MovieChat Forums > Kung Fu (1972) Discussion > BETTER than I remembered...

BETTER than I remembered...

posted 16 years ago by BreeInAZ
2 replies | jump to latest

I remembered it with a fondness... and so, when Amazon had the entire series on sale for only $45.99, I had to be like the Cobra and strike fast. Not in any, way, shape or form disappointed, but rather, overjoyed.

This was waaaay ahead of its time back in 1972... wow. Like the ill-fated original "Star Trek," this brief series was just too far ahead of its American audiences' abilities to comprehend good writing with mind-challenging storylines, however, in many ways, "Kung Fu" exceeds in challenging the viewer as the shows are extremely cathartic and not just challenge one's mind, but also their soul. Now, don't get me wrong, I am very firm in my beliefs as a born-again Christian, however, this show in a weird way parallels many of the teachings in the Bible and never disrespects anyone's religious views. That is hard to accomplish, but the producers, writers, directors aided bi David Carradine masterfully pulled it off alongside Keye Luke, Philip Ahn and Radames Pera as well as other guest actors.

The result is an outright masterpiece... my 12 year-old son loves this show as well, so it is not 'too' deep... it is just right. When I was his age, I remembered seeing this show as it debuted alongside my dad, asking him questions every once in a while primarily about the flashbacks of the teachings as a boy. The poignancy of those flashbacks even today as man nearing half a decade of precious life on this earth, still remain relevant.

I love this show. In years to come, I believe "Kung Fu" will receive a lot of acclaim it has yet to achieve. ABC took some chances back in those days... and in my opinion, pushed TV beyond its barriers with shows such as this and "Mod Squad," etc. Thank God we have these shows forever preserved onto DVD nowadays that we can revisit such treasures... and get away from "Dancing With The Stars" and the like... yuck. There are so few shows out these days other than "Lost" that really make one expand their mind as "Kung Fu" did. The producers and crew should be so proud of what they accomplished back then as it truly holds the test of time - and beyond. Kudos.

Ted in Gilbert, AZ

[–] carlsez_1 16 years ago

I agree, good summation. I also really enjoyed the series and appreciated it's uniqueness.

I had that same feeling regarding your comparison to Star Trek, both were ground breaking. And while ST was a great premise for exploring all types of conflicts, so too was Kung Fu. A sort of revisionist take on the old west, the clash between Confucianism and western principles made for some great stories. And the fight scenes were cool too (a guilty pleasure to watch, when reason just wouldn't work with the occasional belligerent).

[–] brtsi 16 years ago

I was about 15 when Kung Fu debuted. That was about the time I started smoking pot. So Friday evenings used to involve getting stoned and watching Kung Fu.

My pot smoking days outlasted the series but not by much.

Thanks for the info regarding the series on DVD. Let's see - $45.99 for the DVD and what's a quarter ounce of weed cost now? I think my bong is stashed right next to my 8 Track player ... :-))

When you can snatch the pebble from my hand ...