Colors are vibrant and punchy, sometimes to the point that the most intense white levels and deepest shadows glow with a slight blue tint. The main side effect is that there is a sheen of noise and some wiggly edges, seemingly caused by heavy-handed DNR. Instead, Arrow is sticking with the older, but still serviceable Celestial Pictures 1080p transfers. Return to the 36th Chamber and Disciples of the 36th Chamber are among the handful of films in the second Shawscope collection to not be remastered specifically for the set. Lau’s regulars all make an appearance, including the man himself as an under-boss of the rival Manchus. The three might even function as a better triple-feature than the officially-linked Shaw trilogy. If you use your imagination, Disciples of the 36th Chamber works as both a sequel to The 36th Chamber and a prequel to Yuen’s film. Part of the fun of this particular movie is the idea of crossing over Fong and his mother (a folk hero in her own right) with a real-life legend and franchise star like San Te. Fong Sai-yuk is a Shaolin folk hero who also appears in Chang Cheh’s Heroes Two (1974) and Shaolin Temple (1976), though Hsiao Ho’s portrayal is closer to the impish rogue Jet Li played in Corey Yuen’s Fong Sai-yuk (1993, released stateside under the title The Legend). The story is a similarly structured morality tale with the same historical villains, but the lead character contrasts San Te as a natural talent who must learn humility, rather than an underestimated novice. It matches the original film’s ambition as a martial arts and acrobatic showcase piece, prioritizing spectacular choreography and set-pieces. Disciples of the 36th Chamber (not to be confused with Chang Cheh’s Disciples of Shaolin ) is more of a proper follow-up to 36th Chamber of Shaolin. Despite a lack of action throughout, the final act is a thoroughly satisfying preview of what was to come in Lau and Liu’s 1984 collaboration, The Eight Diagram Pole Fighter (aka: The Invincible Pole Fighters).įive years after the first sequel and seven years after the original film, Lau once again revisited the 36th Chamber for the final official entry in his trilogy. Return to the 36th Chamber ends up revisiting the first movie a bit too much and can be obnoxiously, cartoonishly broad (to give you an idea, Hsiao Ho is fitted with massive buck teeth, a unibrow, and a giant forehead mole and, later, Gordon Liu weaponizes laxatives), but Liu’s sweet-natured performance anchors the wild tonal shifts from melodrama to goofball, the cinematography is a step above, and Lau’s direction remains creative, even when he’s forced to repeat himself. It’s a lot like a prototype Stephen Chow comedy, minus the irony and the cruelty of the average Chow protagonist. It works as a follow-up, but functions better as a sort of a spoof of The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, retelling much of the same story with a comically inept conman in place of the original movie's heartfelt hero. Studios, but Lau himself was reportedly not keen on the idea, despite revisiting similar themes throughout his career and the fact that previous films of his, The Spiritual Boxer (1975) and Executioners from Shaolin (1977), received the sequel treatment (albeit under different directors). The concept of sequels wasn’t new to Hong Kong cinema or Shaw Bros. Following its enormous international impact, demand grew for director Lau Kar-leung (aka: Liu Chia-Liang) to revisit The 36th Chamber of Shaolin.
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