To celebrate the opening of the new National Geographic Museum exhibition Shaolin: Temple of Zen—Photographs by Justin Guariglia, enjoy an afternoon with three kung-fu movie classics, all set in China’s legendary Shaolin Temple! Produced by the legendary Shaw Brothers Studios, which set the standard for martial-arts films and influenced later filmmakers such as Quentin Tarentino, John Woo, and Ang Lee, these films offer superbly choreographed action, plus insights into Chinese history, religious thought, and culture. The films will be introduced by Dr. Craig D. Reid, an expert in the genre who became one of the first non-Asian actors/stuntmen in Chinese kung-fu movies, subsequently learning fight choreography from the legendary Jackie Chan, and working as a fight choreographer for American production companies.
We’ll be screening the following films:
1:30 p.m. Shaolin Temple (1976, 126 min.) Considered to be director Chang Cheh’s masterpiece, the film chronicles the fall of the Shaolin Temple, and features an impressive roster of the Shaw Brothers’ legendary kung-fu stars.
4 p.m. Executioners from Shaolin (1977, 100 min.) This early work by the great martial arts film director Liu Chia Liang picks up the story where Shaolin Temple leaves off, with a father-and-son team of master fighters seeking vengeance for the destruction of the Temple.
6 p.m. The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978, 119 min.) Hoping to seek revenge against the oppressive Manchus, a young man enters the Shaolin temple to master its unique fighting techniques. According to the New York Times, this film is “widely considered to be the greatest kung-fu flick of all time.”
The National Geographic Museum exhibition Shaolin: Temple of Zen—Photographs by Justin Guariglia opens Wednesday, June 11.
Location
Tickets
Grosvenor Auditorium
National Geographic Society
1600 M Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20036
+1 202 857 7700
