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IMDbPro

The 36th Chamber of Shaolin

Original title: Shao Lin san shi liu fang
  • 19781978
  • RR
  • 1h 56m
IMDb RATING
7.7/10
16K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
10,532
842
The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978)
A man studies kung fu at the Shaolin Temple to fight back against the oppressive Manchu government.
Play trailer3:42
1 Video
87 Photos
ActionAdventureDrama
A man studies kung fu at the Shaolin Temple to fight back against the oppressive Manchu government.A man studies kung fu at the Shaolin Temple to fight back against the oppressive Manchu government.A man studies kung fu at the Shaolin Temple to fight back against the oppressive Manchu government.
IMDb RATING
7.7/10
16K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
10,532
842
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Chia-Liang Liu
    • Writer
      • Kuang Ni
    • Stars
      • Chia-Hui Liu
      • Lieh Lo
      • Yue Wong
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Chia-Liang Liu
    • Writer
      • Kuang Ni
    • Stars
      • Chia-Hui Liu
      • Lieh Lo
      • Yue Wong
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 89User reviews
    • 64Critic reviews

    Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 3:42
    Trailer

    Photos87

    The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978)
    The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978)
    The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978)
    The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978)
    The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978)
    The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978)
    Chia-Hui Liu in The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978)
    Chia-Hui Liu in The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978)
    The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978)
    The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978)
    The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978)
    The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Chia-Hui Liu
    Chia-Hui Liu
    • San Te
    Lieh Lo
    Lieh Lo
    • General Tien Ta
    Yue Wong
    Yue Wong
    • Miller Six
    • (as Yu Wang)
    Chia-Yung Liu
    Chia-Yung Liu
    • General Yin
    Norman Chu
    Norman Chu
    • Lu Ah-Tsai
    • (as Shao-Chiang Hsu)
    Yung Yu
    • Hung Hsi-Kuan
    Hung Wei
    Hung Wei
    • Teacher Ho
    Lun Hua
    Lun Hua
    • Chang Hsiang-Yung
    Szu-Chia Chen
    Szu-Chia Chen
    • Chen Yen-Ping
    John Cheung
    John Cheung
    • Lord Cheng
    • (as Wu-Liang Chang)
    Wilson Tong
    Wilson Tong
    • Tang San-Yao
    • (as Tang Wei-cheng)
    Hang-Sheng Wu
    Hang-Sheng Wu
    • Tung Chien-Jin
    Hoi-Sang Lee
    Hoi-Sang Lee
    • Abbot of Justice Office
    • (as Hai-Sheng Li)
    Kwok-Choi Hon
    Kwok-Choi Hon
    • Lin Chen
    • (as Kuo-Tsai Han)
    Tung-Kua Ai
    Tung-Kua Ai
    • Abbot in charge of Head Chamber
    Billy Chan
    Billy Chan
    • Soldier
    Lung Chan
    Lung Chan
    • Abbot in charge of Staff Chamber
    Shen Chan
    Shen Chan
    • Director of 'Wrists Chamber'
    • Director
      • Chia-Liang Liu
    • Writer
      • Kuang Ni
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The movie won the Best Martial Arts Award at 24th Asian Film Festival and was the 1978 Top 10 Box Office Hits in Hong Kong.
    • Quotes

      Senior monk: The wall may be low, but the Buddha is high.

    • 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.
    • Connections
      Featured in Martial Arts Mayhem Vol. 2 (1998)

    User reviews89

    Review
    Top review
    10/10
    "The 36th Chamber of Shaolin" - An essential martial arts movie
    Anyone familiar with the hip-hop super-group the Wu-Tang Clan knows that "The 36th Chamber of Shaolin" (a.k.a. "Shaolin Master Killer"), directed in 1978 by Liu Chia-Liang, is essential viewing for any martial arts movie fan. This movie started the whole "good-guy-gets-his-butt-kicked-and-undergoes-martial arts-training-to-exact-vengeance" storyline that's been used so many times in the martial arts movies since (i.e., the American "Karate Kid" movies). In it, anti-Manchu patriot San Te (Gordon Liu) is a humble country boy who is cast out of his village when Manchu soldiers (led by the villainous Lo Lieh) slaughter his parents, orphaning him. He manages to make it to the famous Shaolin Temple, where he is nursed back to health by the monks living there, and soon undergoes a rigorous and dangerous regiment of training to master the 35 "chambers" (styles) of kung-fu. In seven years, he completes his training, mastering all 35 styles, invents a brand-new weapon (the three-section staff), and suggests creating a 36th chamber - to spread kung-fu beyond the Shaolin Temple's walls and bring it to the masses. The whole story is pretty formulaic (what martial arts movie from the '70s doesn't have a formulaic plot?), but what gets this movie going is its rousing training sequences. These are not the run-of-the-mill stuff we're used to seeing in these movies. San Te's quest to become a martial arts warrior is a tortuous journey of self-actualization, a kind of virtue commonly lacking in the genre; San Te actually becomes a better person as a result of his experiences at the Shaolin Temple. Most grind-house cinema aficionados love this movie (Wu-Tang Clan co-founder the RZA in "The Wu-Tang Manual" does an entire section on the martial arts movies that influenced his development of the Wu-Tang Clan and much of their underlying philosophy). Finally, I'm glad to see an old-school martial arts movie that has its heart and brain in the right places.

    10/10
    helpful•41
    11
    • dee.reid
    • Aug 31, 2007

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • 1978 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • Hong Kong
    • Language
      • Mandarin
    • Also known as
      • Master Killer
    • Filming locations
      • Hong Kong, China
    • Production company
      • Shaw Brothers
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 56 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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