That is the VERY REASON why I am going to see this movie. It is because of David Carradine. I have waited a long time to see him on the big screen. Most of his movies were released on video or played only in Europe. Very few were shown in American Theaters. He is a superb actor, but Hollywood thought of him as a radical and they did not take much of a chance with him, partially because during the earlier years of television, Hollywood did not see television acting as something that could be worthy of the big screen.
Also David Carradine did one thing before very few people were doing it. He tried to create his own independent film company before it was even considered popular to do so. Independent film companies were those companies not associated with Hollywood and usually done by art students. They were small potatoes. David with his Americana (even though the film was seen in a few theaters) people were drawn to it as a film that should be studied. If you have not seen Americana, you can now get it on DVD.
Endess Highway is a raw honest approach. It is filled with passion, and when I read it, I could not put it down. I did not want to put it down. I was forced to because it was so intense, I actually got a headache from reading it. Even so, after I got rid of my headache, I continued to read and finish the book.
His other work Spirit of Shaolin was written at the urging of his former Sifu (kung fu instructor) to set the record straight on what kung fu was all about. His Sifu felt that all the movies that were coming out about kung fu were exploitive and did not have any real understanding of what it was all about. (That’s the opinion of one man-and he is right. Even so, they are for entertainment purposes, not for teaching kung fu.)
Even so, David’s skills as a kung fu martial artist has been on the low key, that is the kind of person that he is. He keeps that close to the vest, and very few really know how skilled he is. In his movie Circle of Iron (Silent Flute), he had to learn three other martial arts styles. He played four characters in that movie and each had their own style of kung fu. That had to come across on the screen.
David is soft spoken. He doesn’t blow his own horn. He is much like his character Kwai Chang Caine, even though he may not admit to it. That is why he was chosen for the part of Caine in the first place. David puts a part of himself into every character that he ever plays, and when you see him act, no matter how bad the movie is, you see something in him that shines out and you realize that this man is a great actor.
If anyone wishes to discuss more of David once Kill Bill is done, I invite all you David Carradine fans to my site where I have a message board there.
http://www.joaquinfamily.net/
I also have a section on David Carradine and you can join my David Carradine Yahoo Fan Club site. Enjoy.
(@
AJCrane
