The 36th Chamber of Shaolin | DVD Review

The 36th Chamber of Shaolin is easily one of the greatest Kung Fu films of all time. This 1978 Shaw Brothers release (also known as The Master Killer and Shaolin Master Killer) reinvented the Kung Fu template and brought star Gordon Liu to international prominence.

As friends and family are being systematically brutalized, a young student named San Te (Gordon Liu) is inspired to rebel against his country’s oppressive government. He escapes to turn inspiration into action by joining the Shaolin temple to learn Kung Fu. As the years pass and he becomes the temple’s prized student he comes to the realization that it is his destiny to teach martial arts to the masses so that they can defend themselves against their government. Unfortunately, Shaolin doctrine is opposed to the secrets of Shaolin Kung Fu leaving the temple’s walls and San Te must decide whether to risk expulsion or follow through with his plan…

36th Chamber is directed by lifelong martial arts practitioner Lau Kar-Leung (AKA Liu Chia-Liang). Kar-Leung, who had worked on a number of martial arts films for other directors, felt that Kung Fu hadn’t been properly portrayed on screen and set out with that goal in mind. Employing a fellow martial arts student with whom he was aquainted, he signed on Gordon Liu in the titular role of Shaolin monk San Te. Kar-Leung felt that it was important that his audience understand the process involved in martial arts. He wanted to show the relationship between a teacher and his student, the psychological and physical ramifications of training, and most importantly, the way in which an individual’s outlook is changed when he commits to the discipline of martial arts. It is the attention to all of these aspects that sets 36th Chamber apart. For the first time, you have a film which is almost completely devoted to the process and not the outcome. A significant portion of the film (about 50 mins.) is devoted to creative training sequences before giving way to the film’s climax, which in this case serves to show the viewer the real world applications of everything you’ve witnessed during training.

The disc includes a feature commentary with film scholar Andy Klein and The RZA of Wu-Tang Clan. The pairing works to some degree as RZA’s movie lover to Kein’s movie aficianado, but isn’t really enough to sustain interest over the course of the entire film. Still, if your a fan of Wu-Tang’s Kung Fu homageroics, then you’ll probably listen through.

You’ll also find a sixteen and a half minute featuette called “Shaolin: A Hero Birthplace”. In it, star Gordon Liu (who I gotta say looks phenomenal for his age) discusses the film’s central themes and it’s place in cinematic lore while a voiceover interjects every few minutes to give you a rundown of the history and virtues of Shaolin Kung Fu. There are a number of interviews as well. Star Gordon Liu discusses life on the set at Shaw Brothers, his working relationships, and his own Kung Fu journey among other topics. An interview with film scholars David Chute and Andy Klein concentrates on the film’s historical significance and makes the argument that 36th Chamber produced a teacher/student template for hundreds of copycat films in both China and the U.S. Finally, RZA discusses the film’s influence on himself and his career.

You’ll also find an excerpt of a live performance for Wu-Tang’s “Gravel Pit”, a 36th Chamber poster and stills gallery, as well as some vintage trailers for this film and six others.

Anyone who has ever studied a martial art knows there is always a linear process to training. It is a physical and mental journey that takes you from an uncoordinated mess to a more mature and enlightened individual. This is what watching 36th Chamber feels like. The film’s never looked this good, so what else can I say? It’s time to chuck that old VHS copy and start busting some moves!

Movie rating – 4.5

Disc Rating – 3