Herb Kane
Screenwriter
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Kung Fu – The Complete First Season
Studio: Warner Brothers
Year: 1972-1973
Rated: Not Rated
Film Length: 780 Minutes
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Enhanced Widescreen
Audio: DD Mono
Color/B&W: Color
Languages: English
Subtitles: English, French & Spanish
MSRP: $39.98
Package: 5 Panel gatefold Digipak with slipcover case
The Feature:
Though I only vaguely remember the show when it originally aired, I never watched it even during many of the syndicated runs. It’s one of those shows I heard many good things about and recall many of my friends discussing it, but just never took the time out to watch it. Needless to say, when it showed up for review, I was intrigued.
Kwai Chang Caine (David Carradine) is an immigrant drifter on the lam, a Shoalin Monk who was raised in the spirit of mind-ways of the priesthood after receiving much care, attention and tutelage from Master Kan (Philip Ahn) and Master Po (Keye Luke). Though Caine is a man of very few words, the wise and humble young priest is a veritable hero through America's Old West, pursued by his past as the murderer of a royal in China, when the royal’s bodyguard killed his teacher in cold blood.
He flees to America, to escape retaliation with hopes of settling down in this new land. He can not help but continually run into trouble from desperados and other hooligans as they oppress the innocent, while bounty hunters pursue the price on his head. During his travels, each episode has Caine facing a new problem to deal with, and through a series of flashback sequences, he recalls how he trained for various scenarios which help him deal with current day dilemmas. Through his expertise of Martial Arts, the skill and wisdom he possesses, prove to be effective to those requiring his assistance.
The First Complete Season Set is comprised of 15 episodes as well as the original Pilot movie on three double sided discs in a five panel gatefold Digipak with the standard cardboard cover.
The episodes included are as follows:
Disc One:
Side A:
1. Pilot Movie
Airdate: 2/22/72
Side B:
2. King Of The Mountain
Airdate: 10/14/72
3. Dark Angel
Airdate: 11/11/72
4. Blood Brother
Airdate: 1/18/73
Disc Two:
Side A:
5. An Eye For An Eye
Airdate: 1/25/73
6. The Tide
Airdate: 2/1/73
7. The Soul Is The Warrior
Airdate: 2/8/73
Side B:
8. Nine Lives
Airdate: 2/15/73
9. Sun And Cloud Shadow
Airdate: 2/22/73
10. Chains
Airdate: 3/15/73
Disc Three:
Side A:
11. Alethea
Airdate: 3/22/73
12. The Praying Mantis Kills
Airdate: 3/29/73
13. Superstition
Airdate: 4/5/73
Side B:
14. The Stone
Airdate: 4/12/73
15. The Third Man
Airdate: 4/26/73
16. The Ancient Warrior
Airdate: 5/3/73
For purposes of the review, I watched the Pilot in its entirety and various episodes at random spots.
Video:
As I’m sure most of you are aware, this set has been presented in a modified aspect ratio (MAR). While there have apparently been several inquires sent to Warner Brothers, I’m doubtful that we’ll ever hear why the show was released in this manner. I have more to add regarding the MAR release, see my final thoughts.
I’ve always said reviewing television product is the hardest in terms of presentation, and this set is no exception. I find it ironic and irritating that many of these new shows with enormous budgets just don’t look, well… all that great. That is not the case with Kung Fu. I was however, concerned during the initial opening credits when Caine is walking through the desert, but that was rather short lived and seemed to be the most problematic area of the set. There was a great deal of what seemed to be artifacting, particularly during the many bright blue sky scenes. When the actual episode started however, it rarely became noticeable or bothersome although it did persist. Colors were for the most part, rather bright and nicely saturated but not what I would refer to as vibrant. Blacks were acceptable and conversely, whites were crisp and sharp.
Let’s talk about image detail. Sure there are many scenes throughout this set that are just “rather sharp” or what we might expect for a thirty two year old TV show. However, there were many many scenes that rivaled or exceeded many motion pictures from a similar period. During the railway track construction of the Pilot episode, there were examples of clarity and dimensionality that we don’t even see in some of today’s film releases, never mind vintage TV releases.
Unfortunately, with the good, also comes the bad. There was more edge enhancement here than I have seen in a long time (at least from a Warner Bros. product). Not too surprising, considering how much of this show is shot outdoors with extremely sunny backdrops.
There was evidence of scratches, dirt and some light shimmer but rarely did they persist for more than a moment or two and weren’t particularly bothersome. There was also light speckle, but again more of an observation than a criticism.
As for the composition, like many who have posted in the ongoing Kung Fu thread, I too am torn. Sure, there are many scenes that look as though they suffer due to the cropping. Conversely, there are as many scenes that allow the show to look almost "epic like", as though it was almost intended to look that way, even though we know that’s not the case. Many great screen caps were posted in the Kung Fu thread by our own Randy Salas, which can be seen here. Remember, these are compressed and are not representative of image quality. As you can see, clearly some of the scenes suffer, however some do not. If I had to make a general comment on the overall look, I’d say that any one of us could find fault with a particular frozen frame of any given film. Throughout the fluidity of the show, rarely was I troubled with what I was watching and I spent a great deal of time looking for it specifically.
So, as you can see, this hasn’t been easy. On one hand it’s darn near impossible to condone WB for the MAR presentation, on the other hand, rarely are we treated to TV releases (particularly thirty year old ones) that look as good as this one does.
Audio:
Thankfully, I don’t have nearly as much to write in terms of the audio presentation…
Most importantly, dialogue was always clear and intelligible. There was only one exception during my viewing where it competed for attention, which occurred during the initial bar fight scene in the Pilot episode. In fact, that entire fight scene seemed to have a somewhat compressed sound to it becoming almost “shrill like” during the action sequences. That was really the only other time I observed any problems (per se) with the audio presentation.
As for dynamics and range, there were a few occasions which left me rather impressed particularly during the hammering scene in the Pilot episode. As the workers were hammering the spikes, it really sounded as though the railway track was being laid at the front of the theater. Sure the track could have used some help on the lower end of the scale, but not bad for a DD mono track! Obviously, we’re not about to experience the visceral impact during any of the action sequences that we hear in today’s Martial Arts films.
Obviously with a DD mono track, we’re somewhat limited as to what to expect and for the most part, this track did what it needed to do, no more - no less.
Good job.
Special Features:
There are only two special features located on the set. They are however, substantive and offer up a host of information relevant to the show and its creation. They are:
Disc One, Side A:
[*] From Grasshopper to Caine: Creating Kung Fu is a short featurette which includes a number of discussions with creator Ed Spielman and writer Howard Friedlander and how the concept was presented to Tom Kuhn, then VP of WB TV and his reluctance to approve the project. Also present is Radames Pera (young Caine) as well as David Carradine himself. Producer Jerry Thorpe and Mr. Kuhn go into detail as to why Carradine was selected over Bruce Lee. This is a solid little feature that ties up a lot of loose ends. Duration: 22:49 minutes.
Disc One, Side B:
[*] The Tao of Caine: The Production and Beyond features the same participants who discuss many of the special effects and the art director who converted the medieval castle which had been built for Camelot into a Shoalin monastery for the show. Also discussed are the numerous stars that appeared on the show throughout the years such as John Saxon, William Shatner, Harrison Ford and Jodie Foster. The remainder of the feature goes on to discuss various stories which took place while the show was still in production. Another solid little feature. Duration: 20:36 minutes.
Final Thoughts:
This is yet another example of a show I would probably have passed over, never having watched it when it originally aired. I quickly found myself immersed and I look forward to going back and spending more time with this show.
While I’m not advocating the MAR release of this set (nor would I ever), I do believe I have a pretty good grasp on what battles to fight and which ones to walk away from. I believe this one falls under the latter category. Let’s face it, considering the popularity of the show, this set is going to sell in droves. Similar to the Police Academy debacle, WB isn’t very likely to go back and revisit this set and spend umpteen dollars to release it in its OAR – especially when it’s going to sell regardless of what format it is released in. There are simply not enough of us out there yet to make that difference. And to take it one step further, I suspect many of those who are aware (at least the ones on our side) of the widescreen vs. fullscreen issue will look at this box and say, “Wow. Look at this and it’s in widescreen too”.
Even if we (the enthusiasts) were to make a difference, there’ll be no discernable way for WB to tell if lingering sales figures were simply due to a lack of interest in the show (and we all know what that means) or if it was in fact a statement from those of us who are truly are put off by the show having been modified. In this particular case, denying yourself of one of your favorites will accomplish only one thing…!
While I certainly can’t give the set any sort of a recommendation banner (and I would have at least recommended it based on the quality of the presentation and the value - at being able to pick it up for the price of a new release movie), I would say this; If you’re a huge fan of the show, purchase the set AND sit down and write WB a polite an informative letter outlining your concerns regarding the modified aspect ratio.
Release Date: March 16th, 2004
