This film is presented by St. Louis’s long-running cult film series Strange Brew and will feature a pre-film intro by Strange Brew programmer Jon Scorfina.

The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (少林三十六房) is widely acclaimed as one of the greatest kung fu films ever made. The film stars exceptional martial artist Gordon Liu and was directed by Lau Kar-leung, who collaborated on more than a dozen kung fu and wuxia films together during their careers. The 36th Chamber of Shaolin was the film that catapulted the actor & director to international stardom and the film now stands as the duo’s most regarded Shaw Brothers production, setting the template for almost every kung fu film after.

Loosely based on the life of Shaolin Monk San Te, the film follows Liu Yude (Gordon Liu) as he joins a Shaolin temple to learn kung fu so he can seek revenge against General Tien Ta (Lo Lieh) for killing his friends and family. Once accepted into the temple, he is trained in the 35 chambers, each of which teach one specific fighting discipline, resulting in some of the most brilliant, breathtaking and bewildering training sequences ever put to film. Once Liu Yude masters all his techniques, he hopes to start a new 36th chamber to teach ordinary people the basics of kung fu. 

The 36th Chamber of Shaolin would go on to influence not only more kung fu films, but generations of westerners, including filmmakers Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino (who would later cast Gordon Liu in his Kill Bill films) and of course Wu Tang Clan‘s debut album Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers).  

Arkadin does not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially triggering content in films, as sensitivities vary from person to person. However, we encourage researching titles to determine if a screening may contain content that could be upsetting to you. Please feel free to contact us for guidance on specific films. Information about content can also be found on Common Sense Media, IMDB and DoesTheDogDie.com, as well as through general internet searches.

THEATER POLICIES

All seats are first-come, first-served.

The theater opens 30 minutes prior to showtime, except for “Happy Hour” events and pre-shows when the theater opens at the listed start time.

All ages are welcome at Arkadin except for Drinkolas Cage events, which are restricted to 21+. We follow the MPAA rating guidelines for all other films.

Tickets can be purchased using the BUY TICKETS link above. Upon ordering, you will receive a confirmation email from Square. Tickets may also be purchased on the day of the show at the concession counter.

If you’ve purchased advance tickets, when you arrive, please give your name at the concession counter to check in.

Tickets are returnable by sending a request through the contact form located on our About Us page prior to showtime.

When an event is sold out, we reserve the right to release open seats to customers on the waitlist. If you have a pre-purchased ticket and arrive late and there is no seat for you, your ticket will be refunded.

All screenings are held in our indoor theater unless indicated otherwise in the event description above.

Please respect your fellow movie-goers by remaining quiet and refraining from using your cell phone throughout the screening.