List Price: $39.98 Our Price: $29.99YOU SAVE $9.99!
Buy it
DVD Kung Fu - The Complete Third Season
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 guest-stars as the grandfather's iron-willed, cold-hearted former lover. Eddie Albert also stars as a doctor who sides with Caine. Other memorable guest stars this season include William Shatner broguing it up, Scotty-style, as a sea captain who arrives with an Imperial pardon for Caine (but at what cost?) in "A Small Beheading." Barbara Hershey portrays an aspiring Shoalin priest in the two-parter, "Besieged." In "The Brothers Caine," a pre-Airplane Leslie Nielsen is a ruthless magnate who puts a $10,000 price on Danny's head, making for an awkward reunion when Danny thinks that Caine is a bounty hunter. David's father, John, returns as blind preacher Serenity Johnson in "Ambush."
This season was distinguished by innovative episodes set in China during Caine's "Grasshopper" tutelage. In "The Demon God," the youth, poisoned by a prince, experiences mystical visions of his older, wandering self, who is stung by a scorpion. In "The Thief of Chendo," young Caine's Master imagines an adventure for the aspiring priest. Two Carradine commentaries, and a near-hour long chronicle of Carradine's 30-years-on visit to a Shoalin monastery in China (an incredible journey that ends with Carradine's soulful rendition of "America the Beautiful") help to give Kung Fu a worthy DVD send-off. --Donald Liebenson
Review(s): DVD Kung Fu - The Complete Third Season
Time to leave the Temple
Compared to most mindless drivel on television now, the three seasons of Kung Fu are a breath of scented air. I found the feature of Carradine in China to be humorous, real, and very moving. For those who objected to the focus of the esoteric and spiritual over the fighting- well maybe they'll get it next lifetime! Masters Po and Khan have been saying it all along: to hear the grasshopper at our feet.
The third season is a grand finale
I haven't watched half of the episodes yet but having watched
the first two seasons- this one strikes me as more witty and complex than the others and avoids some of the corniness that sometimes cropped up even if it is part of the fun. Even more philosophical and flashing back to previous episodes ties some things together but not too much. I'm really savoring this last season and highly suggest it-
Excellence!
Kung Fu is one of the greatest shows of all time and this Season completes Caine's travels when he finally meets his brother. The episodes that take place completely in China are among some of the best of the series and on this set! Buy it!
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
List Price: $39.98 Your Price: $35.98YOU SAVE $4!
Buy it
The first season was simply magnificent. Filled with enlightened wisdom, love and beautiful messages. Yet, I found the second season painfully strained at what appeared to be appeasment of the fickle audience, which compromised the integrity of the show as a whole. In this season's "The Hoot," Caine makes a clown out of himself to motivate a disobedient child to do what he was asked. Is this something believable for a Shaolin Priest? Is this something on par with how Master Kan or Master Po would communicate Tao. If children pout, would ancient wisdom have us doing summer saults and make funny faces to celebrate a child's pouting? An earlier 3rd season used a more enlightened approach, with the child in "The Tong." This much more reflective of the show's desired impact. Unfortunately, the... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): David Carradine DVD Release Date: Released the 18 January 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
List Price: $79.92 Your Price: $58.97YOU SAVE $20.95!
Buy it
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... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Harry Harris - Robert Butler - Charles S. Dubin - Jerry Thorpe - David Carradine DVD Release Date: Released the 16 March 2004 Usually ships in 24 hours
List Price: $39.98 Your Price: $19.99YOU SAVE $19.99!
Buy it
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
List Price: $19.95 Your Price: $17.96YOU SAVE $1.99!
Buy it
Episode for episode, the second season of Have Gun, Will Travel (1958-59) is even better than the first. With a bona fide hit on their hands, CBS didn't mess with success, and these 39 episodes pushed ratings even higher with sharp direction (mostly by first-season veteran Andrew V. McLaglen), a wide variety of attention-grabbing plots, and intelligent, sensible dialogue. All of the first season's strengths are carried over, and while 41-year-old star Richard Boone (as the refined gunslinger-for-hire Paladin) is rarely given a serious test of his talents, he commands his role with depth, humor, and impressive displays of physical agility. (By comparison, series regular Kam Tong had almost nothing to do this season; he's relegated to routine duty as Paladin's Chinese hotel valet... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Richard Boone DVD Release Date: Released the 10 May 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
List Price: $44.99 Your Price: $35.99YOU SAVE $9!
Buy it
