Magnificent Bodyguards (1977) October 19, 2008
Posted by Cal in : 1970s films, Kung Fu, Wacko , trackbackDirector: Lo Wei Main cast: Jackie Chan; James Tien; Bruce Leung Territory: Taiwan Production Company: Lo Wei Motion Picture Co.
A mysterious woman hires kung fu master Ting Chung (Jackie Chan) to escort her gravely ill brother through the notoriously dangerous, bandit-infested Stormy Mountains. The unseen brother is carried in a sedan chair by Ting Chung and fellow pugilists Tsang (a face-flaying, arm-severing James Tien) and Chang (a deaf super-kicking Bruce Leung). On the way, they encounter increasingly unusual foes and hazards, culminating in a meeting with the ruler of the Stormy Mountains himself, Chu. But is he really who he says he is?
Magnificent Bodyguards is another bonkers tale from Jackie’s early days with legendary director and horseracing fan Lo Wei. It was shot in 3-D, a fact that is impossible to ignore even if you try really hard, what with things coming out of the screen every few minutes. It’s a bit disappointing, then, that the film is still being released on home formats in the usual two dimensions.
The film itself has a nice premise, and is like a kung fu road movie of sorts. The characters are distinctly barmy except for Jackie’s character, oddly enough. He plays it straight, of course, and it has to be said that his character is probably the least memorable of pretty much everyone present. James Tien’s character threatens to skin everyone alive at the faintest provocation, and believe it or not, he’s one of the good guys. I kept expecting him to turn traitor, even though I know he doesn’t, but I’m sure that one of these days when I watch it he will. Sometime Bruce Lee impersonator (even though he looks nothing like him) Bruce Leung plays a deaf leather repairman (?) and is actually a fine kicker and a great addition to the cast. I can’t say I’m that familiar with his work, but he’s great in this.
Jackie Chan co-choreographed the fights and it’s immediately clear which moves are his. There’s a scene where the gang end up in a chamber being attacked by a bunch of fake monks (don’t ask me why, almost nothing makes sense in this film) and the fight that follows is pretty damn exciting, and bares all the hallmarks of Jackie’s style. While all of the other sequences in the film are rather hit-or-miss (and the penultimate battle where Lord Chu fights his impostor is downright dull) the film is worth seeing for this one scene alone.
The production values are typical of Lo Wei – which is to say everything looks pretty cheap and fragile and the considerable wirework is letdown by constantly visible wires. However, the film does have its own rousing theme tune, which struck me as a classy touch. But while we’re on the subject of music, I couldn’t help but give an involuntary giggle when part of the Star Wars score suddenly blasts out. Maybe Lo Wei didn’t think this new-fangled space opera would catch on, but the inclusion of one of the most well-known film scores in a cheap kung fu flick is pretty funny.
I recently criticised Dragon Fist for its Scooby Do-style ending, but if I had remembered the ending to this one, I would have saved the comment for this film. All that is missing is the “I would have gotten away with it as well if it wasn’t for those meddling kids!” line and this really would have felt like a job for Scooby and the gang. Although it does taper off a little, Magnificent Bodyguards is still an interesting little nugget of wackiness, with its Chinese Native Americans, bizarre restaurateurs, sci-fi-stealing theme tunes and face-flaying heroes. I’m quite surprised it wasn’t more of a hit, as I believe this was the first kung fu film in 3-D and the novelty value alone should have put bums on seats. It genuinely tries to be suspenseful, and I’ve seen a lot worse from the period.
Comments»
I enjoy this one a lot
Bruce Leung (recently seen in Kung Fu Hustle) isn’t really a Bruce Lee impersonator, they just happen to share a similar Chinese name, There is however Dragon Lives Again, a strange comedy where Bruce Leung plays Bruce Lee in the Underworld - with rigor mortis given as an explantion for the differeance in appearance!
At least one kung fu film in 3-D was made before this: 1977’s Dynasty
I like this one. Usually with this sort of cheap 70s kung fu flick I either love it or loathe it - but while I wouldn’t say I love this one it’s certainly likeable. It has to be the wackiness you mentioned. And the Star Wars music, which if I remember correctly has popped up in a fair few kung fu movies. I’ve heard the Pink Panther more than once too.
I do wish they’d put the 3D versions of films on DVD (in addition to the regular feature, of course). It’d be great to sit back with those funky specs every now and then and experience the Future of Cinema(TM)!
Sorry again for the lateness of the appearance of comments to the site - I dunno what that’s all about. I’ll have to check the actual blog from time to time!
Yes, Cass, I’d love to see the original 3D version too and I refuse to believe that it would be cost prohibitive to do so. How much would it cost to include a couple of pairs of cardboard specs, for crying out loud?? Maybe one day…
Thanks, James, for the info. I’d seen Bruce Leung in Kung Fu Hustle (review coming as soon as I get a Blu-ray player!) but very little else. He sure had some flashy kicks, though!
I guess if a 3D kung fu flick was produced in ‘77, this was probably seen as a cash in. I’m sure I read somewhere it was the first, although it makes sense that Lo Wei took the lead from someone else and then made his own version…!
Yes, Cass, I’d love to see the original 3D version too and I refuse to believe that it would be cost prohibitive to do so. How much would it cost to include a couple of pairs of cardboard specs, for crying out loud??
Very little - the expensive bit is converting the film itself to 3D in a way that works on DVD. I don’t know which specific 3D system they used, but given that the film is in colour it almost certainly wasn’t the anaglyphic system (i.e. needing simple colour filters, red-green or red-blue), which as far as I’m aware is the only 3D system that can be telecined straight to DVD and which will work out of the box.
If, on the other hand, it was shot using a polarising 3D system (which I’d have thought was far more likely, given the date), this won’t work on DVD because it relies on projected light being passed through polarising filters at both the projection and viewing end, one filter being at right angles to the other. If you telecine that to a video system, you’d just end up with an incomprehensible blur, because it can’t be “decoded” any other way, and polarising filters don’t work on electronic images.
So the only way you could get a viable 3D image on DVD would be to get hold of the two original negatives and convert them into a DVD-friendly 3D image. And given the cost, this probably isn’t worth attempting until a viable domestic 3D system has been agreed upon.
(All the above is guesswork, of course, but I suspect it’s reasonably accurate)
Thanks Michael. Looks like I completely misunderstood the whole 3D process. Thanks for clearing that up!