by Dave Roberts
Ever since I was very young I always dreamed about training in a strict school to learn the ways of kung-fu, against my will as I am lazy. Ever since I saw The Three Ninja Kids, the first episode of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and The Karate Kid I have dreamed of this. The training montages were always so exciting even when they were just Mr Miyagi showing Daniel LaRusso how he wax off.
The 36th Chambers of Shaolin
The 36th Chamber of Shaolin is a vintage classic Kung-Fu movie from 1978 which is basically just a great training montage that makes Rocky look like Rocky V. 36th Chamber stars Gordon Liu as a highly fictionalised version of San Te (Chinese: ); a real life legendary Shaolin martial arts disciple and very possibly an original member of the Wu-Tang Clan. The Manchu government are getting very murdery in a small village, and Liu Yude (San Te’s pre- monk-life name), and his class are motivated, (but not qualified) to beat the shit out of the government and due to a lack of skill, proceed to be destroyed faster than a portaloo at a fibre festival.
The Shaolin Temple
Barely surviving, Liu Yude ends up sneaking his way into the Shaolin Temple and begging the Monks to train him so he can teach the people and over throw the government. This is a solid plot, and I often worry about watching old kung-fu movies, because, aside from the hilariously bad dubbing, the choreography is often like watching drunk people trying to have a tickle fight while doing the time-warp.
Listed as one of the 1001 Movies You Have To See Before The Manchu Government Comes And Kills You, 36th Chamber is an incredibly inspirational movie, the creativity of the training montages will make you want to fly to China and study kung fu under the firm but fair tutelage of someone that has been doing it since they were five and the plot will make you want to read all about China’s history before you get there.
Having to burn your face on incense, ringing bells with a weighted bamboo pole and carrying barrels with knives under your arms to increase arm strength, are all unlikely things for you to be doing in a modern kung fu
Infectious determination
36th Chamber of Shaolin school, but the infectious determination to be better than the day before will
rub off on you, and it’s a great thing to watch before waking up at six am for another intense day of your own. The choreography is very 1970s and dance like, Gordon Liu is outstanding and earns his place as a legend, as a story, and as a movie, it is unarguably one of the best kung fu films of all time. Now I better go, there’s an old man beside me and it unnerves me the way he watches me writing while he wax off.
