Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.5

Kung-Fu Master! Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman July 31, 2020

Note: This version of this film is available as part of The Complete Films of Agnès Varda. See below for a link to a previous Blu-ray release by Cinelicious Pics.

In the wake (figurative or otherwise) of Agnès Varda’s death last year at the age of 90, quite a bit has rightfully been written about this iconic force in both French and global cinema. Varda’s output includes well over fifty credits as a director (including some television entries as detailed by the IMDb), and aside from listing some of her better known triumphs, many obituaries and/or eulogies about Varda mentioned any number of other biographical data points, including her rather unique position as a woman in France’s nouvelle vague movement, her own feminism which was featured none too subtly in some of her films, and her frequently provocative experimental style. But you know what one of the things that kind of fascinates me personally most about Varda? That she was married for 28 years to Jacques Demy, from 1962 until Demy’s death in 1990. That Varda, often a purveyor of verité infused “realism”, whether that be in outright documentaries or at least ostensibly more “fictional” outings, and Demy, a director whose candy colored, dreamlike and at least relatively "Hollywoodized" musicals with Michel Legrand brought a new luster and gloss to French cinema, managed to make a marital go of it for so long is certainly testament to the maxim that “opposites attract”, even if those oppositional forces in this instance played out at least in part in terms of what kinds of films the two were often best remembered for. If Varda's long marriage to Demy is more than enough reason to celebrate her personal life, her professional life is beautifully feted in this rather astounding new set from Criterion, which aggregates an amazing 39 films (albeit some running as short as a few minutes) to provide what is arguably one of the most insightful overviews of Varda's cinematic oeuvre. Perhaps unavoidably, but also undeniably movingly, these personal and professional sides of Varda merge in at least some of the films in this set, including The Young Girls Turn 25, The World of Jacques Demy, Jacquot de Nantes, and The Beaches of Agnès.

Kung-Fu Master! is one of the films in this set that has had a previous release on Blu-ray, as part of the double feature Jane B. Par Agnès V./ Kung-Fu Master! which was put out by Cinelicious Pics in 2016, and which looks like it's out of print now and going for an absolutely insane amount of money (that may change now that this version is appearing). Svet reviewed the Jane B. par Agnès V. "side" of things, but as of the writing of this review, Kung-Fu Master!'s Cinelicious Pics release hasn't been reviewed.

Kung-Fu Master! was made immediately before Jane B. par Agnès V., and not only does it feature Jane Birkin in a starring role, she's wearing some of the same clothes that she does in the "documentary" about her, and parts of this film take place in the flat that is featured in Jane B. par Agnès V. That said, one way or the other this film may be one of those "WTF could Varda have been thinking?" outings (though Birkin evidently came up with the original story), as it involves Birkin playing a middle aged woman named Mary-Jane who develops a bit of an unhealthy obsession with a young teenage boy who is a friend of her daughter Lucy, played by Birkin's real life daughter Charlotte Gainsbourg. Only here's where it gets a little provocative, if not downright awkward: the young teenage boy named Julien is portrayed by Varda's real life son Mathieu Demy. There's a probably unavoidably uneasy feeling to this all as a result, and that may actually hinder more than help things for some viewers.

That said, what may make this film actually kind of unexpectedly touching for other viewers is its directness and frankness in dealing with what is obviously a pretty touchy, even taboo, subject. There's an honesty to the discussions here, and the emotional needs that are on display, that may help elide what might otherwise be a "smarm-fest". There are other provocative elements here aside and apart from the whole "Mrs. Robinson" (and then some) aspect, including a brief sidebar that sees Julien wearing a Nazi helmet and other kids drawing caricatures of Hitler.

Kung-Fu Master! Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Kung-Fu Master! is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of The Criterion Collection with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.66:1. Some prefatory text discloses that this was shot on 35mm argentic color stock in a 1.66 panoramic format which was restored by Ciné Tamaris in 2014 at Laboratory Eclair, with a 2K digital restoration from a 2K scan of the original negative. Color grading was supervised by Agnès Varda. As with her next film with Birkin, Jane B. par Agnès V., and several others included in this collection, there's sound before image here. Also as with Jane B. par Agnès V. this is pretty heavily grainy presentation most of the time, though everything resolves naturally. As happens in Jane B. par Agnès V. as well, some of the darker material in Birkin's flat sees a definite uptick in an already heavy grain field. There is still excellent fine detail on display, and some of the outdoor material pops extremely well. This still has the slightly cool look I've mentioned in several of the other reviews of films in this set, but reds in this outing tend to pop quite well, as in a sweater seen repeatedly late in the film. The pixels on the videogame that Julien repeatedly plays look appropriately "electronic", but resolve without any issues.

Kung-Fu Master! Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Kung-Fu Master! features an LPCM Mono mix in the original French that some prefatory text states was restored from the original 35mm magnetic mix. There's quite a bit of music that wafts in and out of this film, including some rock tunes the kids listen to and, later, some of the "traditional" astringent, atonal string music that crops up pretty regularly in some of Varda's films. The outdoor material also features some authentic sounding ambient environmental effects. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout this problem free presentation. Optional English subtitles are available.

Kung-Fu Master! Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Introduction from 2012 (1080i; 2:21) offers Varda's thoughts. In French with English subtitles.


• Bonsoir (1080i; 17:40) is a joint interview with Varda and Jane Birkin conducted for Swiss television in 1988. In French with English subtitles.

Kung-Fu Master! Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Kung-Fu Master! is kind of unavoidably shocking, but it's also surprisingly heartfelt. This must have been an "interesting" experience for Mathieu Demy in particular, and I for one would have loved a supplement with him talking about the production. Technical merits are generally solid, and the 1988 interview with Varda and Birkin very enjoyable. With caveats about content duly noted, Recommended.