Shaolin Temple (1982)

A young man, hounded by a psychopathic general, learns martial arts at the Shaolin temple to avenge his father's death. To achieve this he forgoes a budding romance with his kungfu master's daughter, a shepherdess.

Director:

Hsin-Yen Chang

Writers:

Hau Sit (screenplay by) (as Shih Hou), Shau-Chang Lu (screenplay by)

Stars:

Jet Li, Hai Yu, Chenghui Yu

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
Jet Li	...	Jue Yuan (as Lianjie Li)
Hai Yu	...	Tan Zong Shi Fu
Chenghui Yu	...	Wng Renze (as Cheng-Hui Yu)
Lan Ding	...	Bai Wuxia
Jianqiang Hu	...	Wu Kong
Jiankui Sun	...	Se Kong
Huailiang Liu	...	Liao Kong
Chunhua Ji	...	Tu Ying (as Chun Hua Ji)
Jianwen Zhang	...	Fang Zhang
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Lichang Bian
Guoan Chen
Szu-Ying Chien
Zhiqiang Cui	...	Xuan Kong
Chuanyang Du	...	Wei Kong
Henry Fong	...	Hui Neng (as Ping Fang)

Storyline

The Tang emperor is betrayed by one of his generals, who installs himself as emperor in the East Capital. The son of one of his slave workers escapes to the Shaolin Temple, learns kung fu, and sets out to kill the traitor, who killed his father. The monks have to help him, and in the process, they save the true emperor, who rewards them greatly. Based on a true story from Shaolin folklore, but highly fictionalized.

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Plot Keywords:

7th century | emperor | shaolin | traitor | temple | 

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Genres:

Action | Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

The weapons used by Jet Li in the movie include the staff, 3-section staff, broadsword, and spear.

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Alternate Versions

UK versions are cut by 8 secs and remove all footage of sheep being stabbed and strangled.

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Connections

Featured in Iron & Silk (1990)

User Reviews

The first of its kind

"The Shaolin Temple" is the first Chinese martial arts film to use gongfu artists instead of actors. Initially, the Japanese investors hired actors, but didn't like the results, so they hired regional and national wushu champions. Although Jet Li is the main character and his wushu is exceptional, don't underestimate the other gongfu artists; they are just as good. The film was two years in the making due to injuries the cast received doing their own stunts. The credits state that the fight choreography was done by Pan Qing Fu, but this is not so. The cast choreographed their own fight scenes and deserve the credit they've been denied.

Details

Country:

China Hong Kong

Language:

Mandarin

Release Date:

21 January 1982 (Hong Kong)

Also Known As:

Shao Lin Si

Filming Locations:

Shaolin Monastery, Henan, China

Box Office

Budget:

CNY1,200,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Golden Harvest Company, Chung Yuen Motion Picture Company, Towa Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1