Review of Snake and Crane Arts of Shaolin

Introduction

Hong Kong Legends` relentless plundering of Jackie Chan`s back catalogue continues, with this summer`s batch of four kung fu classics, of which Snake and Crane Arts of Shaolin is one. Coming from the Lo Wei period in Jackie Chan`s career, these titles are heavy on the traditional kung fu, while light on the trademark comedy and absent of the underdog character he developed in his Golden Harvest films. But if you are a Jackie Chan fanatic, you should save a place on your shelf for these early works, shouldn`t you?

If there is one aspect of Hong Kong cinema of this era that drives me to distraction, it`s the ubiquity of the stories. Always two rival schools of kung fu, and always a master to be avenged. There comes a point when all the films blur into one homogeneous mass. But Snake and Crane Arts of Shaolin doesn`t have two schools, it has eight, and far from rivals they come together to create the ultimate kung fu handbook, `How to defeat the bad guys and bring peace to the land in eight easy lessons.` This book falls into the keeping of one of the masters, guardian of the new technique. Suddenly all eight masters vanish, along with the book, and the land falls into strife.

Then one day, a young self-assured man named Yin-Fung Hsu wanders into town, and in his possession is the book. He`s obviously a voracious reader, as he`s mastered the new technique and is able to dispatch any opposition with alacrity. It`s a good thing too, as everyone wants the book, including the Tang Clan, the warriors of Fort Tiger, the Beggars and worst of all, the Black Dragon Gang. But far from being sought, Hsu is himself searching for a man, a mysterious figure with a mole on his shoulder.

Video

Snake and Crane Arts of Shaolin gets a 2.35:1 anamorphic transfer that is problem free. There are no artefacts, no edge enhancement and nothing at all to complain about on the digital side of things. But once again, the source print doesn`t live up to this. While HKL sourced prints usually undergo restoration, and indeed this print is largely dirt free and stable for the most part, all the damage couldn`t be corrected, the colours have faded after thirty years, the image is soft and grainy, a couple of scenes are out of focus, darker scenes are indistinct, and all the restoration in the world couldn`t heal the damage in the final fifteen minutes.

It`s a shame, as Snake and Crane Arts of Shaolin has some great scenery, with a lot of the film shot on location. The film is set in the North, with costumes and colder climes to match, and it makes a change from the usual tropical locations of the typical Cantonese film.

Audio

Sound comes in DD 5.1 English and Mandarin, as well as DD 2.0 Mandarin. There are translated subs should you need them. I have to be honest and say that I didn`t even try the English track. Long experience has taught me to steer clear of these, unless I`m drunk. Having suffered a couple of DD 5.1 upmixes, I think HKL have gotten the hang of these of late, as the one on Snake and Crane Arts of Shaolin does little to expand on the mono experience, leaving everything front focussed, although there is some subtle use of surround for effects and ambience. It certainly isn`t the surround overkill of earlier discs and the overall effect isn`t far removed from the mono. I did find that the music was distorted when things began to get strident, and with this being my first experience of Jackie Chan in Mandarin, it was decidedly odd, with him having a different voice dub artist for the change in language.

Features

Animated menus and trailers for 4 Jackie Chan classics. Not really extras at all are they?

Conclusion

Well that was a surprise. Snake and Crane Arts of Shaolin takes the staples of kung fu schools, fallen masters, vengeful students in a period location and actually offers something new on the formula. The colder setting makes a difference straight off the bat, but there is a greater sense of mystery to the plot. It plays out like a detective story, with Hsu the detective trying to track down a mysterious shoulder-moled villain, using the sought after book to draw out potential assailants.

That means of course that there are plenty of kung fu confrontations to marvel at, and while this isn`t the later Jackie Chan underdog character, there is still something to appreciate in his self-assured arrogant kung fu Jedi who revels in kicking arse. There`s plenty of comedy too in the supporting cast of oddball characters who pursue the book. There`s a street urchin who Hsu takes under his wing, which is actually a pretty girl in disguise. There`s the King of Beggars who tries to sneak the book out of his possession, and of course the beauty of Ping-er Tang, who tries to charm the book from him. Of course all the comedy falls by the wayside when push comes to shove, and the real villain of the piece appears.

Snake and Crane Arts of Shaolin is a bother to keep typing, but otherwise is an enjoyable film that stands out from an era of identikit kung fu tedium. The story is entertaining and interesting, and the film is a nice blend of kung fu action and comedy, which the drama isn`t allowed to overwhelm. This one is well worth a watch, although the barebones release is hardly an enticement to buy.