Gordon Liu In Montreal!!

[HAZ]

Hi,

I just heard from fandom member Fusheng007 that Gordon Liu will be attending Fantasia 2008 in Montreal!!!! Gordon will be here on July 5th presenting a new 35mm print of "Disciples Of the 36th Chamber". Tickets go on sale on July 2nd. "Disciples Of the 36th Chamber" will be playing at Concordia's Hall Theatre at 4:30 PM. Here is a breif breakdown/description of the film by one of the festival's organizers, King-Wei Chu:

Two important icons of kung fu cinema, Fong Sai Yuk (made famous by Jet Li, played here by Hsiao Ho) and the monk San Te (KILL BILL's Gordon Liu) clash in this rarely seen Shaw Brothers entry. Fong’s uninhibited arrogance toward a Manchu lord forces him to seek refuge in a Shaolin temple. Although abundantly trained in the martial arts, he is no match for Master San Te, the creator of the 36th Chamber of Shaolin, who constantly overpowers his younger, more agile disciples in matters of both body and mind. Exhausted by his frequent defeats, Fong seeks to escape his prison and crosses paths with a governor (Jason Pai), who rewards him with a yellow robe granting immunity from any Manchu. But what are the governor's true intentions? Will Fong feed his foolish ego and betray the Shaolin Temple?

After the high-octane 8 DIAGRAM POLE FIGHTER (Fantasia 2004), director Lau Kar Leung, aka Liu Chia Liang (director of Jackie Chan's DRUNKEN MASTER 2) lightened the tone for his final Shaw Brothers film while maintaining potent action set pieces with elevated production values. A direct descendent of several generations of masters, with a virile sense of creativity, Lau kept things fresh by pushing the limits of kung fu choreography with such dynamic set pieces such as the unforgettable wall-training sequences, the water log combat, the stool-fighting scene and of course the exciting finale, when the heroes literally crash a wedding. Gordon Liu reunited with Lau after such fruitful collaborations such as HEROES OF THE EAST (Fantasia 2005) and 36TH CHAMBER OF SHAOLIN, to give one of his finest performances as he reprises his signature role of Monk Sant Te. Hsiao Ho (IRON MONKEY) demonstrates his acrobatic style with quick-as-lightening intensity. Fantasia is honoured to present the first North America screening of DISCIPLES OF THE 36th CHAMBER in 20 years, now fully restored, extended and presented in 35mm ShawScope, in time to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Liu's portrayal of Master San Te.

—King-Wei Chu




Here is a link to the site:

http://www.fantasiafest.com/2008/en/films/film_detail.php?id=103



Hope to see some board members there!!!

h

[tylerpistol]

Of course this happens two years after I leave Montreal! Fantasia is always a good time. I'm sure this will be fantastic.

[HAZ]

If people are looking for accomadations, PM me. I manage a University residence in Montreal. In the summer, we operate as a hotel. I can hook folks up with some cheap housing.

Peace

h

[thehangman]

Gordon Liu is a nice guy met him afew years ago in the uk

[Winfred]

Montreal is such a beautiful city. I remember jazz festivals and underground shopping. But it is halfway around the world from Malaysia.

[HAZ]

Montreal is such a beautiful city. I remember jazz festivals and underground shopping. But it is halfway around the world from Malaysia.

We have a Chinese student from Malaysia staying with us at work. He says the only thing Montreal is missing is a place to get Bah Ku Teh.

Come see Gordon Liu, people!!!!!!!

h

[Kung-Fu Scholar]

I'm set to meet Gordon Liu for in interview, so if you have any exclusive questions to ask, here's your chance. Give it here and if it's pertinent enough I add it to my already lenghty list.

Thanks in advance; Kung-Fu Scholar.

[teako170]

I'm set to meet Gordon Liu for in interview, so if you have any exclusive questions to ask, here's your chance. Give it here and if it's pertinent enough I add it to my already lenghty list.

Thanks in advance; Kung-Fu Scholar.

Sent you a pm.

[HAZ]

Hey Folks,

Just got back from Fantasia's screening of Disciples Of the 36 Chambers. It was absolutly amazing. I'm going to post pics from the even later. Gordon answered questions & did a demo similar to the opening sequence of 36 Chambers of Shaolin. I got to take some pics & tomorrow I'm getting some autographs!

Many thanks to King (Fusheng007) & the people at Fantasia for putting on such an amazing event!!!

h

[Asmo]

Glad you had a good time.

[teako170]

That's awesome HAZ.
Looking forward to your pix!

Just got back from Fantasia's screening of Disciples Of the 36 Chambers. It was absolutly amazing. I'm going to post pics from the even later. Gordon answered questions & did a demo similar to the opening sequence of 36 Chambers of Shaolin. I got to take some pics & tomorrow I'm getting some autographs!h

[HAZ]

Hi Guys,

Today was a wicked day; Gordon made an appearance at a downtown DVD store, Metro Video. He signed autographs for about an hour, answered questions, took photos. I got to chat with a few fans while wating in line & made some small talk with Gordon. The man is an absolute gentleman. He threw out a "Merci Beaucoup" to the delight of francophone fans. I got my 36 Chambers poster signed, along with some DVD's. He even signed a happy birthday postcard for my mom! lol. The dude from hkcinemagic should be interviewing him soon, so keep an eye peeled for that. Yesterday at the screening, Gordon answered fan questions about working with Chang Cheh, about the filming process at Shaw's, and about his upcoming Bollywood film role (he plays a villian!). Some of this was filmed by local fans. If the video quality is good, it might be posted on youtube in the coming days. Really, Fantasia is a MUST for fans of asian film. If you live anywhere in the NE, get in your car & drive the 6 hours to Montreal. The atmosphere is amazing. Disciples of the 36 Chambers wasn't as much a film screening at it was a down-to-earth celebration of a great film & the career of a great actor. The Fantasia people presented Gordon with a portrait of himself in the role of San-Te. It was crazy. Gordon had someting like 3 standing ovations. Gordon is here for a few more days, taking in the sights of the city & will be appearing later in the week at the Cinematheque Quebecois where they will be showing an exhibition of Hong Kong film posters. Thanks again to the Fantasia folks & King-Wei Chu for making this happen. Pictures should be posted tomorrow!

h

[Asmo]

Awesome! I was privileged enough to ask some questions through HKcinemagic, so I can't wait to read that interview as well! What did he have to say about working with Chang Cheh?

[HAZ]

Hi,

Here is the youtube video of Gordon taking fan questions!!! Enjoy! Thanks to youtube member "menaattia" for posting! Fantasia programmer King-Wei Chu is the interpreter/interviewer/master of ceremonies.

Part 1:

http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=pXp7d_7PCVI


Part 2:

http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=a65pd1V5DKM&feature=related


Part 3:

http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=SzDBr-JppbI&feature=related


A short Martial Arts demo:

http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=lVI2j6Lb868

h

[HAZ]

Hi,

Went to Johnnie To's "The Sparrow" this evening (great movie) & was happy to see Gordon in attendance. He was there to introduce a music video in which he makes an appearance. They screened the video before the feature. The song is called "I'm Proud To Be Chinese". I found a link to the video on youtube so you folks can check it out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-71ti3Psdc&feature=related

Enjoy!

h

[Asmo]

Great, thanks!

[Morgoth Bauglir]

Wow. Maybe it's because I hate most mainstream music, but that song really blows! Maybe it's a joke?

[Tosh]

Dang I can't see or hear a thing in those youtube clips, hopefully the pics came out better, Gordon seems like he has a great sense of humor though.

[HAZ]

Dang I can't see or hear a thing in those youtube clips, hopefully the pics came out better, Gordon seems like he has a great sense of humor though.

Cllips 1 & 3 have okay sound. The 2nd has the worst. I there were some other folks with cameras, so I hope more clips will surface. Gordon has a great sense of humor. Like another poster mentioned above, he is very nice & approachable. The clip of him doing his demonstration came out quite good, considering the lighting. Is that Hung Gar that he is doing?

[HAZ]

Hi,

Here is a article about the event from a local publication, the Hour:

Old-skool kung fu
Meghan Hicks



Wizened and deadly: Liu as Kill Bill Vol. 2's white-haired master


Fantasia celebrates the genre's greats by inviting the legendary Gordon Liu

It's hard to make a list of top kung fu films without filling it with Shaw Brothers productions starring Gordon Liu. In honour of one of the genre's premiere stars, Fantasia is paying homage to the kung fu legend by inviting him to Montreal for a screening of the restored print of the Shaw Brothers' Disciples of the 36th Chamber, the third in a classic trilogy that started off with the famous The 36th Chamber of Shaolin - arguably one of the best kung fu films of all time.
In Disciples, Liu reprises his role as San Te, a monk who studied kung fu at the Shaolin Temple in order to fight the Manchurian government in the first film of the series. This third instalment, also directed by Lau Kar-leung, matches San Te against Fong Sai-yuk (Hsiao Hou), who must split his loyalties between with the Shaolin Temple that rescued him and a Manchu lord full of false promises. Employing more of the comic elements introduced in the second sequel, Disciples blends humour with incredibly choreographed and exciting action sequences.

Liu agrees that Disciples is a good introduction to his work. While The 36th Chamber of Shaolin is probably more renowned, due to its blend of comedy and action, Disciples may be "more entertaining." The 36th Chamber films are just a few entries in the long Shaw Brothers catalogue, a studio that had its golden age in the '70s and '80s. Many of these films featured Liu as the hard-featured, bald-headed star, but if you're still
wondering who this Gordon Liu is, you'll likely remember him as The Bride's white-haired master in Kill Bill Vol. 2, or as Johnnie Mo in Kill Bill Vol. 1.

"I think the influence is substantial," says Liu of the Shaw Brothers studio, "or else director Quentin Tarantino would not have made Kill Bill in that particular style that he did, and he would not have invited me to play in both Part I and 2 either. He even put the Shaw Scope logo at the beginning of Kill Bill to pay homage to the Shaw movies."

While Liu continues to work in Hong Kong television and cinema, he spends much of his time making music with the same passion he devoted to studying kung fu in his youth. As an actor, he is clearly proud to have played a large part in the Shaw Studio legacy. While many modern Hong Kong films employ special effects in place of real stunts and show signs of Western influence, the sense of traditional storytelling makes Shaw films endure.

"I think the classic Shaw kung fu movies usually would carry good moral lessons in them, whereas the contemporary movies put more emphasis on the entertainment and commercial values," Liu says. "So while today's audiences may be captivated by the big stars and the great sets and stunts, [...] they may quickly forget about the movie afterwards. Unless there is further substance in the movie that touches your heart, it is difficult to have that lasting appeal."

Disciples of the 36th Chamber
Premieres at Fantasia on July 5
As part of the Gordon Liu: A Legendary Kung Fu Star special event
In the presence of Gordon Liu
www.fantasiafest.com

[HAZ]

Hi,

Here is an entry in the Kung Fu Friday's blog regarding Gordon's visit & the upcoming poster exhibition at the Quebec Cinematheque:

http://kungfufridays.blogspot.com/2008/07/gordon-liu-in-montreal-for-fantasia-and.html

h

[HAZ]

Here is an interview with Gordon subbed in english!

http://divertissement.sympatico.msn.ca/Cinema/Fantasia/Index_cap?v=e81efe3e-2b2b-48b7-b173-b2e8c54cb5a0

[Kung-Fu Scholar]

Well, Gordon Liu is gone and I couldn't do an interview.

Bummer.:(:(

It's not that I didn't try. I requested a meeting early on. One was scheduale but got cancelled at the last minute and afterward either he was unavailable or I was. (still got to work you know).

Still, it was'nt a total loss as I got to met him, took a photo and had him signed a book (Fight Choregraphy the art of non verbal dialogue if you want to know). I've also filmed his presentation of DISCIPLS OF SHAOLIN as well as the following Q&A . It should find it's way on Youtube...as soon as I figure out how to do it. The sound is pretty bad but the picture is good and gives a good idea of the moment.

The festival goes on, still at least twenty movies to go including the Japanese karate film BLACK BELT as well as Vietnam kung-fu entry THE REBEL.

[HAZ]

Hi,

Here are some photos I snapped over the last few days:

These were taken at the Quebec Cinematheque exhibit:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v234/hizzy76/IMG_0282.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v234/hizzy76/IMG_0284.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v234/hizzy76/IMG_0251.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v234/hizzy76/IMG_0250.jpg

Here are a couple from the screening of "Disciples Of The 36th Chamber":

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v234/hizzy76/IMG_0230.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v234/hizzy76/IMG_0227.jpg

Enjoy!

I was very nice to meet some folks face to face, like Kung Fu Scholar. Can't wait to see your vids!

I have some more pics that I will post in a bit.

h

[teako170]

Thanks for the pix HAZ.
I'm starting to wish I had made the 8 hour drive for this one.
How many people do you estimate attended this?

Looking forward to more photogs.

[HAZ]

Thanks for the pix HAZ.
I'm starting to wish I had made the 8 hour drive for this one.
How many people do you estimate attended this?

Looking forward to more photogs.

The film was well attended. There was a full house. I have some pics I took of the crowd outside that I can post. The lineup was good & long more than an hour before the movie was to be shown. I guess there was more than 300 people there, but it wasn't out of hand. Everyone got something signed & pics taken. Gordon was really approchable & super nice. There was also an event at Metro Video, a local dvd shoppe. I got some cool autographs there. I'll post pics from that event, too.

[thehangman]

Gordons a nice guy,met him a few years ago,didnt really get chance to chat cus of all the people waitin to meet him.