Shaolin Legend Live

Shaolin Legend Live is a DVD that will be released on October 30, 2007. The show features the Shaolin Monks, an interesting and amazing group of young men who intersperse acrobatics, death-defying sword stunts, and entertaining dance and fight sequences that loosely resemble kata, complete with kiai.

Throughout the show, the Shaolin Monks display their athletic prowess and stunts that make you a little nervous. Take for example the young monk who lays down across a board containing blade-up swords, only to have a board full of nails put across his stomach, followed by another man on top of the nails, followed by a slab of concrete that is broken over both of their bodies with a sledge hammer. It’s not for the faint of heart.

Neither is the stunt where one of the monks seemingly impales himself on what looks like a giant sai, only to be spun around by the other monks before jumping off of the blade with only an indentation in his abdomen.

There’s also plenty of breaking and even some lettuce that’s cut on a monk’s stomach. Yeah, you heard me. Lettuce. There’s also some breaking over certain body parts that make the entire live audience gasp (especially the guys) but I’m not giving details on that. You’ll have to watch for yourself.

Interspersed with meditative music (that makes me feel like I’m having an appointment with my massage therapist) and calming artistic imagery, the show provides quite a contrast when it comes to entertaining. There are a couple vignettes where the accompanying music is a bit too Americanized and funky; but overall, the show succeeds in taking the audience to another place entirely, one where discipline is inherently important if one is to survive some of the stunts that these Shaolin Monks conquer.

To be honest, I never would have rented this movie off the blockbuster shelf; but I’m glad I had the opportunity to see it. Although I was sent just a screener copy, the official DVD release will include bonus features including a picture gallery, show highlights, and a booklet on the history of the Shaolin monks and art. For more information on the upcoming release, or to purchase the DVD when it is released, visit Milan Records.

BBM gives the Shaolin Legend Live DVD. . .

Ikigai108’s take on the Shaolin Legend Live DVD

And then some monks came out and did rituals. It seems like there was a head monk there. And they did kicks and one monk brought out some lettuce and chopped it up on his stomach. They spun weapons around.

…Does it seem like I kinda jumped into my article mid-thought? Like I didn’t really give you any information on what I was talking about, or any context for what the Shoalin monks were doing? That is the same basic approach Shaolin Legend Live takes. At the beginning of the dvd you are thrust onto the stage with a group of Shaolin monks as they perform their trademark stunts. Don’t worry about knowing what’s going on, just try to relax and watch the tricks.

The physical prowess of the monks is unquestionable. Each monk displays impressive conditioning and flexibility. As they whip around the stage it’s clear they put in hours of practice. There is no room for error in the Shaolin routines. Furthermore, the "iron-shirt" stunts where the monks prove their toughness are very impressive. I would not want to be caught in between a bed of live swords and a plank of spikes. I could never do what the monks do, plain and simple. They are fantastic athletes. But I also could never do the uneven bars, or pommel horse, or the vault. The demonstrations put on are likely to remind you of gymnastic routines you’ve seen elsewhere.

In case you’ve never seen a Shaolin demonstration, i’m going to let you in on one of their secrets – Shoalin monks love to spin things. That’s right. Prepare yourself for a deluge of spinning weapons, from aluminum swords to rattan sticks.

BBM touched on something that I would also like to mention – the music can be very distracting. Some of it makes sense and flows well with the demonstrations. But sometimes there are just weird selections in the background. Have you seen The 5th Element? Do you remember when that space opera girl was singing on stage? Yea that song is on this dvd for some reason. Just when you begin to get absorbed into the monks activities, the music is liable to bring you back out.

Maybe it’s the traditionalist in me, but this dvd did not do it for me. I would much rather have heard about the history of Shaolin and Bodhidharma. Shaolin is said to have influenced martial arts all throughout China, Japan, and Okinawa. How about some information on that? And then after you’ve filled my brain with some good information, then hit me with some tricks just for fun.

This dvd just isn’t good for me. If I want to see Jet Li choreography, i’ll go rent Fearless.