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DVD Kung Fu - The Complete First Season
Everybody was kung-fu fighting after the 1972 premiere of this mystic western starring David Carradine (snatching the role from Bruce Lee) in his signature, Emmy-nominated role as Caine, a stoic Shaolin monk forced to flee China after killing the royal family member who slew his Master. Our wandering hero roams the west in search of his long-lost brother, while eluding American and Imperial bounty hunters, and imparting his ancient wisdom on those he encounters and is compelled to aid. Kung-Fu was never a ratings force, but its cult status was assured long before Samuel L. Jackson referenced it in Pulp Fiction. Along with the inaugural 15 episodes, this three-disc set contains the feature-length pilot that establishes the series' iconography: the inscrutable aphorisms ("When you cease to strive to understand, then you will know without understanding"); the flashbacks to Caine's youth, where the orphaned half-American and half-Chinese boy served as disciple ("Grasshopper") to the Old Man; and, of course, the anticipated moments when the peaceful Caine, like Billy Jack, is reluctantly compelled by some frontier bigot to use his fighting skills. Look for appearances by father John Carradine and brothers Keith and Robert in the episode, "Dark Angel." That's 11-year-old future Oscar-winner Jodie Foster in "Althea." Other notable episodes include the Emmy-winning "An Eye for an Eye" and "Chains," featuring an Emmy-nominated turn by Michael Greene as a not-so-gentle giant to whom an imprisoned Caine is chained. "With each ending," Caine observes in the episode, "The Third Man," comes a new beginning." Kung Fu's new beginning comes on DVD. Thanks to the timeless frontier setting and the uniqueness of its genre-bending concept, Kung Fu dates better than other '70s series. As these episodes demonstrate, the show still has plenty of kick. --Donald Liebenson
Review(s): DVD Kung Fu - The Complete First Season
Kung Fu but a lifestyle
I forgot how old I was when I first saw the pilot. Shaolin Kung Fu is a life style not only a Martial Art. David Caradine who played Kwai Chang Cain was not the actor who was to be. Bruce Lee originated the concept and wanted to be the main actor. His son Brandon Lee played in one of the roles in a future episode. Bruce Lee was too Oriental or Asian to play the part and never acted the role. Wonder what Kung Fu would have been like if he did. We will never know.
This is not an action movie like Jackie Chan or Jet Li. It is a movie to show the philosophy behind Kung Fu. The movement of animals, the balance between man and nature. Black and White. Soft and Hard. Man and Woman. Yin and Yang. Give and Take. Push and Pull.
Kung Fu showed the simple things in life are always the best. Just a bag Kwai Chang Cain carried after given to him by his Senior Priest and Sifu(Master). In it a bowl, a book, some trinkets and a memory. What would you carry in your bag? Money? Makeup? Would it be half full or half empty?
Um, It's just a TV show...
When anything is presented by the television industry there is an amount of conceit. Television shows aren't written in the altruistic desire to better the world or bring about a greater quality of life. They are created to create revenue for advertisers and networks. With all of this being true, the fact that Kung Fu was EVER produced, in whatever form, is astounding. Here is a television show that preaches the basic Buddhist and Taoist concepts of non-action, non-contention, non-violence, charity, humility, peace and inner growth. Depictions of the futility of violence, racism, vengeance crop up in every episode. In today's world, such messages should be cherished and presented to our children; that they might learn to RESPECT LIFE and ignore the bravado and pretence that lead to a withered soul.
If you are looking for fight scenes from The Matrix (silly as THOSE are), you're out of luck. Shaolin monks don't tend to spout tough catch phrases and fly through the air. Like others who have actually studied martial arts seriously I will admit that David Carradine is not phenomenal, but he was not a martial artist. He did endeavour to improve as time went on, when he could have insisted on a full-time stuntman and really cheated the audience. The producers chose who they chose, it's been thirty years and recalling the realities of the past seems fruitless given that the show obviously inspired some of us to better ourselves physically, mentally and spiritually. I learned far more about how to treat others from watching this show that I did from the realities of Hollywood, which is not exactly the Mecca of common sense or decency.
The aspect ratio is what it is. I watch this show for the simple wisdom it offers, not for cinematic value. I see no purpose in railing against what I cannot change, although I am pleased that comments have made it to the manufacturers and the other seasons are presented in full screen.
I have noticed several claims of racism, although I have not as such noted a predominant ire from Asians- the only party with the right to make a fuss. None of these inflammatory rants seemed to point out Koreans and Japanese `defiling' themselves by pretending to be Chinese for the role they played. I do not believe that Albert Salmi was actually Irish, nor is Gregory Sierra Armenian- I, for one, would not expect them to change chromosomes in order to play a role. I believe that William Shatner is Canadian, but he dared to play a starship captain from Iowa! Are dwarves being persecuted because Ian Holm played Bilbo Baggins? Dennis Franz played an Italian cop on Hill Street Blues, while wantonly remaining German. As an American Indian, I am pleased that my people were often asked to portray Indians. A great deal of racial respect seems to have resided in this show, given the times in which it was made.
Finally, one personal point of disapproval regarding comments: The formidable folks in my Jujitsu class seemed rather impressed that I studied Tai Chi for years, noting how fast people with Tai Chi training picked up other martial arts. Granted, one may not find 'Tai Chi Master' as a choice for an Xbox game- that does make an ancient martial art worthless. I've seen Tai Chi students make rather effective use of their art. We don't earn sashes because we beat the top level of Demon Ninja Piggies. Most importantly, those who study such disciplines have an obligation to cherish and preserve life. We prove ourselves through our actions, not needless displays of brute force and never through empty boasts or uninformed verbiage.
Purchase this set, watch it with your family and think about what is being said. Your world is what YOU make it to be. Make it a better place by asking rather than assuming. Then turn the television off and get some exercise- it's a nice day out there.
"Kung Fu", season one review.
I watched "Kung Fu" when it debuted and I was age ten. I must admit I watched the show for the fight scenes. Now at age 44 I'm watching it again. It's a good show, less is more, I'm glad I bought the DVD.
I remember watching thid series as a kid and enjoying it very much. As an adult, I still find the series to be a joy to watch and learn from. There is much one can learn as a child or adult and the additional bonus material helps to understand the sacrifices made to bring this serie sto television. More Info about this DVD Actor(s): David Carradine DVD Release Date: Released the 18 January 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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While it may not rank with Richard Kimble's fateful meeting with the One-Armed Man in the series finale of The Fugitive, Caine's reunion with his long-lost brother, Danny, brings Kung Fu, to quote the title of the four-episode story arc's conclusion, "Full Circle." The series' rich iconography and episodes featuring returning characters may make this final season heady going for newcomers. But those who have faithfully followed Caine (David Carradine in his iconic role) on his nomadic adventures will be richly rewarded with some of the series' best episodes. The season begins with a stellar two-parter, "Blood of the Dragon," in which Caine seeks the truth about his grandfather's murder, while Imperial assassins are dispatched to kill Caine. The venerable Patricia Neal... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): David Carradine DVD Release Date: Released the 23 August 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Bruce Lee and James Coburn conceived the story for this unusual blend of fantasy, martial arts adventure, and Zen mysticism that should please cult-movie collectors and action aficionados with a taste for the offbeat. The bland but serviceable Jeff Cooper stars as a lone warrior who sets out to find the mysterious Book of All Knowledge. He faces numerous physical challenges on his journey, chief among them David Carradine in four roles (including a half-man, half-monkey), as well as numerous philosophical conundrums. While the dialogue by Sterling Silliphant (In the Heat of the Night) and Stanley Mann (Eye of the Needle) occasionally teeters into self-parody, the action and pace rarely lags, and the fine supporting cast, which includes Christopher Lee, Eli Wallach, and Roddy... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Richard Moore (IV) DVD Release Date: Released the 28 September 2004 Usually ships in 24 hours
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The first season of Have Gun--Will Travel makes it easy to see why this Western series was an overnight success. Making its debut on September 14, 1957, the half-hour show ranked no. 4 in the ratings for its entire first season, which ran almost completely uninterrupted (minus a one-week preemption) until June of 1958--a punishing schedule unheard of in present-day television. (It ranked even higher in subsequent seasons, holding the no. 3 spot, behind Gunsmoke and Wagon Train.) Richard Boone was perfectly cast in the lead role of Paladin, a cultured gunslinger whose West Point education, impeccable style, literate sophistication, and distinguished Civil War service made him unique among Western heroes, and the prototype for many dashing figures to follow. Based in... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Richard Boone DVD Release Date: Released the 11 May 2004 Usually ships in 24 hours
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CBS had an instant hit on their hands when The Wild Wild West made its network debut on September 17, 1965. While many of the popular TV Westerns were running out of steam, series creator Michael Garrison ripped a page from the Ian Fleming/Sean Connery playbook and conceived The Wild Wild West as a "James Bond Western," energizing the genre by combining a traditional Western setting (primarily the San Francisco region in the 1870s) with the accoutrements of the spy genre. It was a foolproof formula, further refined by producer Fred Frieberger (who later produced the third and final season of Star Trek), and TWWW held its popular time-slot (7:30-8:30 on Friday nights) for its entire four-season run. Smart casting proved to be another source of audience appeal:... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Gunnar Hellström - Charles R. Rondeau - Larry Peerce - Richard Donner - Lee H. Katzin DVD Release Date: Released the 06 June 2006 Usually ships in 24 hours
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