Shaolin Temple: Quick Takes

Restrictions were lifted inside Mainland Communist China as the Cultural Revolution ended and political changes were taking place so Hong Kong based company Chung Yuen Motion Pictures successfully brought to the screen something rough but of genuine importance. Being a rare, even first glimpse of martial arts cinema by a Mainland Chinese audience (this kind of product was simply banned under prior rule) and of former Wu Shu Champion Li Lian-Jie, the youngster broke big time and was to become known by his English name Jet Li subsequently. Taking 3 years to complete, utilizing beautiful sights of the real Shaolin Temple and the Chinese landscape, wisely the Hong based company didn't inject anything difficult or groundbreaking genre-wise. So standard story of Li's character wanting revenge on the evil general (Yue Sing-Wai) while trying to adhere to Buddhism, within there's something genuinely deep as these ideas are never less than valid. It's patience vs burning desire while the monks themselves gets to re-examine the definition of their dedication to Buddha. This may mean... I mean of course it DOES mean that they take a defensive stance against the forces on the offence, prompting a wonderful display of Wu Shu acrobatics and fighting from not only our young lead. Best showcased when combining these skills with weapons, it's in hand to hand combat and at times overall in the piece where fluidity isn't as top notch as Hong Kong made genre pieces of the time. Much can be applied to the team action directing coming from the Wu Shu tradition and not screen directing. Certainly exciting and bearable though, the film manages to combine all this with its thematic strength (that may rank only slightly above average for the genre but above nonetheless). Plus lead Li Lian-Jie makes an imprint as a fast moving, agile performer but with hatred and naivety in his eyes.

Yue Hoi as his master becomes a fitting father figure with much warmth and since then familiar faces of Hong Kong and Mainland productions, Yue Sing-Wai (Yellow River Fighter) and bald Ji Chun-Hua (Red Sorghum, Tai Chi II) establishes early their memorable screen images. Director Cheung Yam-Yim previously made The Jade Bow (and subsequently Fist From Shaolin that added footage from Jet Li's debut here. Shameless behaviour from someone...) that featured the first dual collaboration of Lau Kar-Leung and Tong Gaai who were subsequently Chang Cheh's duo of choice in this regard at Shaw Brothers and were eventually to become filmmakers in their own right. Lau more frequently than Tong and the former even directed the third, unrelated installment of The Shaolin Temple series called Martial Arts Of Shaolin (again with Jet Li). For a very detailed and excellent breakdown of the importance of The Shaolin Temple, check out the piece (where some of the above info was obtained) by Yves Gendron of Hong Kong Cinema View From The Brooklyn Bridge.