Kung-Fu Master (1988)

[Drunk Monk]

Not at all what it seems. This is a highly venerated French art film by Agnes Varda. I've been meaning to see it forever because of the title. It's a beautiful film, with some lushly textured settings, and it's very French artsy fartsy, of the sort that i disdain.

The title comes from a videogame - one of those ancient 16-bit fight games. Jane Birkin is a divorced mom with two young daughters in Paris, played by Birkin's real life daughters, the older teenage one being Charlotte Gainsbourg. I went through a short Serge phase after Aus armes et cetera, which remains one of my favorite reggae albums ever. Gainsbourg reunited Marley's band plus the I-Threes and recorded it in Jamaica. Little did I know then that Serge was a major French artist, musician, writer, and filmmaker. I never really knew about Birkin. I know of Charlotte because like her dad, she became a major French artist.

So this film is about Birkin falling in love with one of Charlotte's classmates, a boy obsessed with a videogame called Kung-Fu Master. Birkin is a middle-aged woman. The boy is 14. Yeah. French pedo. However, it's not pervy. It's tender and intimate. Very French. Made me uncomfortable. 

Did I like it? I'm worried that some of the scenes will linger. Not because they were graphic or shocking. Perhaps because they weren't. Such a weird yet powerful film. I see why the French venerate Varda. This is the epitome of French art film. Gawd I hated French art film. Now I'm too old and tired to hate it so much. Maybe I'm understanding it better. Maybe I've just given up with it. I don't know if I liked this or not. No sword fights. Not sanguineous. No Bollywood numbers. WTH? I just watched it because it was called Kung Fu? Next thing you know, I'll be watching dumb CW shows called that...

Varda came up the last time I met with Laurie Anderson. She did this crazy performance that I posted about here - http://www.brotherhoodofdoom.com/doomFor...4#pid35774. I had a great write up of that for what would've been the final issue of KFTC, but it never saw print (and TC is dragging its feet so it may never get published). I nailed that review. I felt I was the only person that understood that show. It stands amongst several articles that I'm sad never made it out in time. Because of the show's connection to martial arts, Varda came up. It reminded me that I still hadn't seen this film. 

NOT D00M recommended at all. Is anyone here even into Gainsbourg? Even then, this is out there.

Seen on Criterion, which really deserves its own D00Msub4M...

[cranefly]

NOT D00M recommended at all. Is anyone here even into Gainsbourg? Even then, this is out there.

Seen on Criterion, which really deserves its own D00Msub4M...

This has been on my Criterion to-watch list for months.  The title beckons, but the subject matter restrains.  BTW, yes, I've dipped my toes into Gainsbourg lately.  And Birkin.  There's some real talent there.  Jane Birken has such an elegant sculpted look.  Serge Gainsbourg is something of a basket case.  The daughter Charlotte seems to have inherited a lot of her looks from Serge.  Yet somehow Jane's beauty shines through, giving her an odd attractiveness.

Yeah, that whole chunk of family has created some mighty interesting cinema.  Reminds me of the Argento family.

Not quite ready to jump onto Kung Fu Master.  If only it included twins.  And maybe a tortoiseshell cat.

[Drunk Monk]

The film left me conflicted. On one hand, it's a beautifully sculpted film, just like Birkin (totally agree with you on her elegance and talent - it's one of the factors that makes this film work). On the flip side, pedo. 

The final scene is a total gut punch on so many levels. In that way, it's brilliant. 

There was some surreal musical film that Serge was in...I can't remember what it was now. I remember watching it and one scene really hung with me - him singing this song in a French cafe smoking a cigarette. I kinda remember the lyric chorus but it was in French so I can't spell it and search it. 

And yes, this film has the required cigarettes and cafes. That's so French.

I'm going to dig out my CD of Aus Armes Et Cetera when I get home and give it a listen again. It's an amazingly tight reggae album. That band, plus Serge's French take - a masterpiece. When I guest-hosted on Spliff Skankin's show, I played it and Spliff was really impressed. He had heard of it but not heard it.

I should've figured cf would have this in his queue. My criterion brotha. 

If only the powers that be would be inclusive enough to add a criterion D00Msub4M, all might be represented fairly...

[Greg]

Please standby. One of our website specialists will be with you shortly.

[Drunk Monk]

The more I ruminate about this film, the more I'm impressed by it. It grapples with a very disturbing subject in an unexpected way.

Aux Armes is queued in my CD player. I know the CDs I like because their jewel cases are broken...

Please standby. One of our website specialists will be with you shortly.

Yay!

That only took several weeks of listening to D00M on-hold muzak...

...which is actually not a bad play list. Not for everyone but better than grocery store muzak...

Many thanks oh mighty D00M4M overlord! I'll start populating this soon.

[Greg]

In your no doubt copious free time.

[Greg]

This should be a poem or a novel title or something.

I know the CDs I like because their jewel cases are broken...

[cranefly]

Have now seen this.

I don't know how to comment on this, the subject matter is so volatile, except to say it could not have been made by more capable hands.

Still a bit surprising to me that it was made at all, let alone attained Criterion stature.

Yet to be fair, even Satyajit Ray's masterful trilogy sort of ventures there (radical age differences) in the final volume, when the protagonist heroically rescues a 13-year-old bride left abandoned at the altar (and facing lifelong ruin) by agreeing to marry her on the spot.

The daughter Charlotte Gainsbourg is really young here, not yet starting to resemble her father Sergio. 

Not really recommended, but glad I finally watched this.

[Drunk Monk]

Right? It's still hanging with me, still lingering. I read where Varda made Jane B par Agnes V around the same time - a docudrama on Birkin. That's also on Criterion and might get added to the queue. 

I've been listening to Aux Armes since yesterday but I've yet to get through it because I keep getting interrupted and having to start over. It's still incredibly tight and what really stands out is how perfect the I-Threes are on it.

[cranefly]

I watched part of Jane B par Agnes V, but bailed on it halfway through.  Mildly entertaining skits, and I'm not really disrecommending it, but it got a bit too French for me.

I did watch Je t'aime moi non plus, written, directed, and scored by Serge and starring Jane Birkin, made at the time they were together.  It's an oddly disturbing movie, but I liked it.  It's not on Criterion, but is on Kanopy.

[Drunk Monk]

So I liked a few fb pix of female singers and stars. Now the bots have me dialed in with a constant parade of vintage pix of Stevie, Lynda Carter, Nancy Wilson, Julie Newmar, Elizabeth Montgomery and for some random reason, a lot of Deborah Harry. I encourage the bots to bring more by liking more and they are always checking to see if I’m into Marilyn Monroe, Anne Margaret, Cheryl Ladd, et.al. I mean, there’s a lot worse that could pop up on my feed…

Lately Jane Birkin has been popping up a lot. Coincidence? I think not. I think some of these damn shoe selling bots have told the fb bots about our Birkin discussion. Feckin bots.