I need help to identify an old martial arts movie

[bebio]

Hello everyone, this is my first thread here, and I registered because I need help.

When I was a child, I used to see several martial arts movies, which my dad rented from the local video club. Great, wonderful memories.

But so many years have passed, and after a great nostalgic talk with my brother, we are trying to track down the movies that we saw during our childhood. We have successfully found a few, but there is one that I just cannot track down. I do not remember the title, and the details are sketchy. But here is what I can remember...

I have a vivid memory of a somewhat long and narrow corridor, in some training temple or building. The corridor is really narrow, and the predominant color is red. on each side, pressed against the walls, there are countless statues, I cannot remember if they are made of wood, or metal, but I think they are wood. The arms of these statues are constantly moving, beating up whomever tries to cross the corridor. the main character tries several times to cross it without success, but after a long period of training, he succeeds in avoiding the arms and reaches the end of the corridor, where there was something important, a statue or something.

This movies is a revenge story, I think. I have some other memory of the main character being sort of crucified with the typical wooden poles and ropes, but surviving, and entering training with some old guy who has this corridor. I am not sure if the crucification scene is real, or is my mind mixing scenes from different movies. I have another vague memory of the main character hiding in some cave (this memory is the sketchiest and most fuzzy).

And also, the time of the story seems to take place in the dynasties period. the settings, and clothes, certainly are not modern. And the movie seems to be from the 70's, or early 80's.

Please, I beg your help. Can anyone give a hint? Sorry to bother you guys with this.

Best Regards,

Bebio

[inframan]

I'd guess Shaolin Wooden Men http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaolin_Wooden_Men

[KUNG FU BOB]

First of all, you're not bothering anyone with your question. That's one of the reasons this forum exists, and there's a lot of really cool, helpful people here. So... welcome to the forum!

Based on your description, I immediately thought of the same film as Inframan- SHAOLIN WOODEN MEN. It stars a very young, pre-eye surgery Jackie Chan. Do you remember, was the old man- the teacher- chained up inside that cave?

The actual legend says that to graduate from kung fu training at the Shaolin temple, a student must battle his way through the hallway of wooden men, then using only their forearms lift an extremely heavy, and super hot, cauldron out of the way of the exit. The cauldron has engravings on each side, so that when the student lifts it the images of a dragon and a tiger are burned into their arms. This extremely dramatic situation has been in a ton of different movies, so it's kind of common. But if you are based in the US and the VHS was available in a regular video rental store, it's very likely that it is SHAOLIN WOODEN MEN that you're remembering.

[AlbertV]

Definitely sounds like Shaolin Wooden Men, one of the early Jackie Chan films, where he was mute until he learned the identity of his father's killer.

[bebio]

Hi everyone!

first, sorry to take so long to reply, I had to study really hard for my master course exams, which I completed last week.

And, yes! I checked the youtube trailers and it really is the movie I was looking for!!

It feels really great to find the movie after so much searching. I hope when I watch it again, I will be able to enjoy it as much as when I was a kid.

You guys are really awesome. Thanks once again!!!

Cheers,

Bebio

[Iron Boat]

I would also pick up Cheng Cheh's Shaolin Temple (Death Chambers) and 5 Shaolin Masters (5 Masters of Death) these are the epitome of nostalgia.