Disciples of Shaolin Temple (1985)

Disciples of Shaolin Temple (1985)
aka: Disciples of Shaolin
Chinese Title: 少林俗家弟子
Translation: Shaolin Laymen Disciples

 

Starring: Fan Dung-Yue, He Qing, Chiu Liu-Liu, Wong Shek, Sek Kong, Zhao Xiao-Rui, Han Hai-Hua, Li Xiao-Zhou, Jia Bao-De, Ou Ke
Director: Hua Shan
Action Director: Wong Chek, Ng Git-Keung

So now I’m tracking down kung fu movies produced in Mainland China. They’re a favorite of kung fu fans, especially the purists, because of their no-nonsense stories, production values, scenery, and casts made entirely of wushu (martial arts) stylists. This is particularly rare movie that I was lucky enough to get a hold of.

The version I watched didn’t have any subtitles, but luckily the plot was pretty simple. There’s this guy who, as I inferred from the events in the movie, is engaged to a fat girl who’s also a kung fu dynamo. The actually loves another, prettier girl, but since he apparently can’t have her, he decides to become a monk at the Shaolin Temple. The bulk of the first half follows the misadventures of this guy and his colleagues as they get into the trouble and whatnot.

The real conflict begins when a wandering fighter comes to the temple to challenge one of the senior monks to a duel. The senior monks will have none of it and invite the stranger to leave. Upset, he begins picking fights with the four junior monks, who haven’t been trained in kung fu yet, and beating them up. Finally, the main good guy gets tired of seeing his friends get whomped and trains for righteous revenge.

The fights, choreographed by Wong Chek (who plays the villain) and Hong Kong stuntman Ng Git-Keung are some of the best I’ve seen in a Mainland movie. There isn’t a lot of action in the first half, although there’s a good bar brawl with a guy who does some Mantis kung fu and a scene where the fat girl beats up a bunch of monks with a 3-section staff. The final fight, which begins with a sword/pole fight (watch for the part where they fight while runnning down a steep slope) and then goes into a empty-hand duel, features a number of styles, including hsing-i, tai chi chuan, and others. It’s really good–one of the best I’ve seen from a post-1982 kung fu film. There’s also a good tan tui (springing leg) demonstration and a little kid monk who can do some excellent work with the pole. My complaints about the fights are that we don’t get any huge group brawls that Mainland-produced movies do so well, and the fact that several of the fights occur with the junior monks who don’t know any kung fu, so the fights seem one-sided.

However, kung fu fans should check this out.