Hong Kong Synopsis
少林搭棚大師
“Back for the rest!”
The workers of a dye factory have their pay cut by 20% when the factory owner brings in some Manchu thugs to try and increase production. Desperate to reclaim their full wages, the workers hire an actor to impersonate a priest and kung-fu expert from the temple of Shaolin. The factory owner proves the actor a fraud, and punishes all those involved. The young actor feels he has let the workers down, and promises to atone. He sets out for Shaolin, determined to be accepted as a kung-fu pupil at the elite temple.
The 1979–1981 Hong Kong Window
54 Hong Kong films released in this three-year window, ranked here by audience rating. Return to the 36th Chamber sits at position #10.
Titles With Overlapping Themes
Films and series that share thematic tags with Return to the 36th Chamber. Number on each card indicates how many keywords overlap.
Other Titles From Shaw Brothers
The 1980s Hong Kong Landscape
Catalog density by release year in the 1980s. Highlighted year (yellow) is when Return to the 36th Chamber premiered. 151 total titles in this decade from Hong Kong.
Reception Benchmarks
Ranked #157 of 836 Hong Kong films indexed here (81st percentile by TMDB audience score).
Rating is +0.6 points above the Hong Kong average of 6.3/10.
Among Hong Kong Action productions specifically: #92 of 516 (top 18%).
Production Details
| Primary Country | Hong Kong |
|---|---|
| Original Language | Chinese |
| Spoken Languages | Cantonese, Mandarin |
| Production Companies | Shaw Brothers |
| Runtime | 1h 39m |
| Release Date | August 24, 1980 |
| IMDb | tt0081494 |