Arrow Video Shawscope UK Blu-ray Synopsis: The anti-Qing patriots, under the guidance of Ho Kuang-han, have secretly set up their base in Canton under cover of being school masters. Liu Yude, one of Ho's pupils, having been inspired by his teacher's patriotism, is determined to join the anti-Qing ranks. Liu works as an espionage courier for his fellow countrymen until the Manchu General in Canton, Tianda, orders his troops to round up all the anti-Qing patriots. The Manchu soldiers, acting on information, surround the Ho school and kill Ho and many of his students. Later, Liu's father is also murdered by the Qing lackeys; Liu escapes to the Shaolin Temple in hopes of learning martial arts, with which he may avenge his father's death. The Abbot of the Shaolin Temple sympathizes with Liu's plight, accepting him as an inmate and giving him the name 'San De'. Liu does nothing but sweep the floors for nearly a year before being given permission to learn the Shaolin kung-fu techniques, comprising 35 chambers. Of course, as a novice, he has to start from the lowest chamber. One of the 35 chambers concerns the study of Buddhism, and the others are devoted to the martial arts. Each pupil pupil has to endure a stiff test in order to pass through any one chamber before going on to the next. In an incredibly short time, Liu has mastered and passed 10 chambers, specializing in the employment of the fists, feet, palms, swords, sticks, lance, and other weapons. He continues to make tremendous progress in the art of kung fu, and with the approval of the Abbot, he leaves the temple and goes out into the country to not only attack the cruel Manchu henchmen, but also to recruit more patriotic youths for training. Meanwhile, the Qing authorities order Tianda and his troops to catch Liu and his fellow monks. In a fierce encounter, Liu, aided by Hong Xiguan, kills many enemies, including Tianda. Liu and his new fellow fighters then return to the Shaolin Temple, where he immediately develops the '36th Chamber' which is the apex of the art of kung fu. The new blood, including Hong Xiguan, Tong Qianjin, Lu A-Cai and Chung Mi-lu (Miller Six), under the leadership of Liu, become a barb to torment the Qing flesh. (115 Mins)

 

Dragon Dynasty US DVD Synopsis: The 36th Chamber Of Shaolin, “a must-have for any self-respecting kung fu movie collector” (Kung Fu Cinema), takes martial arts fans inside the legendary Shaolin Temple, birthplace of kung fu. This masterful Shaw Brothers classic inspired two wildly successful sequels and influenced an entire generation of filmmakers. When Manchu invaders ravage a defenceless village, one wounded and desperate student seeks refuge at the secretive monastery of Shaolin. Fuelled by wrath, he undertakes a gruelling program of martial arts training that hones his strength, agility, and endurance in order to defeat his enemies. (111 Mins)

 

Warner Home Video UK VHS Synopsis: Few kung-fu films have dealt in such exciting detail with the secrets of the famous Shaolin Monastery, centre for martial arts in medieval China, as this colourful Shaw production. Liu Chia Hui stars as Liu Yu, a young man sworn to avenge the murder of his family by Manchu warlords. Liu Yu enters the Shaolin Temple to learn the martial arts he will need for revenge, in record time becoming a master killer excelling in all thirty-five gruelling chambers of kung-fu artistry. His desire for vengeance leads him to test his powers to their limit in a climatic struggle against the evil Tien. (89 Mins)

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Views: Even though he had starred in a host of classics before this one – such as Shaolin Martial Arts, Marco Polo, Five Shaolin Masters, and Executioners From Shaolin – Gordon Liu shot to fame in this role as Monk San Te thanks to his adoptive brother and famed director, Lau Kar Leung. As Lam Ching Ying was to Mr. Vampire, Jet Li to Wong Fei Hung, and even Robert Downey Junior to Tony Stark, Gordon Liu Chia Hui was destined to play this role of monk San Te, something he would continue to do for a very long time – so-much-so that when he turned up in roles with hair, he would often look odd to fans! During his long years at Shaolin learning kung-fu and the teachings of Buddhism, Gordon is put through some rigorous training; namely that of the famed 35 chambers. As he fails in his attempts, Liu learns to become a better person eventually honing his skills and mastering all 35 chambers along the way, as well as gaining the respect of his masters and brothers. Some of these are played by Shaw Brothers star Hsiao Ho, Johnny Cheung Yiu Wah from the Jackie Chan Stunt Team and the Drunken Master himself, Simon Yuen. After passing, San Te is offered the chance to head-up one of the 35th chambers but instead, suggests the creation of a 36th chamber – although not in the physical sense. His suggestion is in fact, asking permission to teach and spread kung-fu beyond the walls of Shaolin temple in a bid to help the people stand up against evil...

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While it is a genuine kung-fu classic, 36th Chamber Of Shaolin actually isn't packed with as many fights as you'd think. It's pretty much all about the training. Apart from the obligatory opening demonstration, where our hero shows off his moves with a collection of different weapons and styles, it is the directors own brother (the fantastic Lau Kar Wing) who gets the first fight scene. Wing plays General Yin and kicks things off when he attacks the evil Lo Lieh and his men, played by a young John Cheung and Wilson Tong who, incidentally, aided the Lau brothers in their choreography. Its not overly lengthy, but it certainly sets the tone for what is to come offering some great moves and plenty of violence. After a brief pole fight with a monk (played by Peter Chan) Lung, the next major fight follows when San Te has to take on another fellow monk, this time played by the brilliant Lee Hoi San. Usually known for his villainous roles, it was great to see Lee as a good guy for once. He relishes his chance to perform as he takes on the young monk with his Wing Chun butterfly knives. After being defeated a couple of times, San Te comes up with an idea for a new weapon and creates the three-section-staff in a bid to beat his final challenge. When San Te leaves the temple there's still a good 25 minutes to go which results in a packed finale, including many fights featuring the aforementioned Tong and Cheung, as well as appearances by Tsui Siu Keung, Billy Chan and Wong Yu to name but a few. This all leads to an amazing end battle between Gordon Liu and the brilliant Lo Lieh. Of course, it's during these fights where we get to see most of (if not all) of San Te's training put into action. The closing fight itself still stands strong as one of the greatest end battles of any kung-fu movie, resulting in some of the finest work from all parties involved!

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The film is wonderfully shot by Arthur Wong, part-time actor, prolific cinematographer, and director of films such as The Fool Escape and In The Line Of Duty 3: Force Of The Dragon. From the late 70s through to recent years, Wong has been behind the lens of many great Hong Kong titles including Wheels On Meals, My Lucky Stars, Armour Of God, New Dragon Inn, Iron Monkey, the Once Upon A Time In China Series, Moon Warriors, The Medallion, Bodyguards & Assassins, Painted Skin, League Of Gods, and many more. In fact, The 36th Chamber Of Shaolin would only be the 3rd title Wong would shoot, although he would go on to work for Lau many times after that capturing titles such as Shaolin Mantis, Heroes Of The East, Spiritual Boxer 2, Dirty Ho, and Mad Monkey Kung Fu. While director Kar Leung had already starred in around 200 films and choreographed almost as many, he had quickly become of the the Shaw Brothers most revered directors within a few years after delivering hit films such as The Spiritual Boxer, Challenge Of The Masters, and Executioners From Shaolin. He would go on to direct a host of incredible films over the next couple of decades, delivering his last in 2003 with Drunken Monkey. Unfortunately, Master Lau would pass a decade later due to cancer.

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At the time, Leung wanted to create a kung-fu film about the making of a Shaolin temple master and in doing so, brought to the world an instant classic that spawned a thousand knock-off's and a number of sequels – most notably Return To The 36th Chamber and Disciples Of The 36th Chamber. Out of the 3 of them this would be the most serious one, delivering a message of self-belief, hope and vengeance as Liu sets out to spend many years at Shaolin in a bid to train in martial arts and, ultimately, take revenge on the evil Manchu's that killed his father. But aside from that, the 36th Chamber Of Shaolin carries a strong political message that sits strong with the older generation of Hong Kong and China. Set during the occupation of the Qing (Manchu's), a dynasty that I'm sure many Chinese wished had never happened – Lau Kar Leung's classic blends Confucian lessons with tales of righteousness, embedding its action and violence in such strong context. Its a strong message that helps make this Shaw Brother's hit more than just another kung-fu film. A classic in every sense, 36th Chamber Of Shaolin is highly regarded as one of the most definitive Shaolin themed movies thanks to its storyline, intensive and extensive training sequences, as well as its inventive martial arts choreography. Its a film that keeps you entertained enough that you don't even see its (almost) 2 hour running time pass...

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Overall: Beautifully directed and highly entertaining, 36th Chamber Of Shaolin is one of the best and deserves to have a place in any kung fu fans collection!

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Arrow Video Blu-ray Extras: 4K Restoration, Audio Commentary with Travis Crawford, Interviews with Gordon Liu & Arthur Wong, Shaolin: Birthplace Of A Hero Featurette, Elegant Trails Featurette, Tiger Style: The Musical Impact Of Martial Arts Cinema Featurette, Cinema Hong Kong: Swordfighting Featurette, Alternate Opening Credits from Master Killer, Trailers, TV Spot, Photo Gallery

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Dragon Dynasty DVD Extras: Audio commentary by RZA and Andy Klein, Stills gallery, Trailers, Commentator biographies, Interview with Gordon Liu

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