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Directed by: Richard Moore Starring: David Carradine, Jeff Cooper, Eli Wallach, Christopher Lee Also known as “Circle of Iron,” The Silent Flute was based on a concept by Bruce Lee, who hoped to use the film both as a vehicle to stardom for himself and as a way to introduce American audiences to Eastern philosophy and the serious side of martial arts. He worked with two of his students, actor James Coburn and screenwriter Stirling Silliphant to produce an original screenplay, but he lost interest in the project after his rise to fame and died before it had any real chance of being made. The film follows the spiritual quest of a young warrior, Kord (Jeff Cooper) who tries to find a martial arts expert named Zetan, who guards the Book of Enlightenment. He is forced to undergo several trials before he is allowed to face Zetan, ranging from physical combat to psychological challenges. Along the way, he is assisted by a blind man who tries to lend some wisdom, but in the end, Kord has to discover the way on his own. Though Lee intended for the film to be more serious in tone than most kung fu films tend to be, The Silent Flute us full or the corny humor you would expect from the genre. This doesn’t really hurt the movie as a piece of entertainment, but it does lessen the impact of some of the philosophical elements of the movie, which are unfortunately pretty weak to begin with. Carradine is excellent in providing humor in the film, as is Eli Wallach in his brief appearance, but for the most part the jokes fall flat and don’t really go anywhere. The dialogue is pretty flat as well, which also gets in the way of the philosophical undertones of the film. The acting is pretty mixed as well. Carradine is great in the four roles he plays, and he’s always the most interesting thing on screen when he’s around. Cooper is quite awful as Kord, and he really doesn’t have the skill to carry a film by himself. He also seems kind of old for the part. Eli Wallach and Christopher Lee both have brief parts in the film as well. Wallach is hilarious as a man trying to dissolve his genitals in a pot of oil, but Lee doesn’t really have anything to do. He’s still Christopher Lee though, and is the most commanding presence in his scenes. The Silent Flute was filmed in Israel, and it is quite beautiful to look at. The sets are similar to those in Conan the Barbarian, mixing Eastern and Western styles to produce a timeless and placeless locale. The cinematography is also quite exquisite, with many beautiful shots of the landscape filling the frame, and it really enhances the production value of the film overall. Most kung fu films look pretty dull, but this one is really artful in its visual properties. The music is also excellent, using many different instruments and styles to re-enforce the fantasy setting of the story. For a film that was meant to introduce martial arts as a serious film genre and form of philosophy, the kung fu is pretty lack-luster. Carradine is by far a better actor than Lee could have ever hoped to be, but his skills as a fighter don’t live up to the legacy of the master. Most of the fights exist on an equally spiritual and philosophical level in addition to the physical action, which helps to lessen this effect, but it’s still disappointing to see a film so committed to the ideas of martial arts be full of clumsy fight sequences. Carradine at least gives each of his characters radically different styles of fighting, but most of the fights are filmed rather awkwardly. RATING: 3.0 PROS: great music, sets and cinematography, Carradine is great CONS: horrible dialogue, bad humor, poor action ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078975/
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Oct 27, 2004 04:07
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| # ? Apr 27, 2024 14:15 |
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