Bruce Lee: Immortal Dragon (1984, not 2001) remains my favorite Lee documentary though it has far less archival footage, lost/missing scenes and slick commendations from action superstars. Coburn and Abdul-Jabbar suffice for me. And the spiritual/philosophical underpinning of his approach to martial arts (Jeet Kun Do, or the way of the intercepting fist) is presented in a simple way. A must see for Lee fans. My recent purchase of yet another early Lee knockoff actually inspired the post: If you don't have anything else by him on DVD I can guardedly recommend it: the picture quality and sound are very good; they could have kept much of the added background music and the English soundtracks pale in comparison to the Cantonese versions - if you can find them. Most were dubbed in Mandarin. I once had a set of 4 films with all three language tracks. What a fool I was to let that go! Still looking for another copy... Any other Lee fans on the board?
I'm a casual fan. I saw all of his films on VHS in the eighties. Regarding documentaries, there is one that has extensive footage of his The Game of Death project, later to be shortened to Game of Death. He barely appeared in it, and the story was completely rewritten. After having seen Game of Death countless times, mostly for Lee's fight scenes, I saw the documentary and was shocked at how much footage Lee had actually shot for the project. My goodness, why wouldn't the filmmakers use all of it? Although Lee doesn't appear in this particular scene, there is a scene in the film in which Lee's character is shot on a movie set with a gun that was supposed to be loaded with blanks. Tragically, that's precisely how Lee's son Brandon died years later.
Yes, the doc you're referring to is The Warrior's Journey - I tried watching the patched up Game of Death released after Lee passed. It's terrible as the above doc illustrates. And, yeah I too had a handful of Lee's Hong Kong films on VHS. Can't compare to even knockoff DVDs like the one I just bought (though the one I posted above is a step above the dollar bin variety). That so-called curse of Bruce Lee has been around since his death. Don't set much store in curses though the ending of Game of Death was errily prophetic in a way. The unfortunate aspect of his career was that the material in nearly all of his major feature films was not on the same level as his talent and dedication. Almost none of the people he collaborated with on the set were his equal and I think this had a detrimental effect on the trajectory of his career. A heightened level of engagement from your peers always elevates your game.
'Enter the Dragon' was on UK TV just a couple of weeks ago on a HD channel.........it looked good. So i watched it again for the umpteenth time........even though I have the 2 DVD set with 'Game of Death' reconstruction. Watched all of his movies on VHS in the '80's. The thing that irks me about his other films is that I cannot recall UK TV showing any other Lee film except 'Enter'..................ever!.........are they considered too violent? Probably my favourite of his films is 'Way of the Dragon'.I have an average quality DVD. Some nice comedic touches..........and for me it contains the best cinematic fight EVER!!!!
Yeah, you're talking about the Chuck Norris fight. I like the flashes to the kitten watching nearby. Ha. Chuck obviously didn't have the fluid of Bruce but he filled in for "the American" badass nicely. Way of the Dragon is funny, too. There's hardly any humor in the earlier Hong Kong flicks.
Yeah, it may be mine, too. Lee took over the direction in this one and it shows. Pity he never had that kind of creative freedom in American cinema. He was one of the most fascinating actors (human being, really) working in film in the late 60s/early 70s.
Not to mention the Nunchuck scene in the back alley as a stand out moment of 'Way'. Much better than the similar scene in 'Enter'.
I'm such a fanboy I recently recorded and watched much of the Green Hornet series. I was also able to record the 2-part episode of Batman that features the Hornet and Kato. Hell. I remember when I originally saw these as a kid, even than, I was thinking that Kato could kick Robin, The Hornet, AND Batman's butt at the same time if he felt so inclined!
It is in 'Way'.......but he uses them in most of his films..........but the 'Way' one is the best IMO...........with [as I said earlier] comedic touches. Bruce Lee's Way Of The Dragon Fight Scene - YouTube
Agreed. Enter isn't funny at all - even the scene with the fathead competitor who gets sent adrift on a skiff by Bruce early on. It's like they had to write in humor. Bruce was just naturally funny in the Hong Kong films.
I gotta get the series on DVD. There was only one season, right? Bruce gives the otherwise flat superhero yarn an exiting edge. Nothing g like a sidekick who can kick everyone's ass! Kato & The Green Hornet on break
The alley nunchuk scene was incredible! Realistically, the guys he hit in the head wouldn't be getting up.
1st & foremost, not only am I an ol' skool fanboy of Lee's, but I lived thru and very much enjoyed the Kung Fu movie craze of the 70"s. I'm a fan. But here's the thing, although Lee was a true badass (unlike a Van Dam), I watch his movie fights much differently than I used to decades ago. Truth is, they're just beautifully choreographed dances of violence. Try this out, watch ANY Bruce Lee movie fight with the volume turned completely off. You should come away with newfound respect for Lee's art! Talk about precision!
Absolutely. And the speed of his movements, despite the slow down for the camera, often conceals the exact source of the hit -
On a serious point, one of the biggest draws for me in the development of Bruce Lee's approach to martial arts is his incorporation of the wisdom of Jiddu Krishnamurti and/or the basic tennant's of Buddhism (for lack of a better term); the no way as a way with respect, not only to self-defense, but to life. It's behind his honesty in expressing the human body mantra which requires an empty mind, or at least, a mind free of the usual nuerosis with which most of us carry. I wonder, in fact, had Bruce lived longer, if he would have kept making "action films" in the same way - if at all. His life seemed to be characterized by the glorification of outward violence which, as the literature he was into claims, is a reflection of inward violence (thoughts, feelings, mental reactions). Once that inward violence ends its outward manifestations end as well. If Bruce was on the path to illuminate this point in films and/or tv projects I wonder what he might have accomplished. But I suppose it doesn't matter if his life is a lesson of that truth.
I haven't read the it in years, but there is an official book that summarizes his philosophies, and also gives an explanation of how each of the films illustrates certain philosophical precepts, whether relating to the martial arts or general principles. I studied martial arts for a couple of years around the turn of the milennium, when I also worked at a bookstore, so I had all of the books. Except for the philosophy book and the exercise manual, all the rest were in storage at my grandparents - I lived in their in-law apartment during college. After school I had my own place, and one day (Maybe early June) I showed up and all my boxes were stacked up in my foyer. Putting one of my cousins to work, my grandfather had cleaned out his basement. All was accounted for, except for the box with the Bruce Lee books. At least I saved a couple. I'm still hoping one day at some family function someone will mention snagging them, though its just as possible Pop took them to the dump. Anyway, I also had all the films - It's kind of funny now to see that the internet has leveled everything, when my old VHS of Fists of Fury is now known as The Big Boss, what I knew as the Chinese Connection is now Fist of Fury, and Return of the Dragon is Way of the Dragon. (I'm sure it's less confusing to call them by their proper titles, but we didn't know any better.)
