pointless to study ethics, as it was useless for them to save their loved ones and resist the Qings. "No," Master Killer replies, "ethics has taught us to be loyal (another Confucian term) to our loved ones, so we must get revenge. If either of us survive we MUST make it to Shaolin, learn martial arts, and get revenge!"

This political message is what makes this film more than just an arbitrary action film. In the West, actioners typically don't embed violence in such a bitter context. Here, the violence holds deep meaning within the context of foreign invasion and occupation. Here it is seen as the ethical action, which is how San Te responds to his first victim of revenge (where he meets Hung Xiguan) when his victim demands, "You can't kill me you're a monk!" To which San Te replies, "Even Buddha punished evil!"

Though HK cinema had just a fraction of the budget enjoyed by the glorified garbage of most Hollywood actioners, it makes up for in dangerous political messages, unparalleled martial arts mayhem, and real martial skills of the actors. The actors in these films (like Bollywood films where the actors have to display dancing skills) actually have to do something skillful on screen as opposed to just prancing around like primadonnas. If you think the acting is overdone, this results from HK cinema arising out of Peking Opera traditions (like Sammo Hung, Jackie Chan, Yuen Biao, and Corey Yuen came out of) which has a particular style of acting that has its own idiom.

Some background: This film is directed and choreographed by Master Lau (Liu Chia-liang or Lau Kar Leung). His father (and grandfather) were disciples of Butcher Wing (as depicted by Sammo Hung in The Magnificent Butcher), who was Wong Fei-hung's toughest disciple. Wong Fei-hung's style is Hung-gar, named for Hung Xiguan, (Donnie Yen plays him in the Hong Kong TV show released in the US on DVD as The Kungfu Master and Revenge of the Kungfu Master) the only disciple to survive the burning of the Shaolin Temple (there was more than one temple).

For this *legendary* story (these stories form a sort of oral history in martial arts circles, but may be doubted by Western historians, who specialize in rejecting oral histories such as the Hemmings' family oral histories of Thomas Jefferson's habitual raping of his wife's half sister, Sally Hemmings) a good movie to see is Heroes Two and its sequel Disciples of Death, starring Chen Kuan Tai (a real master of Monkey Kungfu) as Hung Xiguan and Alexander Fu Sheng (the kungfu genius who tragically died in an auto accident in his prime around 1984) as Fang Shiyu (aka Fong Sai-yuk, also played by Jet Li in two movies of the same name). This film is the beginning of all these movies as it shows the history that produced San Te the first Shaolin monk to teach outsiders.

I hope some of this history, background, and perspective will help viewers appreciate the greatness of this film. Other films Lau made or helped choreograph that I recommend is: The Deadly Duo, The Heroic Ones, Shaolin Mantis, Mad Monkey Kungfu, Executioners of Death, Heroes Two, its sequel: Disciples of Death, Five Masters of Death, Shaolin Martial Arts, Legendary Weapons of Kungfu, 8 Diagram Pole Fighters, Disciples of Master Killer (Master Killer III) 1984/5, Legend of Drunken Master (Drunken Master II), etc. Many of the movies he is involved with are worth watching, at least for their action even if sometimes the plot lines are a little weak.

This film has it all action, drama, good characters, great plot, and some of the best fight scenes put to celluloid. DON'T SLEEP ON THIS! Though I've literally seen thousands of the best films from all over the world of all different time periods, this one is one of my all-time favorites!! I hope you enjoy it even a fraction of how much I do!

36th Chamber of shoalin

As a lifelong devoted fan of chop socky I still did not see this film until last year because it was impossible in the U.S.(at least it seemed to me) to get a orginal language 36th Chamber of shoalin. Knowing that any video that said Shoalin Master killer or just Master killer would be a English dubbed atrocity I decided to wait.

Perhaps the best geek news of 2003 for me however was Celestial pictures releasing region 3 versions of old Shaw bros classics. Original language, subtitled well, subtitled bonus features, Dolby surround, Beautifully re-mastered and packaged. Director Liu Chia liang's masterpiece the 36th chamber was my first purchase in the series. The new re-issues have some of his other classics like executioners from shoalin(which Kill Bill 2 paid direct tribute to),8 diagram pole fighter and soon Legendary weapons of China.

36th chamber tells a fictionalized tale of the shoalin monk who broke rank with his temple and taught Kung Fu to the people. While the true story probably did not have the elements of revenge that make the story of the film that hardly manners this is a movie not a history class. It is a lesson the non-violent resistors of the world need to here again and again. When Gordon Liu and his fellow students ask them selves how can they defeat their violent enemy words of logic.

They decide that if they are going to effectively fight back what they learn at the university is not enough. So they travel to the shoalin temple. At the shoalin temple they are masters of martial arts but they stay out of worldly affairs. The 35th chamber of shoalin is the highest level and it is not a measure of strength of combat ability. It is enlightenment, mastery of oneself.

So this epic film, a 2 hour chop socky flick that's story takes place over 10 years, has a interesting plot. Can this man driven by anger complete training in Buddhist temple where his motivations are against the very basics of there teachings. It is impossible to imagine Hollywood making movie that includes forty minutes of Buddhist philosophy, training and no love story. Well lets face it I not sure a woman is in this movie at all.

The martial arts in this film are amazing and every bit as impressive as stuff done today. The training parts while probably not realistic are entertaining and don't bore. The acting is all well done. The direction is steady, the story well told.

For fans of this film note that the director, star and studio teamed up last year to make a film called drunken monkey. Shaw bros big return to Kung Fu movies has been well received. It's next on my list, to rent.