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An outcast because he is a "half breed", Kawai Chang Caine faces obstacles from the very beginning of his life. Caine loses both his parents showing up at the door of a Tibetian monastery. Although they've never accepted anyone not of pure Chinese heritage, Master Kan (Philip Ahn) seems charmed by the young boy. Unlike most of the rural folk, Caine exhibits fine manners and a keen mind. He finds his salvation in faith and martial arts. Caine grows up facing ridicule from many of his classmates because of his "white" father. He also discovers strength and acceptance from his teachers (the delightful Keye Luke and Philip Ahn). Gradually, he grows into the intelligent youth they hoped he would be. He won't find acceptance. When one of his teachers's is accidentally injured, Caine strikes back without thinking killing a member of Chinese royalty. Suddenly, Caine is on the run. He also faces the prospect of being a man without a country. He flees to the United States hoping to track down his half brother and discover his future. ***

Nothing like a bit of Kung Fu to clear out the sinuses especially if you're the one getting kicked in the face. David Carradine's classic 1972 television series finally comes to DVD with the original 15 episodes (plus the original feature length pilot episode). Legend had it that Bruce Lee developed the series and proposed it to ABC and then was aced out of the role when executives feared that an Asian American actor wouldn't be accepted in the role. The truth seems far stranger than fiction (or legend). While it is true that Lee proposed a very similar concept, the creators of the series approached ABC independently with their concept. While Lee would have been a good choice to play Caine, Carradine had the acting chops to make the role really shine. ***

Carradine earned the role of Caine the old fashioned way; he demonstrated the acting chops to pull it off. The Oscar nominated actor (for his role as Woody Guthrie in "Bound for Glory" ) brings out the gentle side of Caine's strong character. It's also clear that Caine isn't afraid to kick some butt when necessary. Many of the episodes could have become routine and ordinary but Carradine and a stellar cast of future Oscar winners (including Jodie Foster) brings life to even the dullest episode. The series exhibited some particularly fine writing during its first season and stood as a shining example of well-written television drama in the 70's. Gene L. Coon ("Star Trek"), George Clayton Johnson ("The Twilight Zone", "Logan's Run") and many other top notch writers of the day contribute to initial high quality of the series. Likewise, a solid roster of television and feature film directors toiled on the series including Marc Daniels ("Star Trek") and John L. Moxey ("The Night Stalker"). While the series didn't develop the ratings legs that ABC had hoped, the show had a solid three year run full of interesting characters and spectacular action sequences. ---

Remastered from the original 35 millimeter negatives, "Kung Fu" looks stunning. In a bold and slightly unorthodox move Warner Home Video has chosen to letterbox the series and enhanced the DVD for 16 x 9 widescreen television sets. The reformatted aspect ratio (the width times the height of the image) means that a small amount of the top and bottom of the picture are sacrificed for increased width. The result means the film appears in a letterboxed widescreen aspect ratio. The rich transfer captures the rustic colors of the west very effectively. While the picture quality isn't quite up to the standard of a modern theatrical release (or TV release for that matter), it's very, very good given the age of the negative.

There's quite a bit of debris (hair and dirt) evident in the print which could have easily been cleaned up. My guess is that the money went into the two documentaries. I have to give Warner Home Video credit for making the series available particularly at such an affordable price. The standard mono sound serves its purpose but lacks the depth and dynamic bass audiences have become accustomed to with more modern television shows. None of this is a surprise given the age of the show (it premiered in 1972). On the whole the stunning picture quality despite some minor flaws makes this a worthwhile DVD to purchase. The episodes look particularly good with solid and occasionally vibrant colors. ---