Shaolin Wooden Men (1976) Biography, Plot, Box office

Shaolin Wooden Men (1976)

Shaolin Wooden Men (Chinese: 少林木人巷) (Shao Lin mu ren xiang) is a 1976 Hong Kong action film directed by Chen Chi-Hwa and starring Jackie Chan. It was made at Lo Wei’s studio at Golden Harvest, during the post-Bruce Lee era. The film was also released internationally under several alternative titles, including: “36 Wooden Men” “Shaolin Chamber of Death” (initial UK releases) “Shaolin Wooden Men – Young Tiger’s Revenge” (USA) “Wooden Man” (Germany)

Plot.

Little Mute (Jackie Chan) is a new Shaolin student who is mute. He struggles to keep up with the other students and to complete the grueling tasks assigned to him by his instructor. He is haunted by the memory of his father’s murder at the hands of a masked bandit who was skilled in martial arts. One night, a drunken monk leads Little Mute to a secret cave behind a waterfall. A man is imprisoned there. Over time, Little Mute befriends the violent prisoner by bringing him food and wine that he steals from the monastery. He learns that the prisoner is a deadly martial artist who is developing a technique called the Lion’s Roar, which he will use to escape his captivity. Little Mute convinces the prisoner to train him. The prisoner’s style aims to kill the opponent as fast as possible.

New Fist of Fury (1976) Biography, Plot 1976 version, 1980 version, Box office.

A Shaolin nun sees Little Mute practicing these killing techniques. She tells him that martial arts are not for killing; rather, they are for self-development, with self-defense employed only when necessary and with minimal violence. She trains him in the Gliding Snake style, the ideals of which clash with those of the prisoner’s killing style. Nevertheless, Little Mute continues to study both styles. Finally the prisoner judges that Little Mute is ready to attempt to pass the test of the Shaolin Wooden Men Alley, a narrow hallway containing thirty-six Shaolin Wooden Men, which are mechanical wooden dummies that attack anyone who enters the hallway. Little Mute successfully fights his way through the Wooden Men Alley.

1976/1980 versions.

Two differently edited versions of the film may have been made – a Mandarin version (1976), and a slightly shortened version featuring a Cantonese dub in 1980 (the cut used for all known releases to date). In terms of the score, the English dub on all available releases matches the Cantonese version. However, it is not known if an English dub was ever recorded to sync to the Mandarin version. When playing the Mandarin audio on existing (Cantonese version) releases, during a scene after Little Mute has tattooed his arms, the music jumps ahead to another part of the track. When played with the Cantonese soundtrack, the music plays without problem (revealing the segment of the music cut in the Mandarin soundtrack). During the final fight scene, there are some abrupt jump cuts and as a result, the sound effects drop out of sync. It is possible that the film’s action was tightened up in preparation for release (or the 1980 re-release) as it appears rather slowly executed by the actors.

Box office.

In Hong Kong, the film grossed HK$476,950.70 (US$97,337). Upon its 1982 release in South Korea, it sold 223,207 tickets in Seoul, equivalent to an estimated gross revenue of approximately ₩669.621 million (US$915,934). This adds up to an estimated total of approximately US$1,013,271 in East Asia, equivalent to US$4.8 million adjusted for inflation. In France, the film sold 152,277 tickets upon release in 1983. This adds up to 375,484 tickets sold overseas in Seoul and France.