Ode to Kwai Chang Caine

The Hollywood press and celebrity trackers everywhere are having a high time with the sad story of the late actor David Carradine's kung fu noir demise. There's speculation about suicide, what an ex-wife terms his "dark side," eccentric sexual practices, even murder. The family is reportedly suing a Thai tabloid for running forensic photos of the actor's corpse, and the hunt is presumably on for the person or persons, perhaps in Carradine's employ, who may have tied his hands behind his back that tragic night in his Bangkok luxury hotel room.

I suppose one could go on and on about the price of celebrity, the life and self-image of a man at the twilight of a very visible career, the strange genetic tree that might have born fruit in the form of this man who was to some an iconic figure. If one were particularly heartless one could make jokes about sexual excess, and if one were particularly moralistic one might even odiously claim the actor got his just desserts. Personally, I reject all of those options in favor of some good old-fashioned mourning.

The man I grieve for is not David Carradine; I leave that to his family and friends. I never knew the actor--not even a little. The man I know is, in fact, one Kwai Chang Caine, a 19th century Shaolin monk who fled his native land after killing the nephew of the Chinese emperor. He found asylum in the wild American West, there to roam the land in search of his brother, an elusive quest that never failed to emphasize the importance of home, family, and simply human connection.

Carradine played Caine on the television show Kung Fu, which aired between 1972 and 1975. I never missed an episode, and have them all, every one, on DVD. I have watched them with my son, not because I want him to follow in my footsteps in the Chinese martial arts, but because I want him to understand the deeper meaning of those arts, and through them the moral imperatives that separate martial artists from thugs.

David Carradine is dead, but Kwai Chang Caine is not, which is why I term this an ode rather than an obituary. While it was Bruce Lee personal magnetism and magnificent athleticism that wowed, seduced and inspired a generation of martial artists as well as decades of "kung fu flick" devotees, it was Carradine's Caine who inspired me. It wasn't that I didn't envy and admire Lee, it was just that at the end of the day I found Caine's reluctance to embrace violence more interesting than Lee's love of it. More, I found the series' flashbacks to Caine's Shaolin days to more closely touch the culture and philosophy that gave rise to the Chinese martial arts I teach and practice every day.

Daoism, Buddhism and Confucianism are the three pillars of ancient Chinese culture and perhaps still hold up the roof for many in that country today. Kung Fu the television series explored aspects of all of them, and Carradine's Caine embodied all of them: the harmony and love of nature espoused by the first, the compassion central to the second, and the emphasis on civilized behavior, loyalty to family, and the importance of moral order critical to the third. Week after week, Caine revealed these principles to folks, like me, who had never heard of them. He gave a context for martial arts training, revealing it to be a path to self-cultivation, not merely a fighting system. Did he end up kicking butt in every episode? He did--the show was made in Hollywood, after all--but he managed to evidence sufficient poise, equilibrium and distaste for scrapping to transcend the limits of the budding genre and produce something really special.

Carradine was no Lee, (Lee, apparently, was turned down for the role as America was not quite ready, some claimed, for a Chinese leading man even if he was to play the part of a Chinese leading man) and the action scenes were often painfully bad, but Carradine figured out that it was Caine's heart and mind, not his fists, that made him tick. Carradine became interested in martial arts himself after filming the show, studied some, and played other marital roles on film (Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill and Steve Carver's 1983's action film Lone Wolf McQuade in which Carradine played opposite Chuck Norris comes to mind) but he made his contribution as an actor, not as a pugilist.

We live in a world of shoulder-launched rockets, atomic bombs, Predator drones and 9mm handguns. Those items are all about death. Today the staff of a Shaolin priest is a curiosity, but the discipline that underlies it is about life, the philosophical underpinnings that guide its mastery are about mastering the self, not besting others. Bruce Lee's movies are fantasies, his characters impossibly, often joyfully and deliciously overblown. Kung Fu was about a fantasy too, but its message was that the martial arts really do strengthen the body and mind, and lead to the sort of health and peace and harmony so obviously lacking in mainstream American culture.

Caine was a philosopher, a wandering priest whose evergreen, elegant character and simplicity are as relevant and compelling today as they were 35 years ago. Rent or buy a copy of the show if you can and see if you don't agree. Caine would likely not have met the grisly end the actor who portrayed him did, but at the same time without Carradine there would have been no Caine. I thank the actor for inspiring me with his character and I'm sorry his life finished off key. I know, however, that for people on the path to something better as well as for fans of Kung Fu, the best side of David Carradine is only a DVD away.

Comments

[Harmonicatunes]

I hardly knew about him, but he was terrific in Kill Bill. It is rare to wish that you had watched more TV, but I now wish that I had at least seen one of the shows when they came out.

[Arthur Rosenfeld - Huffpost Blogger]

Yig!
Thanks for reading the post.
I believe that even in Australia the DVDs of Kung Fu TV series are available for rent or purchase. My guess is you will enjoy them very much and will be surprised by how philosophically sophisticated they are, despite their age.
I look forward to watching them with you soon!
Arthur

[ktano0]

Thank you for a wonderful, unique tribute. I feel certain that many current followers of the martial arts and the oriental philosophies had their first glimpse into that world by Caine. I know I did, and it has enriched my life.

[Scott Masterton]

Arthur -

Great tribute to Kane. I remember reading once that much of the philosophy espoused in the show was actually from the Torah. I guess it's just more proof that truth is truth and finds its way into all of mankinds wisdom traditions.

Scott.
PS - I'm about 2/3rds through "Quiet Teacher" and am thoroughly having a ball!

[Arthur Rosenfeld - Huffpost Blogger]

Scott,

Thanks for reading my blog, and thanks even more for the kind words about Quiet Teacher. I'm grateful to be able to report that initial responses are great.

Your comment about the convergence of philosophi­cal/religi­ous truth rings right to me. It's obvious the writers of the show were smart guys. Perhaps they had various backgrounds; I'm not sure. I do know that in watching the show again as a "grown up" I still find it valuable and compassionate and clear and clean.

All Best,

Arthur

[Gidster]

What a lovely and fitting tribute to the actor, and a philosophy!

I too never missed an episode, and found the flashbacks particularly enticing.

I too ventured into Chinese martial arts, but had no talent for it.

Wǎn ān

[Arthur Rosenfeld - Huffpost Blogger]

I had no talent for it either, but I've stayed with it long enough to have gained some understanding. I'm glad I have done so, as it is a mainstay of my life now. Thanks so much for reading my blog.

[Jonahson]

After doing so many episodes of Kung Fu and as MBryant mentioned about those wonderful parables and sayings it is a pity David didn't learn from them. Some of the audiences may have learned more from those words of wisdom I guess he is basically a good actor that's all.

[pangursperson]

How do you know he didn't learn from them? He had a lifelong interest in herbal medicine and martial arts after doing that role.

[PunKinPai]

Loved the show. In fact, loved nearly everything Carradine was in. He was unique and outspoken, talented and troubled, and altogether himself. It saddens me greatly that we won't see any more of his wonderful performances.

PS: I think it's spelled Caine, not Kane. Might want to check on that.

[werbenjagermanjensen]

Autoerotic asphyxia, like bulimia or sniffing glue, is a stupid, vicious, dangerous practice that nobody should ever try even once, but infuriatingly enough people do, even smart people who should know better, and they end up hurting or killing themselves. But at least it's THEMSELVES they're hurting, and not anybody else (except for the grieving, embarrassed loved ones they leave behind.) I'm sorry Mr. Carradine had to die this way, but there are worse ways to go, in my opinion. And he was after all in his seventies. Who knows but that he wouldn't have minded going this way.

"Kung Fu" will always remain a precious memory for me. It was lovely, as the Vietnam War ended, to watch an Asian hero taking on the brutish icons of the Old West. A couple of years ago I bought the DVDs of the first season of the show for my teenage nephew, who has Aspergers. I thought he might relate to Caine. It turned out he and his brother loved it; they're both into martial arts and were already familiar with the show due to numerous cultural references.

Death is death. It always sucks. What matters is the life he lived.

[MBryant]

What was amazing was how many times the writers wrote great parables and sayings of Taoism directly into the script of "Kung Fu." Think of Hollywood script writers writing bible scripture directly into a show - wouldn't happen - but the charm of Kung Fu allowed for it. The writers were great real writers -some of them worked on the original Star Trek show scripts and the "Playhouse" and "Theater" dramatic TV showpieces before that.

Kung Fu will always be my favorite show - I can't imagine it being displaced. It was perhaps the spiritual show ever on TV and pretty good entertainment.