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Kung Fu (1972)

 
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 21, 2020 7:18 pm    Post subject: Kung Fu (1972) Reply with quote

_________

Like so many people around the world, I enjoyed this unusual series, and I thought Kwai Chang Caine was wise and heroic.

I'd never seen a Bruce Lee movie or any really impressive example of martial arts in a movie (either American or Chinese), so I accepted the rather unconvincing "slow motion" scenes that were allegedly showing us Caine's Kung Fu fighting techniques.

Today those scenes seem as lame as the slow motion stuff that The Six Miillion Dollar Man has so much of when he supposedly "ran fast" and leaped over walls, enhanced by wacky electronic sound effects.

In this energetic age of remakes and reboots, I'm sure that Hollywood has had multiple meetings about making a new Kung Fu series. And I'm sure they realize that it will have to be very different from the original.

That will piss off the die-hard fans of the 1972 series — but I doubt if a single viewer younger than thirty would bother to sit through reruns of those now. The reason is obvious; watching "slow motion martial arts" is about as exciting as watching bass fishing on the Outdoor Channel. Rolling Eyes

Another problem with the original is David Carradine's complete lack of martial arts skills. They covered this up with slow motion and tight editing, but we didn't know what we were missing — real martial arts that would have knocked our socks off!

So, what would a reboot look like?

First they'd cast a young man as Kwai Chang Caine. And for Pete's sake, get an Asian actor with the kind of impressive skills as Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan.

As a matter of fact, a version of Caine who maintained a stoic manner most of the time but secretly had Jackie Chan's playful inner soul would be terrific!

Instead of just kicking ass when Caine was threatened, he would playfully humiliate the bad guys with clever "Jackie Chan" maneuvers which demonstrated both his Kung Fu abilities and his brilliant imagination, using objects around him in unexpected ways to thwart his foes.

You know, something like the scene below, but without Jackie Chan's wonderfully comic looks throughout the fight. I'm not trying turn Kwai Chang Caine into a comedy character, I just want to make him less somber, and to let us sometimes see that he's enjoying himself when he's whipping the bad guys.


_____________ Jackie Chan vs Native Americans


___________

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)


Last edited by Bud Brewster on Wed Nov 03, 2021 1:06 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Gord Green
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 21, 2020 8:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

This series really was an insult to those who appreciated and understood (at least a little bit!) the real meaning behind Bruce Lee and Jeet Kune Do, real-world self-defense techniques, and Bruce Lee’s way of martial arts.

Bruce Lee didn’t see martial arts merely as a competitive sport, but in essence as a means of self-discovery and self-expression. By fighting, he was able to better understand who he was — he could force himself out of his comfort zone, test his limits, and confront his fears. Fighting was his way of making friends with his inner demons, expanding his sense of self, and expressing the core of his being.

Through his writings, films, and interviews, Bruce Lee tried to convey the wisdom he had gained over the many years of studying philosophy and practicing martial arts. Here I’m going to share with you several of his most profound insights, which, if you give them the attention they deserve, will help awaken your inner warrior — that is, the fighting spirit that will guide you through any hardship in life.

Be like water.

According to Bruce Lee, life is in constant change, and unless we learn to adapt to it, we’re bound to experience tremendous resistance that will entrap us in a state of suffering.

“Be like water because it is soft, resilient, and formless. It can never be snapped.”

Water is soft yet stronger than anything else in existence. That’s because of its ability to elude, adapt, and move with the nature of things. By doing so, it conquers all without fighting. As such he embodied many of the tenants of Taoism, an ancient Chinese philosophy promoting"The Way". That is "the flow of reality" as we experience "life".

Bruce didn’t subscribe to a dogma of any kind, and that’s because to him all organized belief systems are not only personally restricting, but also essentially untrue. Although he was an avid reader of religion and philosophy, he viewed religious and philosophical ideologies at best only as signposts pointing to the truth, but not as the truth itself.

Hence, according to Bruce, one shouldn’t be attached to them, but instead look at what they’re pointing to. To paraphrase one of Bruce’s famous lines from Enter the Dragon:

“It is like a finger pointing to the moon. Don’t concentrate on the finger or you will miss all that heavenly glory.”

Simplicity is the key.

Bruce Lee said:

“It is not daily increase but daily decrease, hack away the unessential. The closer to the source, the less wastage there is.”

Love is way more than exciting romance.

Nearly everybody likes talking highly of love, but only a few are truly loving and satisfied with their relationships.

That’s because most people have a wrong impression of what love is.

From a very young age, books, movies and pop songs have conditioned us to believe that love is about finding the ideal partner who will complete us and with whom our life is going to be in a constant state of passionate excitement. But this kind of love — the so-called romantic love — is unreachable.

Although in the beginning of a relationship it might seem like a concrete reality, the truth is that it’s nothing but an illusion that quickly vanishes into thin air, resulting in disappointment and discontentment. To quote Bruce Lee:

“The happiness that is derived from excitement is like a brilliant fire — soon it will go out.”

Bruce Lee pointed out that in order for a relationship to go on past that stage of initial excitement, plenty of time is required. Once this happens, love can grow deeper and take root in two people’s hearts. As Bruce put it:

“Love is like a friendship caught on fire. In the beginning, a flame, very pretty, often hot and fierce, but still only light and flickering. As love grows older, our hearts mature and our love becomes as coals, deep burning and unquenchable.”

One of the most well-known Bruce Lee quotes is:

“Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself, do not go out and look for a successful personality and duplicate it.”

In Bruce’s mind, every single person is a unique individual, yet most people haven’t embraced their uniqueness. Instead, they’re trying to become someone they are not, either out of fear of what others think about them, or out of their own desire to imitate those they admire. Yet, they don’t realize that by doing so they are ruining their lives.

Don’t just talk; Do!

Bruce Lee was a philosopher in the truest sense of the word — that is, a lover of wisdom. To him, seeking wisdom wasn’t just an intellectual game of acquiring knowledge; rather, his aim was to apply what he learned in order to improve the quality of his life. In his mind, knowledge that isn’t applied is useless, for it serves no actual purpose. He said:

“Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.”

There is so much more to the philosophy that Bruce Lee offered in his all too brief life. I would highly recommend that everyone at least explore the truths that he expressed.

Bruce Lee is the first...and only...SUPER HERO to ever exist on our Earth!

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There comes a time, thief, when gold loses its lustre, and the gems cease to sparkle, and the throne room becomes a prison; and all that is left is a father's love for his child.
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Pow
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PostPosted: Wed Mar 03, 2021 1:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I was a huge "Kung Fu" fan when it was first aired. And I still am a fan today.

I do agree with you, Bud, that the use of slow-motion, clever camera work and editing for the fight scenes now seem dated and rather silly looking.

Obviously it was done to cover for the fact that David Carradine possessed no martial arts skills.

David's performance as Caine though was top notch. There was no other character like Caine on television at that time.

The writing was superb as the scripts examined the meaning of life with all its vicissitudes set in the 19th century west.

But yes, an updated version as you suggest, Bud, must have a true martial artist in the role. No audience of today would willingly buy into someone who could not perform the moves correctly.

I've read that Bruce Lee helped to create, or co-create, the premise for the Kung Fu TV series. I've read some that dispute it.

It was reported that he was pushed out of the project because producers at that time did not believe an American audience would have accepted an Asian lead on a TV show.

What I've always wondered is, could Bruce have successfully done the role of Caine as it was written for the series?

Caine's character is one who is incredibly humble. He is gentle and mild in his demeanor. He takes insults. He would prefer to walk away than fight anyone because he knows he is a lethal weapon. But he doesn't ever feel the need to prove himself to anyone.

I loved the characterization.

However, I'm unsure if Lee would have ever embraced it if he had the role.

He loathed the scenes where Kato was a valet on "The Green Hornet" (1966~'67).

Could he have embraced a modest Caine? A Caine that would defer to others unless he found them to be evil.

A Caine who was never macho, never cocky, never had a little swagger?

None of that really sounds like Bruce's real life personality. I say this with immense admiration for his abilities.

Perhaps having the lead (and part ownership) of Kung Fu , and a family to support would have made Bruce realize he might have to do some compromising with how Caine was written?

Maybe Bruce and the producers and network would have been in constant battle regarding his portrayal of Caine as a far less humble man?

Also, David was the better actor of the two.

So, while we can only imagine just how Bruce might have performed the Caine role, we know that the action scenes would have been sensational for sure.

How would the show have stood up over the years though from what 'might' have been his more traditional take on the hero role?
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Wed Mar 03, 2021 3:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

Kudos to both of you, gentlemen! Very Happy

Gord, I'm so impressed by all the statements you shared concerning Bruce Lee's philosophy! I found them to be intelligent, enlightening, and deeply moving.

Bravo for sharing those fine thoughts with us. Cool

Pow, as I read your comments I imagined the Kung Fu series with Bruce Lee in the starring role . . . and I had a revelation!

You are absolutely correct in saying the the main character could not be portrayed by Lee the way he was by David Carradine. And in fact, I think a revised version would actually be much better.

Even David Carradine said he thought his character was "a fool" who wandered around, avoiding involvement in unjust situations unless forced to do so by extreme circumstances.

A Bruce Lee version, however, would be like a walking time bomb, ready to explode when cruelty and injustice presented itself — even when it didn't threaten him personally.

That kind of hero has always been popular in adventure shows and movies. Audiences love to watch a guy they know full well can easily kick ass while forcing himself to be restrained until just the right moment — and then exploding into action to "open a can of whoop ass"! Very Happy

In Kung Fu, Kwai Chang Caine never delivered the kind of "payback" we really wanted after watching the bad guys get away with murder (sometimes literally) through most of the story.

We never really saw him express righteous indignation after he'd been pushed too far — after which he'd force himself to master his rage when the fighting was over.

The Bruce Lee movies are filled with scenes like that.

That duality — the gentle man of peace who despises violence and seeks tranquility, but who must occasionally unleash his inner "dragon" to protect the weak and helpless — would have made this series even more enjoyable and successful than it was. Very Happy

Mike, thanks for your fine comment. Very Happy

You have done well, Grasshopper! (And so has your worthy friend — Gordhopper.)




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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Wed Nov 03, 2021 2:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

I haven't watched the new series, so forgive me for presuming to have opinions about it without actually giving it a chance.

Naturally I don't really know if the series is good or bad, but there's certainly no doubt that it really isn't a reboot of the original series, which is what true fans really wanted.

The differences between the original and this new series with the same name are striking. In fact, the series' name seems to be about the only thing they kept!

First of all, it takes place in modern day — not in the Old West, when Chinese immigrants came to America to make a new life, and thousands of them were instrumental in building the nation's expanding railroads.

And then there's Kwai Chang Caine's character. He's just a bit different from the Shaolin monk who grew up in a monastary but fled from China because he murdered a member of the royal family whose guards killed his beloved Kung Fu master.

Different how, you may ask?

Well, first of all. "he" is a "she" . . . a Chinese American college girl named Nicky Shen who leaves school and spends three years in China at a Shaolin temple learning Kung Fu from a Chinese woman named Pei-Ling, who runs the all-female warrior team training at the monastery.

Wait . . . I thought Fung Fu was a defensive technique which was developed by the ancient priest so they could defend the temples against bandits and such!

So . . . now the monasteries are training centers for "all-female warrior teams"? My, my, how times change. Confused

Anyway, apparently every single one of the "he's" in original series' monastery have also been turned into "she's". In a way, this show isn't a remake of the 1970s martial arts series, it's more like a remake of the 1956 sci-fi classic, a version we might call Invasion of the Gonad Snatchers! :color:

In addition to this drastic shift in characters' genders, the new series dismisses the original series' devotion to the decades-long training and instruction of Kwai Chang Caine in the Shaolin temple, from the time he was a young boy until he finally completed his training.

Instead, the female hero is Miss Nicky Shen, a college dropout who gets an intense three-year course in martial arts. But her lady mentor is murdered by Chinese raiders who steal a magic sword from her beloved Kung Fu master,

Or is it mistress? I'm a bit confused on that point. Confused

And yes, I did said a magic sword. Wow, that's certainly a new wrinkle.

So, does Nicky then come back to America to wander the land (a big part of the original series' appeal) and help people who are being victimized?

Well, no. Sad

She rejoins her family in San Francisco’s Chinatown, and there she learns that Chinese organized crime is rampant in the region, so she'll have to do a lot of butt kicking on a weekly basis.

Don't get me wrong, guys. These are all wonderfully imaginative concepts, and I might give the she series chance. It's coming back for season two next spring to present what Hollywood now calls a "season", which consists of only 13 episodes with lots of multi-week gaps thrown in, they way series do these days. Sad

However, I just wanted to share my puzzled reaction to the way they turned the original series upside down and shook it until everything familiar fell out — then they filled it back up with brand new stuff.

Apparently that's what passes for a "reboot" these days. Rolling Eyes
Confused
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Gord Green
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PostPosted: Thu Nov 04, 2021 9:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Keep in mind that Bruce Lees', and the basic tenants of Kung Fu, were DEFENSIVE. Where aspects that appeared to be offensive,they were designed to incapacitating and eliminating the oppressors ability to attack.

Today's "entertainment" looks to portray more visual retribution. Bruce Lee stopped the oppression by incapacitating the attacker.

Today's audience demands more violence and gore than Bruce's ever did.

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There comes a time, thief, when gold loses its lustre, and the gems cease to sparkle, and the throne room becomes a prison; and all that is left is a father's love for his child.
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 05, 2021 11:58 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Gord Green wrote:
Today's audience demands more violence and gore than Bruce's ever did.

Well, we should acknowledge the fact that certain scenes in Bruce Lee's movies were remarkably violent, such as Fists of Fury (1971).

In the scene below, Bruce is obviously defending himself against incredible odds. But I think the scene certainly has sufficient violence and gore for "today's audience".

Note how many of Bruce's adversaries are stabbed by him! Bruce didn't just "stop the oppression by incapacitating the attackers," — he practically decapitated a few of them!
Shocked


____________ FISTS OF FURY - ice factory fight


__________

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Pow
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PostPosted: Sun Nov 07, 2021 4:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Some Kung Fu Facts from The Kung Fu Book of Caine by Herbie J. Pilato

The interior & exterior of the Shaolin temple were originally constructed by Warner Bros. for their 1967 musical film Camelot. In 1972, the set was revamped for the remake of Lost Horizon (1973) the musical version.

It was once again redressed for the Kung Fu pilot and series.

The temple set was located in Burbank, California, and, in the early 1970s it was the largest indoor set in America.

~ I was always very impressed by this marvelous looking set design, first for the musical movies, and then for Kung Fu. It beautifully conveyed a sense of another country, China, in this case for Kung Fu, far from 19th century America to which Caine escapes.

The size of it also gave an epic, larger than life scope that television series usually do not have for the small screen, or their limited budgets. By utilizing a former movie set, Kung Fu looks like a feature film at times rather than a weekly TV show. Sadly, this magnificent set has been razed.

In addition to shooting on the Camelot/Lost Horizon sets, Kung Fu used the Twentieth Century-Fox Malibu ranch, where shows like M*A*S*H & Hart to Hart were done.

This ranch included several western sets, a hanging bridge over a river, country roads and farms.

The studio has sense donated the property to the state of California, which still allows the land to be used for filming movies and TV shows — as long as the surrounding wildlife is not disturbed.

~ I wonder how this wonderful land survived those awful wildfires that have plagued California? I have always gotten a huge kick out of recognizing movie & TV shooting locales such as a studio back lot street, Vasquez Rocks, Bronson Canyon.

I remember spying Malibu ranch for various productions such as the Planet of the Apes feature film where the astronauts all go swimming.
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PostPosted: Wed Nov 10, 2021 10:35 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The impressive William Smith filmed an eight-minute test pilot scene portraying Caine for Kung Fu. Bill wore prosthetic eyepieces in order to appear Chinese.

The TV network (ABC) wanted Bill for the role, but producer Jerry Thorpe deemed Smith as too muscular & menacing for the part. IMDB

~ I'm a huge fan of Big Bill Smith but I think that Thorpe's call on this was the right one. In many of his roles Bill played muscular & menacing characters, and he performed that fantastically. Falconetti in the Rich Man, Poor Man miniseries is one of his finest examples.

Now Bill could & did play a hero now and then & do it well such as Texas Ranger Joe Riley on the NBC western Laredo (1965~1967) which is one of my favorite TV westerns. On that series he made Joe a likable cowboy for sure.

However, he would have been totally wrong as a Shaolin monk wandering throughout the 19th century American west. His presence would just be too fierce & intimidating to make you believe that this was a man of peace & gentleness.

Bill would be the guest star on the episode "The Chalice" from October 11, 1973 where he played Captain Luther Staggers, a rugged, intimidating take no prisoners soldier of fortune who fights Caine. And as usual Bill nailed it!
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Fri Dec 03, 2021 3:38 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Pow wrote:
The impressive William Smith filmed an eight-minute test pilot scene portraying Caine for Kung Fu. Bill wore prosthetic eyepieces in order to appear Chinese.

The TV network (ABC) wanted Bill for the role, but producer Jerry Thorpe deemed Smith as too muscular & menacing for the part.

I could be wrong, but I think a good actor with a beefy body could portray a humble, peaceful man if he was dressed in clothes which minimized his bulk.

However . . . I've never been overly impressed with the performances of William Smith. Has acting range seems rather narrow. Admittedly David Carradine was no Laurence Olivier, and all he had to do was act perpetually troubled and sad — but he did that well enough to make this series a hit.

With William Smith, the audience would constantly be waiting for him to explode into action and kick the bad guy's asses! Shocked

Even when that sort-of happened on Kung Fu, Carradine always looked like he regretted his actions. I don't think William Smith could manage to do that.
Confused
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 06, 2021 11:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

"Part of the reason that so much of the second season episode "The Cenotaph, Part 2" (April 11, 1974) takes place in China, says producer Alex Beaton, is that the production staff was beginning to realize that the American West was invariably the West---that is, predictable.

Thus, at the end of this, the second season, there was a turn to Asia. More of the episodes were to be set in China and, in the third (and final) season, the show became, decidedly, more mystical." The Kung Fu Book of Caine by Herbie J. Pilato.

Fans of the show are divided on the introduction of the supernatural elements in the third and last season.

Seers, evil demons, mystical journeys were too fantastical for some. The Shaolin philosophy, martial arts training, Caine's fighting skills and profound & different approach to life were intriguing. Supernatural aspects seemed to take the show of the rails and into The Twilight Zone territory.
Something not welcomed by dedicated viewers of the series.
For them it was an awkward and unnecessary mixture.

I was one of the fans that did not care for the addition of the supernatural. The series worked beautifully as it was. Insights into the Chinese culture and the Shaolin priests and their temple teachings were riveting for me.

Demons possessing humans, esp looks into the future, and so forth brought to mind Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond TV show. A show that I enjoy.

Merging theses bizarre and weird plots to Kung Fu simply seemed terribly out of place and didn't work at all for me.
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