Despite a quite conventional technical approach, Mei-Juin Chen and Martha Burr's documentary about five Shaolin monks who settle in the United States turns out to be as exhilarating as the kung fu techniques the monks have at their command. Narrated by Beau Bridges, the PBS-aired Shaolin Ulysses offers a modest amount of background data on how the famous Chinese monastery developed its martial arts tradition and has survived to the present day, but the real emphasis is on the different experiences of the monks who have come to America. In New York City, for instance, we're introduced to one monk who's dedicated to founding Shaolin-style Buddhist temples in the metropolis, while another is married to a Catholic wife and sees himself as simply a martial-arts instructor. In Las Vegas we find monks performing on tour as entertainers, while in Houston others train some rather ungainly policemen in techniques of self-defense. Excerpts from an earlier Shaolin documentary featuring some of the subjects are well-chosen, and the DVD includes some 40 minutes of additional kung fu footage, as well as an amusing animated short about the Shaolin temple itself. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)
Shaolin Ulysses: Kungfu Monks in America
(2003) 56 min. DVD: $26.95. Docurama (avail. from most distributors). Color cover. ISBN: 0-7670-6468-2. Volume 19, Issue 5
Shaolin Ulysses: Kungfu Monks in America
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