Description

Two important icons of kung fu cinema, Fong Sai Yuk (made famous by Jet Li, played here by Hsiao Ho) and the monk San Te (KILL BILL's Gordon Liu) clash in this rarely seen Shaw Brothers entry. Fong’s uninhibited arrogance toward a Manchu lord forces him to seek refuge in a Shaolin temple. Although abundantly trained in the martial arts, he is no match for Master San Te, the creator of the 36th Chamber of Shaolin, who constantly overpowers his younger, more agile disciples in matters of both body and mind. Exhausted by his frequent defeats, Fong seeks to escape his prison and crosses paths with a governor (Jason Pai), who rewards him with a yellow robe granting immunity from any Manchu. But what are the governor's true intentions? Will Fong feed his foolish ego and betray the Shaolin Temple?

After the high-octane 8 DIAGRAM POLE FIGHTER (Fantasia 2004), director Lau Kar Leung, aka Liu Chia Liang (director of Jackie Chan's DRUNKEN MASTER 2) lightened the tone for his final Shaw Brothers film while maintaining potent action set pieces with elevated production values. A direct descendent of several generations of masters, with a virile sense of creativity, Lau kept things fresh by pushing the limits of kung fu choreography with such dynamic set pieces such as the unforgettable wall-training sequences, the water log combat, the stool-fighting scene and of course the exciting finale, when the heroes literally crash a wedding. Gordon Liu reunited with Lau after such fruitful collaborations such as HEROES OF THE EAST (Fantasia 2005) and 36TH CHAMBER OF SHAOLIN, to give one of his finest performances as he reprises his signature role of Monk Sant Te. Hsiao Ho (IRON MONKEY) demonstrates his acrobatic style with quick-as-lightening intensity. Fantasia is honoured to present the first North America screening of DISCIPLES OF THE 36th CHAMBER in 20 years, now fully restored, extended and presented in 35mm ShawScope, in time to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Liu's portrayal of Master San Te.

—King-Wei Chu