The Shaolin Temple (Shao Lin tzu, 1979)

Chang Hsin Yen

Hong Kong

99 min, color, Mandarin (English subtitles)

If anyone cares about the plot, this is the story of how a fugitive helps the Emperor defeat an usurper of the throne during the late T'ang period. What really matters is that (a) the fugitive, who really only sets out to avenge his father's death at the hands of the usurper and does not suffer from royalist extremes, is played by the incredibly young Jet Li; (b) the superb wushu is acted out by masters of the art, and lovingly photographed in glorious detail in lush surroundings; and (c) there is (almost) no wire-work. No wonder this film is among the most favored by fans of the martial arts genre. Even I remember it, and I first saw it back in Bulgaria in 1984 with my grandfather.

Light on plot, the film is immensely heavy on action. There are probably no more than 10 minutes of non-fighting scenes in the entire film. From the very first fight, in which Jet Li's father is killed by the evil general, one realizes that the point is to demonstrate good martial arts, no more, no less. One is then treated to training sequences where Shaolin monks perform routines with several of the more popular weapons like the cudgel, 3-section staff, and sword. There is also an interesting scene showcasing Jet Li's proficiency in weaponry where he is shown to train with one weapon for each of the four seasons. Beautiful scenery (location shots, not studio fakes) and even a woman who battles while holding a lamb in one hand (no, the lamb did not survive the fight). And, of course, there are many, many fights between monks and usurper minions, all perfectly executed. There's even the famous Drunken Boxing style that was later made famous by Jackie Chan.

The acting is hammy, probably on account of hiring athletes who knew what they were doing during the fight/training sequences. The dubbing is atrocious and makes Jet Li sound like a wimp. The comedy is a bit alien to me: e.g. suffocating a dog by accident, eating it with a bunch of like-minded Buddhists, and then pontificating that as long as one is vegetarian in one's heart, a little dog meat here and there is permissible, may be someone's idea of humor, but certainly not PETA's. On the other hand, if one has humor in one's heart, maybe one need not make funny comedies.

The Mei Ah DVD is actually not that bad. In addition to the 5.1 Dolby Digital remix and the original theater mix, there's a DTS track (which is what I listen to). Both Cantonese and Mandarin mixes are provided, and the English subtitles are pretty decent. The picture has been cleaned up and is presented in the correct widescreen ration with the anamorphic enhancement. For now this appears to be the best way to own this classic film in DVD.

October 13, 2003