Jackie Chan Double Feature (Half a Loaf of Kung Fu and Spiritual Kung Fu) (2 DVDs) (H)

Half A Loaf Of Kung Fu
An early comedic effort from one of today’s greatest physical comedians, Half a Loaf of Kung Fu is a parody of many of the melodramatic kung fu movies that were coming out of Hong Kong in the 1970s. The credit sequence sets up the tone as Chan performs a dream sequence full of tongue-in-cheek kung fu moves and visual puns. (Chan’s ninja is revealed to be a beggar, his priest chews out a group of monks only to then have to do chores himself, and there’s even a reference to Jesus Christ Superstar!) Chan plays Jiang, a hapless orphan who is amiable enough but always getting into trouble. In dreams he is a skilled fighter (with the help of eating spinach à la Popeye), but in reality he’s sort of a dope. A kind beggar and an opportunistic traveler with a bad case of gas teach him skills that bring him into the employment of the Sern Chuan Bodyguards, who are protecting a priceless gemstone–the Evergreen Jade. A band of robbers attempts a heist and Jiang and his flatulent friend defeat the crooks in comic style. Originally shelved in 1978 by director Chan Chi Wa (who directed Chan in Snake and Crane Arts of Shaolin), Half a Loaf of Kung Fu was released in 1980 after Chan’s popularity rose.

Spiritual Kung Fu
Another early kung fu flick from Jackie Chan’s Wei Lo period (Wei Lo, who also directed Fists of Fury with Bruce Lee, directed seven of Chan’s early films), Spiritual Kung Fu (alternatively titled Karate Ghostbuster) has Chan playing a familiar character–the bumbling underdog. Chan is a Shaolin monastery student whose fighting style and wits aren’t quite up to par. Dissension and panic arise in the temple when a thief steals the book of the Seven Fist Style, a form of kung fu that allegedly makes its masters invincible. While guarding the temple’s library, Chan comes across a lost book that teaches the Five Style Fists, which can defeat the Seven Fist Style. What’s more, the book comes with five mischievous spirits that teach the style to Chan. When the monastery is challenged by the man who stole the Seven Fist Style, the spirits help Chan defeat him. The DVD transfer and voice dubbing are more akin to a Saturday afternoon television matinee than a technical tour de force, but the story certainly lends itself to its presentation. A campy and uneven effort (what else can you say about a movie in which spirits don white body paint and bright red fright wigs?), Spiritual Kung Fu, like the Wei Lo-directed Half a Loaf of Kung Fu, was shelved for a couple of years before being released in 1978.