The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978) - Three Section Staff

少林卅六房
The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978)
Gordon Liu Chia-Hui, Lee Hoi-Sang

[AM-kfzt]

Two best points about this segment are:
1) The origin behind the three section staff feels believable and natural.
2) The opponent is not a villainous figure. He may be an antagonist, but he's genuinely just doing his job, wants the best for San Te and treats him politely and respectfully as a junior or an equal in defeat or victory.
So many examples of modern media fail in this, so it's important to acknowledge what this movie does so well. BRAVO

[ianmembrebe]

The master smiles at the student who eventually discovers a new weapon and fighting style! Such humility!

[balamohammed]

What made this my favourite part of the movie was making everybody who thought that the master was an arrogant douche was actually the guy who helped the protagonist the most

[akumaoni]

I like that they don't hate each other.

You can definitely feel the rivalry in the movie, but otherwise they both respect each other.
It is nice when it ain't always about hatred when to rivals fight. :D

[king_big_pp]

I love the philosophy of how he created the staff. He basically started using the spear with one hand since it frees up his other. And he just reacts without thinking, naturally letting his body do what it does and thus leading to the creation of a staff with even more versatility.

[littlewazz]

best line: "What weapon is he using?" Abbot: "Some fighting sticks he made himself" English version

[supermoose]

I think this sequence alone showed me what made Lau Kar Leung so different as a filmmaker.

So many films of the time depicted the growth of a martial artist as a one way street. Start weak-> work hard at martial arts -> become strong. It's a satisfying format, but shallow.

What makes this (and other LKL) films different is that he really simply shows the mental evolution that takes place as well. Here we see considered trial-and-error. San Te tries new things, and we see the logic behind why he tries them, but then he fails. It's not simply about working hard, but about evolving your thinking, discarding what doesn't work, and developing the creativity and bravery to experiment.

[murrowboy]

Coolest weapon ever is the 3 section staff. Till this day no game developer has ever put it in a game or at least use it to it's full potential. This would be one awesome weapon in a video game with it's mechanics.

[cuttlefishn.w.]

What I love about this is they're fighting because San Te learned too fast. and the teacher was like, "Hol up! Nah! This isn't just about learning the forms, show me you know what to do!" The traditional way would be to up your skill in any weapon, and think of a counter to his butterfly swords with that weapon. San Te's too quick though! He already got the skills, all he could do is increase his speed so he can't be countered! But nah, he had to have a big brain moment with that bamboo. This invention of the 3 section staff is like Tony Stark getting outta the cave!

[Callsign_Neuro]

Modern problem require modern solutions!

[Caineify]

It’s really great that even when he’s educated in everything he’s learn, Gordon’s character still learns and adapts

[Warpath]

3 section staff was very difficult for me to wield. I have high respect for those who use it well.

[khasibmc]

Bro kept looking at his weapon like this thing is the shit

[Juliet-Belcouleur]

One of my favorite moments of this movie.

[kariikan]

Lau Kar-Fai and Lee Hoi-Sang such a masters. This is when Hong Kong movie industry at it's best. Such a classic movie and martial arts stunts which can't never be replicated again today.

[D-Boy]

Great scene. A lot of entertainment for a 6 and a half minute video. I should watch this movie someday

[sreeenivas]

Man, I love San Te. That guy visualized his success and followed through!!

[HighFrequencyRadio]

The object was for him to find a weapon that complimented his style. He prepared him for the man he wanted revenge on who used two swords.

[-ol-]

This fighting skill should be taught to the disciples of buddha in India too. As far as I know, kung-fu was invented by a hindu monk (bodhidharam), who travelled to China and monks at there also got impressed by his meditation and fighting style.

[shandell]

You are my hero. These two had the greatest fight scenes in these entire movie (my personal opinion, there wwre more of course, especially with Veteran Mr. Lo) To say it's supposed to be a training session 😊.

These two are my favorite actors, and I get super excited when they both play monks in their movies.

Peace ❤