Back in my younger days I would once a month take a trip to London's Chinatown. Celestial had been re-releasing the whole Shaw Brothers back catalogue and so excitedly I would hop on a train to see what hidden gems I might find. It was not always the easiest task with one particular owner determined to sell me “Crazy Disciples of the 36th Chamber no matter what I was looking for. Two decades later, I am finding them now out on Blu ray and so revisiting my youth with a more critical eye.
Watch This Title
Yung (Cheng Pei-pei) lives with her uncle Fang (Ku Feng) in semi recluse. After a visit into town sees Yung confront several martial artists, she is followed back by a swordsman (Yueh Hua) who believes her uncle to be the infamous Shadow Whip, responsible for a security details robbery some years prior. As more become involved, the truth behind Fang's identity is ultimately revealed amidst betrayal and vengeance.
The unusual winter setting benefits this production as it gives it a little more texture from the usual Shaw Brothers aesthetic. Whilst many benefit from the detailed studio sets, the exteriors can become over familiar after time when watched back to back. So a snowbound look enables it to stand out from its ilk a little as the costume design also changes to reflect the visual.
Lo Wei was never the great stylist as a film maker, perfectly competent but nothing that would make him stand out if not for the work he did with Bruce Lee. Even that though, owed more to his charismatic star than any directorial flourishes.The wirework has dated significantly over the years but then most choreography does, so it's about putting it into context when watching. In terms of what was on display at cinemas at the time, these scenes aren't too shabby. Occasionally it is rough around the edges and not particularly smooth in the camera following the action, but the leads strong presence helps center the focus.The use of whips again differentiates it from the standard swordplay fair with good sound effects enhancing the impact.
Cheng Pei-pei was one of Hong Kong cinema's leading ladies at the time. Following her breakout role as Golden Swallow in “Come Drink with Me”, she starred in a succession of swordplay films playing a similar role of talented but not fully mature female knights. This is in essence her character here. Quick to throw a tantrum and not particularly worldly wise. It's possibly a reflection of the time in which she appeared in that her characters start as a central presence and yet, as the story progresses, become more of the ensemble. She will be almost the equal of her male counterparts but due to a lack of maturity will need assistance come the final duel. She certainly has presence though on screen and has a fiery demeanour in the numerous action sequences. Yueh Hua has a much more stereotypical knight role who serves as the inadvertent trigger of the plot machinations. Ku Feng with a career spent playing characters good and bad is perfectly cast. His benevolence in the first half lead to uncertainty as to his true intentions.
Plot wise, best that can be said is that it's functional. A rather threadbare narrative designed to get from one fight scene to another. As I often state though, people watch these stories for the action not plot. So your enjoyment will depend a lot on how much this actually matters. The revelation at the end is almost school playground level so be prepared to stifle a laugh at that point!
Special mention must be made of the music. It's quite common for sound tracks to be ripped off wholesale, in particular from spaghetti western. Here we have a very familiar John Barry riff which does tend to turn up frequently in other productions too. It works in this one, so have no complaints.
With the volume of output made by Shaw Brothers during their peak, it was hard for a movie to stand out. Whilst by no means a classic and not much more than a production line star vehicle, it does at least offer a different visual aesthetic and weaponry to make it more distinguishable. For fans of Cheng Pei-pei and Shaw Brothers really. Lower your expectations, switch brain off and enjoy. Think too hard about it and you're probably watching the wrong film!
