produced by Jerry Thorpe
USA 1972-75

 

The 70's Television series 'Kung Fu' is not really about martial arts and flying acrobatic violence. It is about philosophy and cultural understanding... learning to appreciate people for who they are.

 

Kwai Chang Caine's parents (an American father and Chinese mother) are both dead and he is brought up as a Shoalin Monk. After his years of training are complete, he is caught in a situation: defending himself and his master, he kills the Chinese Emperor's nephew, and now is on the run. He flees to the U.S. both to escape retaliation and to search for his family roots. His travels in the turn of the century frontier west allow him to meet and interact with many individuals - some understanding and some bigoted. He imparts his own passive and unselfish manner of life to whoever crosses his path. His training as a Shaolin Monk has made his hands and feet dangerous weapons, but he only resorts to violence if there is no other solution. Constant flashbacks to his childhood and training detail to us the real Caine. This helps us understand and appreciate his gentle demeanor and reveal part of his Asian mystique. As far as I am concerned, one of the better shows to come out of the 70's. out of      


Gary W. Tooze

TV Premiere: October 14th, 1972

Reviews   DVD Reviews

DVD Review: Warner (4 X DVD18) - Region 1- NTSC

DVD Box Cover

 

CLICK to order from:

  

   
Amazon.com is offering both Season 1 and Season 2 in one package.

     

Distribution Warner - Region 1- NTSC
Runtime Approx. 20 hours (23 X 50 minute episodes)
Video 1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio
Average Bitrate: 5.9 mb/s
NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s
 

NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes
Bitrate:

.

Audio English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
Subtitles English, Spanish, French, None
Features Release Information:
Studio: Warner Home Video

Aspect Ratio:
Original aspect ratio- 1.33:1

Edition Details:
• David Carradine commentary on selected episodes
• "Zen and Now: A Dinner With David Carradine and Friends" - Three Course Meal - Appetizers, main Course and Dessert and "Conversations on Martial Arts in Movies and TV" (40:49)

DVD Release Date: January 19th, 2005
 5 tier Digipak with slipcase
Chapters: 6 X 15 episodes

Comments:

Well, they finally got it right. With enough pressure from fans of this series, Warner appears to have acquiesced. When they brought out Season 1- many DVD-ophiles were upset that they had widescreen-ed the image - cropping from 1.33 -> 1.78. Personally, I didn't notice much in composition and considering overscan the problem was technically slighter than one might imagine. On principle, of course, this was a huge mistake - and thankfully in Season 2 it has been corrected.

The image is superior to the Season 1 edition and there are more episodes. Colors are vibrant in this and it is marginally sharper with great contrast. This is as good as any TV I have seen on DVD. Subtitles are very well done. Original audio. This is a great Boxset at a pretty reasonable price.  out of     

Gary W. Tooze

 




DVD Menus

 

Screen Captures

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DVD Box Cover

 

CLICK to order from:

  

   
Amazon.com is offering both Season 1 and Season 2 in one package.

     

Distribution Warner - Region 1- NTSC



 

Search DVDBeaver

 S E A R C H    D V D B e a v e r

 

Hit Counter

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DONATIONS Keep DVDBeaver alive:

Mail cheques, money orders, cash to:    or CLICK PayPal logo to donate!

Gary Tooze

Many Thanks...