Post by klep on Apr 17, 2017 6:34:46 GMT -6
MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 4/17: The 36th Chamber Of Shaolin
MARTIAL ARTS WEEK
What makes for a good martial arts film? For the answer, you may as well look to The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, since that's what most martial arts films since it was created have done. Produced by the famous Shaw Brothers, The 36th Chamber of Shaolin is a legendary classic, and for good reason. Its story is a fairly simple one of a man facing oppression and seeking the secrets of kung fu to overthrow the oppressors, but it's a journey filmed with remarkable clarity and purpose.
Liu-Yu (Gordon Liu, as Chia-Hui Liu) is a simple student, merely enamored by rebellion until the brutality of his oppressors strikes close to home, driving him to seek the fabled kung fu secrets of the Shaolin temple. Admitted to the temple he shows great natural talent, but its his humility and dedication which truly allow him to excel. As a full-fledged monk, he takes the name San-te and returns to the outside to lead a revolt.
Liu-Yu's education is painstaking. It is ages before we see him learning to fight, as he must first develop his body. We see him doing the most painful arm day ever, learning balance and speed by running across logs on water, training his eyes and more as he hones his body and mind into a condition ready to be taught kung fu. It's a masterful training sequence, and its lessons are all returned to through the course of the rest of the film as San-te faces skepticism from both within and without the monastery.
Director Chia-Liang Liu shoots both fighting and training with unparalleled clarity. Every blow, every move is easy to follow and the camera movement never costs the viewer an understanding of the fight's geography. Liu's athleticism and obvious skill is given the spotlight, and he needs no help from the camera to make the fights dynamic and exciting.
The 36th Chamber of Shaolin's legacy is long and pervasive, whether it's Miyagi teaching Daniel to "wax on, wax off" in The Karate Kid or the fluke of economics that led to the Wu Tang Clan's whole aesthetic. It's a film that understands what its story and genre needs, and it meets those needs with a beautiful simplicity that moves it beyond a mere film, and turns it into an archetype.
OUR NEXT MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 4/24: Princess Mononoke
ARBOR DAY EDITION
The Earth is surprisingly fragile, and it is our responsibility to find a way to live in harmony with it. This is the message of our next Movie of the Week, Hayao Miyazaki's famed Princess Mononoke. Join us next week as we discuss this beautiful fable about the unthinking damage humans can do in the name of progress. Unfortunately (probably because Disney), Princess Mononoke seems to be unavailable to stream.
NEXT PICTURE SHOW PODCAST for 4/18: The Matrix
After Ghost in the Shell but before the new Ghost in the Shell, there was a film heavily influenced by that original film which redefined American cinema. Next Wednesday we'll have a thread to discuss what is possibly the most influential film since Pulp Fiction, the Wachowski's The Matrix. The Matrix is available for rent on Amazon Video, though it is not free for Prime members.
MARTIAL ARTS WEEK
What makes for a good martial arts film? For the answer, you may as well look to The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, since that's what most martial arts films since it was created have done. Produced by the famous Shaw Brothers, The 36th Chamber of Shaolin is a legendary classic, and for good reason. Its story is a fairly simple one of a man facing oppression and seeking the secrets of kung fu to overthrow the oppressors, but it's a journey filmed with remarkable clarity and purpose.
Liu-Yu (Gordon Liu, as Chia-Hui Liu) is a simple student, merely enamored by rebellion until the brutality of his oppressors strikes close to home, driving him to seek the fabled kung fu secrets of the Shaolin temple. Admitted to the temple he shows great natural talent, but its his humility and dedication which truly allow him to excel. As a full-fledged monk, he takes the name San-te and returns to the outside to lead a revolt.
Liu-Yu's education is painstaking. It is ages before we see him learning to fight, as he must first develop his body. We see him doing the most painful arm day ever, learning balance and speed by running across logs on water, training his eyes and more as he hones his body and mind into a condition ready to be taught kung fu. It's a masterful training sequence, and its lessons are all returned to through the course of the rest of the film as San-te faces skepticism from both within and without the monastery.
Director Chia-Liang Liu shoots both fighting and training with unparalleled clarity. Every blow, every move is easy to follow and the camera movement never costs the viewer an understanding of the fight's geography. Liu's athleticism and obvious skill is given the spotlight, and he needs no help from the camera to make the fights dynamic and exciting.
The 36th Chamber of Shaolin's legacy is long and pervasive, whether it's Miyagi teaching Daniel to "wax on, wax off" in The Karate Kid or the fluke of economics that led to the Wu Tang Clan's whole aesthetic. It's a film that understands what its story and genre needs, and it meets those needs with a beautiful simplicity that moves it beyond a mere film, and turns it into an archetype.
OUR NEXT MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 4/24: Princess Mononoke
ARBOR DAY EDITION
The Earth is surprisingly fragile, and it is our responsibility to find a way to live in harmony with it. This is the message of our next Movie of the Week, Hayao Miyazaki's famed Princess Mononoke. Join us next week as we discuss this beautiful fable about the unthinking damage humans can do in the name of progress. Unfortunately (probably because Disney), Princess Mononoke seems to be unavailable to stream.
NEXT PICTURE SHOW PODCAST for 4/18: The Matrix
After Ghost in the Shell but before the new Ghost in the Shell, there was a film heavily influenced by that original film which redefined American cinema. Next Wednesday we'll have a thread to discuss what is possibly the most influential film since Pulp Fiction, the Wachowski's The Matrix. The Matrix is available for rent on Amazon Video, though it is not free for Prime members.