|
By
WADE GOSSETT
I remember my first Kung Fu
movies as hyperkinetic comedies, full of goofy
English-dubbed dialogue, plainly absurd plot
elements and pretty good action.
Well, I was wrong. Genius has released four
martial arts masterpieces by Hong Kong's famed
Shaw Brothers on DVD, as they should be seen: In
their proper aspect ratio, in the original
Mandarin and Cantonese, and with a crisp transfer.
Add oodles of extras and this is a must-have
collection for any action fan.
The four titles are The 36th Chamber of Shaolin,
King Boxer, My Young Auntie and One-Armed
Swordsman. They are released on the Dragon Dynasty
label as Special Collector’s Editions and include
all-new bonus features, expert commentary by film
scholars, film critics and famous fans like
Quentin Tarantino, talent interviews, trailers,
deleted scenes, and everything your kung fu loving
heart can desire.
The plots are invariably revenge fantasies: In The
36th Chamber of Shaolin a young monk seeks to
avenge the brutal slaughter of his people at the
hands of the Manchus. In King Boxer we follow the
quest of a young martial arts student as he
struggles to win the All-China tournament despite
being constantly sabotaged by his rivals. In My
Young Auntie comedy overtakes action as the story
of a two families united by marriage unfolds. And,
in my favorite of the lot, the 1967 One-Armed
Swordsmen, a young man is trained by a grand
master after his father is killed protecting the
school. The master raises him as his son and wants
him to succeed him and marry his spoiled daughter,
but disciples from wealthy families, as well as
the daughter, shun him and disappointed and bitter
he tries to leave. This is where elements that may
seem ridiculous are pulled together by expert
movie making into a very satisfying -- and
incredibly credible -- action classic: The spoiled
daughter, who actually loves the young man, cuts
his sword fighting arm off, a country girl heals
him, gives him a half-burned book that explains
how to fight with your left hand, a rival to his
master invents a special trap that locks the
swords used by his master and his disciples, but
the young on-armed man trains with a short sword
that's immune to the trap, and he even gets to don
a mask as a secret hero. Wow! There are even
doscussion touching on the value of an ordinary
life vs. the endless cycle of seeking revenge.
Follow the link below and buy the lot. |
