The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978)

A man studies kung fu at the Shaolin Temple to fight back against the oppressive Manchu government.

Director:

Chia-Liang Liu

Writer:

Kuang Ni

Stars:

Chia-Hui Liu, Lieh Lo, Chia Yung Liu

Cast

Credited cast:
Chia-Hui Liu	...	San Te
Lieh Lo	...	General Tien Ta
Chia Yung Liu	...	General Yin
Norman Chu	...	Lu Ah-cai (as Shao-Chiang Hsu)
Yu Yang	...	Hung His-kuan (as Yang Yu)
John Cheung	...	Lord Cheng (as Chang Wu-liang)
Wilson Tong	...	Tang San-yao (as Tang Wei-cheng)
Hang-Sheng Wu	...	Tung Qian-jin
Yue Wong	...	Miller Six (as Yu Wang)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Tung-Kua Ai	...	Abbot in charge of Head Chamber
Billy Chan	...	Soldier
Lung Chan	...	Abbot in charge of Staff Chamber
Shen Chan	...	Director of 'Wrists Chamber'
Szu-Chia Chen	...	Chen Yen-ping
Wah Cheung	...	Shaolin disciple

Storyline

The anti-Ching patriots, under the guidance of Ho Kuang-han, have secretly set up their base in Canton, disguised as school masters. During a brutal Manchu attack, Lui manages to escape and devotes himself to learning the martial arts in order to seek revenge. In a short period of time he masters the deadly use of his fists, feet and palms, along with such weapons as swords, sticks, and lances. With his learning complete, he takes on the Manchus.

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Plot Keywords:

buddhist monk | training | kung fu | bare chested male | arm ring | 

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Taglines:

The Kung Fu Classic That Started It All!

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

Hong Kong

Language:

Mandarin

Release Date:

2 February 1978 (Hong Kong)

Also Known As:

Shaolin Master Killer

Company Credits

Production Co:

Shaw Brothers

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This movie was a big hit in India. The movie dubbed in English ran 25 weeks houseful at Srinivasa 35 MM at Narayanguda, Hyderabad.

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Quotes

San Te: I should have learned Kung-fu instead of ethics.

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Alternate Versions

West German theatrical version was cut by ca. 30 minutes. Subsequent TV and VHS releases were cut as well. Only in 2004 the film was redubbed and released completely uncut on DVD by MiB.

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Connections

Referenced in Youth in Revolt (2009)

User Reviews

Worth a place on your kung-fu video shelf.

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?