The Shaw Bros. studio made between 3.6 and 4.35 trillion films during the "golden age" of Kung Fu cinema. Technically speaking, that's a lot. Do you need to see them all? Probably not... in fact, as with any other genre, there are plenty of klunkers that no one's ever heard of and that you should probably avoid, at all costs. One-offs. Weird ones. Among the more recommended titles, though, among the classics that are so good they deserve multiple viewings, you'll start to see familiar faces and recognizable story lines repeatedly pop up. And, depending on the production period, familiar fighting styles too.
If you watch more than a handful of these films certain titles like Disciples of Shaolin will stand out even more as films of mighty significance. Disciples not only stars the immensely popular Alexander Fu Sheng, but it's also one of the last collaborations between director Chang Cheh and star choreographer (and accomplished Kung Fu film director in his own right) Lau Kar Leung, whose Southern Shaolin Hung Fist fighting style dominated many Shaw Bros. films in the mid 70's. Disciples of Shaolin shows off Fu Sheng's impressive ability to fight with real well personality, well-developed characterization and truckloads of charisma, and it just happens to also be a classic, archetypal display of some of the best hand-to-hand Kung Fu you'll see in a mid-70's Shaw Bros. flick.
The storyline is all familiar Kung Fu stuff: Guan (Fu Sheng), a young, naive, happy-go-lucky country boy with no shoes (who happens to be an unstoppable Kung Fu master (of course)), moves in with his older, wiser brother, a humble worker at the top textile factory in the big city. But the textile industry in this town is cut-throat... a rival firm owned by the evil Ha Ha Bu starts poaching staff from the top firm, and many fights break out (If you're looking for work in textiles, it really helps if you know Kung Fu). The story definitely plods forward in predictable fashion, but the unique thing here is how stylishly it does so. Much care is given to underscore this clichéed country-mouse tale with motifs representing class struggle and status: Guan, hoping to make it in the big city thinks he's got it made when he finally earns a new pair of shoes. But as he climbs the corporate ladder (using his unstoppable Kung Fu style) he's rewarded beyond his wildest dreams by his corrupt boss. The shoes and later, a gold watch, symbols of Guan's increasingly cumbersome success, effectively give the story a rich-ish texture you don't often see in these movies. Even the corrupt boss, completely out of touch with his workers, lovingly keeps pet crickets, which he cares about more than those who fight and die in the name of his textile business. It's such a nice, subtle bit of characterization that does a huge service to the overall story, and makes it seem like it's actually about something other than world class Kung Fu fighting.
Before becoming a huge star, Alexander Fu Sheng trained with Lau Kar Leung for 6 months, and they then made a bunch of movies working closely together. Disciples of Shaolin, if nothing else, serves as a document of the heights that a great master/student team can reach. Fu Sheng, an instantly likable, undeniably capable leading man is so good at both acting AND fighting, that he's able to do both at the same time. He's skilled enough to expertly pull off Kar Leung's impressive Hung Fist style in such a way that his character, a mischievous, bright-eyed prankster, actually comes through in his fighting. He spends many fights in this film taking on dozens of Ha Ha Bu's goons at once, all the while sporting a sneaky grin. If you're like me, you will that grin'll be contagious. He's an absolute delight to watch. It's no surprise that Fu Sheng was as huge a star as he was, as he really does bring something special to the table, and it's on full display in Disciples of Shaolin.
This film is awesome and on top of everything else, it's got a kickass 70's soundtrack! I give it a well-deserved four clenched fists out of five.
If you watch more than a handful of these films certain titles like Disciples of Shaolin will stand out even more as films of mighty significance. Disciples not only stars the immensely popular Alexander Fu Sheng, but it's also one of the last collaborations between director Chang Cheh and star choreographer (and accomplished Kung Fu film director in his own right) Lau Kar Leung, whose Southern Shaolin Hung Fist fighting style dominated many Shaw Bros. films in the mid 70's. Disciples of Shaolin shows off Fu Sheng's impressive ability to fight with real well personality, well-developed characterization and truckloads of charisma, and it just happens to also be a classic, archetypal display of some of the best hand-to-hand Kung Fu you'll see in a mid-70's Shaw Bros. flick.
The storyline is all familiar Kung Fu stuff: Guan (Fu Sheng), a young, naive, happy-go-lucky country boy with no shoes (who happens to be an unstoppable Kung Fu master (of course)), moves in with his older, wiser brother, a humble worker at the top textile factory in the big city. But the textile industry in this town is cut-throat... a rival firm owned by the evil Ha Ha Bu starts poaching staff from the top firm, and many fights break out (If you're looking for work in textiles, it really helps if you know Kung Fu). The story definitely plods forward in predictable fashion, but the unique thing here is how stylishly it does so. Much care is given to underscore this clichéed country-mouse tale with motifs representing class struggle and status: Guan, hoping to make it in the big city thinks he's got it made when he finally earns a new pair of shoes. But as he climbs the corporate ladder (using his unstoppable Kung Fu style) he's rewarded beyond his wildest dreams by his corrupt boss. The shoes and later, a gold watch, symbols of Guan's increasingly cumbersome success, effectively give the story a rich-ish texture you don't often see in these movies. Even the corrupt boss, completely out of touch with his workers, lovingly keeps pet crickets, which he cares about more than those who fight and die in the name of his textile business. It's such a nice, subtle bit of characterization that does a huge service to the overall story, and makes it seem like it's actually about something other than world class Kung Fu fighting.
Before becoming a huge star, Alexander Fu Sheng trained with Lau Kar Leung for 6 months, and they then made a bunch of movies working closely together. Disciples of Shaolin, if nothing else, serves as a document of the heights that a great master/student team can reach. Fu Sheng, an instantly likable, undeniably capable leading man is so good at both acting AND fighting, that he's able to do both at the same time. He's skilled enough to expertly pull off Kar Leung's impressive Hung Fist style in such a way that his character, a mischievous, bright-eyed prankster, actually comes through in his fighting. He spends many fights in this film taking on dozens of Ha Ha Bu's goons at once, all the while sporting a sneaky grin. If you're like me, you will that grin'll be contagious. He's an absolute delight to watch. It's no surprise that Fu Sheng was as huge a star as he was, as he really does bring something special to the table, and it's on full display in Disciples of Shaolin.
This film is awesome and on top of everything else, it's got a kickass 70's soundtrack! I give it a well-deserved four clenched fists out of five.