Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Waited all my life for this, July 8, 2006
I am just as inspired now as 40 years ago with this series. I am so happy to find it on DVD - clear, without commercials, able to freeze the spell-binding photography, able to go back over the lessons of pure poetry. What a treat with the guest stars as well: a little Jodie Foster, José Feliciano, Leslie Nielsen and many others. This series is a beautiful necklace of precious gems. If it seems trite or campy now, it is only because so many have borrowed from it, e.g. "Expect the unexpected."
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Above and Beyond Expectations, May 9, 2007
Not only will you enjoy the full three-season run, which includes the 2-hour pilot show, but there are many special features, interviews, and extras throughout the three seasons. Being older, wiser, one tends to see the little guffaws in wardrobe, mis-matched stand-ins and crew members getting into the shot. In one such scene Caine is fighting a man (the actor's stand-in) and the man is seen standing idly by watching "himself" fight Caine. Too Funny. The temple scenes are the greatest value to me. Yes, they guzzied up the old "castle" from Camelot to make it look like a Chinese Buddhist temple, but it looks great anyway. One thing I caught though that is historically inaccurate, Carradine is always talking about the Tao, and so are his masters, even quoting Lao Tzu in many cases. However, Lao Tzu would have been a contemporary of the Shaolin sect and his writings would not have been widely published so that monks would use his quotes as "sage wisdom". Also, Shaolin was a Ch'an (Zen in Japanese)Buddhist temple, and would not have had an interest in Lao Tzu or Taoism. That notwithstanding, I highly recommend these for anyone who enjoys Asian culture, Taoism, martial arts, etc. Everyone can find something within this series, and within themselves that they didn't know existed previously. Tzai Jian!
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
"What happens in a man's life is already written... Men must move through life as his destiny wills...", January 3, 2007
The concept of the series is of a quiet humble man who avoids action at almost any cost... Caine (David Carradine) was taught a good soldier is not violent, a fighter is not angry, and a victor is not vengeful...
Caine runs a long way with a price on his head for murder... He comes to the American West where he travels the countryside facing many pillars of violence... He effectively inspires the character with infrequently found qualities for an action hero: grace and self-control, suppleness and rhythmic endurance, speed and patience, tenacity and power...
For several years in the Shaolin Temple, Caine learns to exercise and develop his inner strength... He learns to make powerful the force of his body... Yet he was taught to reverence all against whom he may use such force... He comes to know how weakness prevails over strength, how gentleness conquers, how he seeks victory in contention...
With an emphasis on Buddhist philosophy, "Kung Fu" is a morality play, a magic show, combining the Western genre with martial arts...
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