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36 Shaolin Beads A.K.A. The Shaolin 36 Beads (1977)
36 Shaolin Beads A.K.A. The Shaolin 36 Beads (1977)
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36 Shaolin Beads (1977) Also Known As: The Shaolin 36 Beads · Shao Lin san shi liu zhu is a Taiwanese martial arts film directed by Ta-Chao Lin and starring Ying Bai, Wang Kuan-Hsiung and Meng Chiu. A Shaolin monk faces dangerous opponents as he puts his specialized fighting method to the test.
The Story
A Shaolin monk must put his martial arts training to the test as he confronts dangerous opponents inside a foreboding tower. The film centers on the monk's specialized 36-bead fighting technique, a method that gives the action its distinctive identity.
As the monk advances through a series of confrontations, each fight tests his skill and resolve. The tower setting and successive challenges place the emphasis on physical technique, endurance and the struggle to overcome fighters who stand in his way.
The Martial Arts
36 Shaolin Beads focuses on Shaolin-inspired combat and a distinctive bead-based fighting method. The action combines hand-to-hand encounters with the dramatic tower challenges familiar to vintage Taiwanese kung fu cinema.
For viewers interested in the period's independent martial arts films, the appeal lies in the performers' physical exchanges and the imaginative way a single technique becomes the focus of the story.
Why Collectors Pick It
This is a lesser-known Taiwanese kung fu movie that can be overlooked by viewers searching only for Shaw Brothers films. It features Ying Bai and Wang Kuan-Hsiung, and its English title has appeared in more than one word order on home-video listings.
Collectors searching for rare kung fu DVDs may recognize the 2003 Brooklyn Zu Collection edition. That release provides a concrete DVD reference, but the cover and specifications should be matched to the disc actually offered for sale.
Collector's Note
The 1977 film is directed by Ta-Chao Lin, also credited as Da Chiao Lin. It is not The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978), the separate Shaw Brothers film starring Gordon Liu.
A 2003 Brooklyn Zu Collection DVD is documented under UPC 0694795606921. This draft does not claim that any particular copy is in stock, factory-sealed, or available in a specified language until the physical edition is confirmed.
International & Alternate Titles
Film & DVD Details
Related Films & Collections
Fans of classic kung fu movies and hard-to-find martial arts DVDs can find more vintage fighting films in these collections.