36th Chamber of Shaolin and Return

The 36th Chamber of Shaolin

1978 Directed by Lau Kar-leung

A man breaths in with clanging rings and poles against an abstract setting. Water falls and splashes, being kicked and punched. He is a force of nature. This foreshadows what the main character will become (played by Gordon Liu). The story starts with a corrupt local general controlling and killing off local villagers seeking to rebel against his rule. Liu has a tension filled escape from the village to a Shaolin temple.

Upon coming to the temple the space has a mystical quality- with the monks describing 35 chambers for Liu to master to learn kung fu. Each of these 35 chambers become an extravagant set piece for Liu to navigate.. This is where the movie really shines, with certain chambers seeming unrelated to kung fu; teaching fortitude and discipline through activities like bringing water up a hill while pointed poles threaten to gouge you if you fall out of balance.

Cinematography throughout the film is very physical- with quick whip zooms that not only focus on a subject, but give emotive meaning to their performance as well. A slight eccentric nod or look is given a forceful impact. It's like a comic book splash page- totally engrossing the viewer in a single moment. This highly abstracted form of snapping reality could be better applied to modern superhero films- where the "realistic" approach to superheroes has gotten in the way of the unique nature of how they are portrayed in comics.

This heightened reality is carried through to stylized acting. The actors are very open and have emphasized expressions- with big gestures and choreography that demands your attention. The Kung Fu sequences aren't done with quick cuts, but long shots encompassing a violent dance of movement. This kind of dazzling sequence is similar to watching older musicals where the dance numbers are fully shown without stopping, giving a sense of amazement over what humanity can do.

The emphasis on the training aspect makes the film like a long training montage that eventually turns into the plot itself. The main struggle is no longer really about revenge, but this internalized mastery of kung fu. By the time that Liu has embraced the martial arts aspect his whole sense of self has changed. The final fight sequence only takes up a brief moment of the film- with the villain easily overtaken. While this final battle feels anti-climatic I can also see that this allows for the rest of the film's mastery of the self to be the core of the message. The 36th chamber is an effective message of that meaning of kung fu brought to the masses.

Return to the 36th Chamber

1980 Directed by Lau Kar-leung

Gordon Liu twists the heroic character arc of the first film into a story of a charlatan that pretends to be a warrior monk. This time the villagers hire him to raise their wages, but the corrupt employer can see through him. After being beat up Liu resolves himself to truly learn kung fu- trying to get into the fabled temple with several of the villagers.

The parody starts with the temple entrance having several booby traps like that of an Indiana Jones movie. Some of the 36 chambers are funhouse mirror versions of the first film. The other monks laugh at the charlatan's antics, but eventually the real abbot of the chamber tasks him with building bamboo scaffolding. The ridiculous and comedic start to become more formalized- lashing bamboo together starts to create its own style of kung fu for Liu.

Watching these films back to back really focused the different tonalities- with the first film starting with dreadful brutality the second has this absurd silly quality. When the charlatan just swings his robes and defeats a wave of faux enemies it shows how false a lot of practices are- simple there to impress. After a year of focused work however even the charlatan is able to find something inherit to working through the kung fu movements.

Although the first film has a stronger sense of story I liked the final battle more for the Return. The bamboo tying and lashing, pinning opponents in creative and funny ways also seems like some of the impromptu weapons in later Jackie Chan films. Everything can be used to further one's goals. The comedic slapstick also fits in with the large expressionist acting, to skewer absurd kung fu mythology within the genre while eventually settling on a similar internal mastery.

Presentation Note: Both films were from the Shawscope Vol. 2 Collection on Blu-ray. The Box set itself is wonderfully done with interesting liner notes to each of the features.