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THE
BLAZING TEMPLE
(1976)
Crash
Cinema
Produced
and Directed
by Joseph Kuo
Cinematography by Sheu Tzong Rong
Music by Frankie Chen
Fight Choreography by Chan Shau Peng
Cast:
Carter Wong, Kam Kong, Judy Lee. Chang Yi, O
Yau Man, Tang Wei, Barry Chan, Yee Yuen, Chieh Yuan, Lo Ping, Wong Fei
Long, Shao Lo Hui
Video:
Full Frame (1.33:1)
Audio: Dolby Digital Mono 2.0
Subtitles: None
Packaging:
Keepcase
Chapter Stops: 12
89 Minutes
Chinese film auteur Joseph
Kuo produced and directed dozens of quality martial arts throughout his
long and storied career. For sheer quantity and quality of films, Joseph
Kuo was to the independent film scene what Chang Cheh was to the
mainstream Shaw Brothers studios. Some of his finest martial arts epics
include 7 GRANDMASTERS (1978), BORN INVINCIBLE (1977), THE 18 BRONZEMEN
(1976), and THE BLAZING TEMPLE (1978), an epic tale about the historic burning of the Shaolin Temple. The movie features a large cast and lush
production values to complement the involved storyline. BLAZING TEMPLE
stars Carter Wong (THE EIGHTEEN BRONZEMEN, BORN INVINCIBLE, THE
MAGNIFICENT), Chang Yi (SHAOLIN INVINCIBLE STICKS, LADY WHIRLWIND, EAGLE’S
CLAW), Kam Kong (IRON MONKEY, MASTER OF THE FLYING GUILLOTINE, INVINCIBLE
KUNG FU TRIO), Judy Lee (FEMALE CHIVALRY, REVENGEFUL SWORDSWOMAN, IRON
MONKEY 2), Barry Chan (BOXER’S ADVENTURES, FEARLESS KUNG FU ELEMENTS,
ONE FOOT CRANE), Yee Yuen (SHAOLIN VS. NINJA, SILVER SPEAR, SHAOLIN
INVINCIBLES) and many more performers. Although available as a widescreen,
English subtitled import, Crash Cinema releases THE BLAZING TEMPLE on DVD
along with another Carter Wong fight flick, THE EIGHT MASTERS (also
directed by Kuo).
The Ching Emperor Yungzheng believes that the Ming rebels are hidden among the Shaolin Temple and orders his troops to burn the Shaolin monastery so that the anti-Ching factions will be destroyed. The people become enraged that their place of worship is targeted for annihilation and warn the chief Abbot. He prepares his men for the attack on the temple, and as the Ching Troops move against them, a specially trained group of monks (made up of Carter Wong, Kam Kong, Chang Yi, and others) escape the burning of the temple. The monks team up with revolutionaries to plot their revenge against Yungzheng. Their plans are easier said than done though, because it appears there is a secret traitor in their midst as the Emperor is aware of their every move.
The box office success of Jackie Chan’s DRUNKEN MASTER (1978) forever changed the face of the Chinese martial arts film. All independent production companies attempted to follow in the tradition of Jackie Chan’s comedic antics, including Joseph Kuo, who started making Kung Fu comedies like DRAGON CLAWS (1979), MYSTERY OF CHESS BOXING (1979), and WORLD OF DRUNKEN MASTER (1979). Luckily, THE BLAZING TEMPLE precedes DRUNKEN MASTER by a couple years and is completely free of comedy. Joseph Kuo, more influenced by Chang Cheh in this stage of his career, imbues THE BLAZING TEMPLE with atmosphere, characterization, and a bleak mood, which complements the apocalyptic approach of the film’s "government vs. religion" theme. The story is a tightly scripted ensemble piece that makes heroes of some unlikely players such as Kam Kong and Chang Yi. The multi-layered plotline takes a unique approach with this tragic event in China’s history. If THE BLAZING TEMPLE has any faults at all, its in the area of the pacing and the actual fight choreography itself. There are long stretches between fights to allow the drama and characterization to unfold. Folks with short attention spans might get bored. Kuo could have resolved this dilemma by spacing out the action. And the fights themselves are rather restrained and common of that era. Lots of jumping around and camera tricks to make the combatants look better than they are. The best choreographed sequences are the large scale battle scenes between the Ching invaders and the monks. THE BLAZING TEMPLE, though far from perfect, is a true feather in the director’s cap.
SIGHT
Crash
Cinema presents THE BLAZING TEMPLE in a controversial full frame (1.33.1).
Gone is the original 2.35.1 theatrical ratio. I say controversial because
I’ve heard many folks proclaim that this transfer is a washout, but I
must disagree. The source print used by Crash Cinema is surely flawed, yet
it stands up to the best releases from Tai Seng and World Video. I find
this one superior to Ground Zero and Brentwood titles. THE BLAZING TEMPLE
is a low budget studio film from 1976, and this transfer exhibits depth,
clarity, and especially color. Anyone whose seen this on VHS should be
ecstatic with this DVD. Joseph Kuo and his production team deserve praise
for the big budget look of THE BLAZING TEMPLE. Even with the truncated
cinematography, the production values all comes across in the image. Kuo
also plays with the visual aspects of the film to manipulate the mood. At
times the film gets dark to match the tone. The fight choreography is
hampered somewhat by the cropping, but as mentioned the combat scenes are
nothing special; it’s more like Jimmy Wang Yu style—brutal, but
executed with no technique.
SOUND
The sound on Crash’s disc is Dolby Digital Mono 2.0. The frequency levels exhibit a broad range of highs and lows, and the sound is crisp and clear. There is no hiss, background noise, or other audio anomalies evident in the soundtrack. THE BLAZING TEMPLE is mainly dialog driven with the expected martial arts sound effects (such as kicks, chops, clanging staffs and swords, etc.). The English dialog is fairly dramatic and actually supports the tragic elements. THE BLAZING TEMPLE also boasts an original score by veteran HK composer Frankie Chen. The sound elements blend together equally for an overall pleasing acoustic experience that eclipses analog VHS tape.
FEATURES
None.
CONCLUSION
THE BLAZING TEMPLE is a solid martial arts drama that incorporates many of the top talents in the genre. Though the film will never be held in the same high regard as the Kuo classics THE EIGHTEEN BRONZEMEN, BORN INVINCIBLE, or THE SEVEN GRANDMASTERS, THE BLAZING TEMPLE is an entertaining martial arts movie that doesn’t compromise the dark tone for the sake of comedy. I also get a big kick of seeing Kam Kong, Chang Yi, and other stars (who usually portray villains) as heroic characters. Overall, Crash Cinema’s THE BLAZING TEMPLE DVD is a mixed bag. It’s a worthy effort as far as the competition goes, but I don’t understand why Crash Cinema chose to release this (and THE EIGHT MASTERS) if they could not secure widescreen prints. THE BLAZING TEMPLE is available in widescreen as an import with English subtitles from Mei Ah for roughly the same price as Crash’s version. This leaves the consumer with a choice: Full Frame English Dub VS. Widescreen Subtitled. Which one will you choose? Though I personally prefer English dubbed, the cinematography and visual elements of THE BLAZING TEMPLE make me want to sacrifice the dubbing for widescreen. You gotta love Crash Cinema’s superior cover artwork, though.
-- Tony Mustafa
THE BLAZING TEMPLE (Crash Cinema) is available from HKFlix.com
Click here to obtain the Mei Ah version of THE BLAZING TEMPLE
| Movie: |
3.5 |
| Video: |
3.0 |
| Audio: |
3.0 |
| Extras: |
0.0 |
| Overall: |
3.5 |
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