One of Lee most successful films to date is 'Enter the Dragon'. It was the first kungfu film to have been made by a major Hollywood studio. The film skyrocket Lee to fame in the U.S. and Europe. This was a huge success during its original theatrical release. It grossed an estimated $25,000,000 in North America, and an estimated $90,000,000 worldwide, off a very low $850,000 budget, making it one of the most profitable films ever made. This cemented Lee as a martial arts legend. To date 'Enter the Dragon' has grossed over $200 million worldwide. This was one of the first film to be produced jointly by Golden Harvest and Warner Bros.
Story:
Bruce Lee, a Shaolin monk, is recruited to infiltrate the island lair of a one armed crime boss, Han. Han was a former student of the Shaolin school but has turned his attention to drug smuggling, he still enjoys marital arts and hosts a tournament every three years. Under the guise of the tournament Lee hopes to defeat the man who has brought shame to his Shaolin school.
Review:
Enter The Dragon is one of those movies that has become a staple of Asian cinema for Americans. There are many new kung fu action stars of the world, I’ll chose Bruce over most of them any day because if it weren’t for him none of them would know what to do with themselves. In Enter The Dragon, the best parts of the film involve him in either a fight, or just generally looking badass. Unfortunately, there aren’t enough of these scenes, but when they do occur they are much enjoyed. Sure, he is the stereotypical martial arts character, but he did pretty much invent the stereotype for Americans. Plus, even in such a stereotypical light, he is still great.
The second enjoyable aspect of this film is the cheesy one-liners that are sprinkled throughout the film. Whether it’s Roper trying to hustle a little bit more money, or Bruce Lee giving the thumbs up, or one of many stereotypically 70’s lines delivered by Williams, it cannot stop us from smirking in amusement.
This of course is what the film does best, which is entertains. However, here is where the complaints begin. The main problem for this movie is that it never really finds its roots and eventually suffers from dual personalities. The first hour of the film tries to be more like a crime story than a martial arts film. In fact, except for the opening credits, we don’t really see Bruce Lee fight until over an hour into the movie. After this initial background story, the film turns from a mystery into a full fledged action film where the last 40 minutes of film involve Lee and his pals killing nearly an island’s worth of bad guys.
All kidding aside, it seems that at the half way point the director just chucked the script into the trash and told Lee to just go out there and kick ass. Not surprisingly, the second half is much better than the first. Why? Because when you fill a movie with action stars that can’t really act, you shouldn’t expect them to try and create a deep and involving story- it just goes against the natural order of things.
The other main problem with enter the dragon is that Bruce Lee’s character is just too good. You never really suspect that there is anyone near his equal. Which is fine when he is fighting lowly grunt men, but lets face it, all the smoke and mirrors in the world aren’t going to save a main bad guy who was getting pummeled a second earlier.
As the film finishes we are left to decide whether it is a classic piece of action cinema that has been repeatedly copied by present day films trying to recreate its original magic, or it is an over-hyped film that wastes at least an hour of the audience’s time before caving in to their desires.
I conclude with the notion that it’s a little bit of both. On one hand many martial arts films have used this 70’s film as their model for success, but on the other, you can’t help but worry that newbies to the kung-fu world would merely laugh at your recommendation of Enter the Dragon. In the end, you have to see it because of its influence on later generations. Such as Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Steven Seagal, Jean-Claude Van Damme and Tony Jaa.
Tuesday, 15 July 2008
Monday, 14 July 2008
The Legend Continues
Bruce Lee's ideology is so powerful that he is still influencing the world today via music such as 'Kung Fu Fighting' by Carl Douglas and even gaming.
Street Fighter
The Super Street Fighter II character Fei Long is a tribute to Bruce Lee. Many of the moves performed by Bruce Lee in this film are used as moves for Fei Long in the series of games.
Tekken
Many of the moves performed by Bruce Lee in this film are used as moves for the characters like Law in the best selling video game series Tekken.
Mortal Kombat
The plot of the original Mortal Kombat video game is nearly identical to Enter the Dragon, but with a distinctly supernatural twist. Liu Kang, from the Mortal Kombat series, is clearly based on Bruce Lee's character, Lee. This is evident due to the fact that both are fighting to represent the Shaolin Temples and are trying to restore honor in a corrupted tournament. Also, in the first film, Liu Kang seeks to avenge the death of a family member, his brother, just as Lee seeks to avenge the death of his sister.
Soul Calilbur
This character shares various moves and character stances of Lee, this is obviously seen and heard. In the movie there are the basis of moves and sound effects for the character Maxi from Soul Calibur series and the nunchaku discipline from Soul Calibur III.
Dead or Alive
Jann Lee is obviously a recreation of Bruce Lee. They are both wearing the same yellow outfit and same continuous sound effects. If you watch closely they even have the same fighting styles.
Street Fighter
The Super Street Fighter II character Fei Long is a tribute to Bruce Lee. Many of the moves performed by Bruce Lee in this film are used as moves for Fei Long in the series of games.
Tekken
Many of the moves performed by Bruce Lee in this film are used as moves for the characters like Law in the best selling video game series Tekken.
Mortal Kombat
The plot of the original Mortal Kombat video game is nearly identical to Enter the Dragon, but with a distinctly supernatural twist. Liu Kang, from the Mortal Kombat series, is clearly based on Bruce Lee's character, Lee. This is evident due to the fact that both are fighting to represent the Shaolin Temples and are trying to restore honor in a corrupted tournament. Also, in the first film, Liu Kang seeks to avenge the death of a family member, his brother, just as Lee seeks to avenge the death of his sister.
Soul Calilbur
This character shares various moves and character stances of Lee, this is obviously seen and heard. In the movie there are the basis of moves and sound effects for the character Maxi from Soul Calibur series and the nunchaku discipline from Soul Calibur III.
Dead or Alive
Jann Lee is obviously a recreation of Bruce Lee. They are both wearing the same yellow outfit and same continuous sound effects. If you watch closely they even have the same fighting styles.
Who Bruce Lee influenced
The direction and tone of Bruce Lee's films changed and influenced martial arts and martial arts films in the rest of the world. He even taught other actors fighting styles such as Karate, judo and Chinese boxing by opening up a kung fu school. This is where he taught actors like James Coburn, Steve McQueen and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Bruce Lee was a pioneer of martial arts and blazed a trail for others to follow. His influence extends beyond film and he made martial arts mainstream in the US.
Influenced Actors
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar:
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was influenced by Bruce Lee and even starred in one of his films called 'Game of Death'. His character was the last and most dangerous guardian that Bruce Lee's character had to face.
Take a look at the video below...
Chuck Norris:
Chuck Norris is an American martial artist who was also influenced by Bruce Lees style of fighting. Just like Bruce Lee creating his own style of fighting called Jeet Kune Do, Norris created his own style called Chun Kuk Do. Which like Bruce Lee's style it included every fighting style he knows. The two fight on set in 'Return of the dragon'. The fight between the two of them is, in my opinion, the most sophisticated fight ever captured on film. It may not look as stylish as some Jackie Chan or Jet Li fights but that is only the surface. Deep down this fighting sequence uses all the wisdom and martial arts knowledge that made Bruce Lee a legend. It was the first time that Bruce Lee as writer, producer and director had the creative freedom to do whatever he wished. This is one of the most influential fights in martial arts today. This is pure martial arts wisdom and is even studied for the use of timing, traping, rhythm, distance control, the element of surprise.
Take a look at the video below...
Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan started off as a stunt double for Bruce Lee, but later become a stunt co-ordinator, director and an actor starring in many films. Bruce Lee choreographed his own fights and stunts and influenced many martial art actors such as Jackie Chan to perform stunts himself during his fight scenes. Today Jackie Chan has taken this aspect of directing and forms more exaggerated fight scenes, often by adding wild stunts and a lot of wire work. If you watch Jackie Chan fight, you will be entertained but when you watch Bruce Lee, you might learn something. Nowerdays Jackie Chan can be seen as better stuntman and comedian but Bruce Lee was a true martial arts master. Lee used filmmaking to prove and to demonstrate his fighting theories. Jackie appeared in Bruce Lee's 'Enter the Dragon', as one of the numerous people Bruce fights off. But now thanks to Bruce Lee opening the gateway for martial art films in Hollywood, Jackie has taken the highrise with his unique style of comedy and choreographd stunts that he brings to films.
Take a look at the video below...
Influenced Actors
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar:
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was influenced by Bruce Lee and even starred in one of his films called 'Game of Death'. His character was the last and most dangerous guardian that Bruce Lee's character had to face.
Take a look at the video below...
Chuck Norris:
Chuck Norris is an American martial artist who was also influenced by Bruce Lees style of fighting. Just like Bruce Lee creating his own style of fighting called Jeet Kune Do, Norris created his own style called Chun Kuk Do. Which like Bruce Lee's style it included every fighting style he knows. The two fight on set in 'Return of the dragon'. The fight between the two of them is, in my opinion, the most sophisticated fight ever captured on film. It may not look as stylish as some Jackie Chan or Jet Li fights but that is only the surface. Deep down this fighting sequence uses all the wisdom and martial arts knowledge that made Bruce Lee a legend. It was the first time that Bruce Lee as writer, producer and director had the creative freedom to do whatever he wished. This is one of the most influential fights in martial arts today. This is pure martial arts wisdom and is even studied for the use of timing, traping, rhythm, distance control, the element of surprise.
Take a look at the video below...
Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan started off as a stunt double for Bruce Lee, but later become a stunt co-ordinator, director and an actor starring in many films. Bruce Lee choreographed his own fights and stunts and influenced many martial art actors such as Jackie Chan to perform stunts himself during his fight scenes. Today Jackie Chan has taken this aspect of directing and forms more exaggerated fight scenes, often by adding wild stunts and a lot of wire work. If you watch Jackie Chan fight, you will be entertained but when you watch Bruce Lee, you might learn something. Nowerdays Jackie Chan can be seen as better stuntman and comedian but Bruce Lee was a true martial arts master. Lee used filmmaking to prove and to demonstrate his fighting theories. Jackie appeared in Bruce Lee's 'Enter the Dragon', as one of the numerous people Bruce fights off. But now thanks to Bruce Lee opening the gateway for martial art films in Hollywood, Jackie has taken the highrise with his unique style of comedy and choreographd stunts that he brings to films.
Take a look at the video below...
Biography of Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee, was born in San Fransisco in November 1940 the son of a famous Chinese opera singer. Bruce moved to Hong Kong when he soon became a child star in the growing Eastern film industry. His first film was called The birth of Mankind, his last film which was uncompleted at the time of his death in 1973 was called Game of Death. Bruce was a loner and was constantly getting himself into fights, with this in mind he looked towards Kung Fu as a way of disciplining himself. The famous Yip Men taught Bruce his basic skills, but it was not long before he was mastering the master. Yip Men was acknowledged to be one of the greatest authorities on the subject of Wing Chun a branch of the Chinese Martial Arts. Bruce mastered this before progressing to his own style of Jeet Kune Do.
At the age of 19 Bruce left Hong Kong to study for a degree in philosophy at the University of Washington in America. It was at this time that he took on a waiter's job and also began to teach some of his skills to students who would pay. Some of the Japanese schools in the Seattle area tried to force Bruce out, and there was many confrontations and duels fought for Bruce to remain.
He met his wife Linda at the University he was studying. His Martial Arts school flourished and he soon graduated. He gained some small roles in Hollywood films - Marlowe- etc, and some major stars were begging to be students of the Little Dragon. James Coburn, Steve McQueen and Lee Marvin to name but a few. He regularly gave displays at exhibitions, and it was during one of these exhibitions that he was spotted by a producer and signed up to do The Green Hornet series. The series was quite successful in the States - but was a huge hit in Hong Kong. Bruce visited Hong Kong in 1968 and he was overwhelmed by the attention he received from the people he had left.
He once said on a radio program if the price was right he would do a movie for the Chinese audiences. He returned to the States and completed some episodes of Longstreet. He began writing his book on Jeet Kune Do at roughly the same time.
Back in Hong Kong producers were desperate to sign Bruce for a Martial Arts film, and it was Raymond Chow the head of Golden Harvest who produced The Big Boss. The rest as they say is history.
At the age of 19 Bruce left Hong Kong to study for a degree in philosophy at the University of Washington in America. It was at this time that he took on a waiter's job and also began to teach some of his skills to students who would pay. Some of the Japanese schools in the Seattle area tried to force Bruce out, and there was many confrontations and duels fought for Bruce to remain.
He met his wife Linda at the University he was studying. His Martial Arts school flourished and he soon graduated. He gained some small roles in Hollywood films - Marlowe- etc, and some major stars were begging to be students of the Little Dragon. James Coburn, Steve McQueen and Lee Marvin to name but a few. He regularly gave displays at exhibitions, and it was during one of these exhibitions that he was spotted by a producer and signed up to do The Green Hornet series. The series was quite successful in the States - but was a huge hit in Hong Kong. Bruce visited Hong Kong in 1968 and he was overwhelmed by the attention he received from the people he had left.
He once said on a radio program if the price was right he would do a movie for the Chinese audiences. He returned to the States and completed some episodes of Longstreet. He began writing his book on Jeet Kune Do at roughly the same time.
Back in Hong Kong producers were desperate to sign Bruce for a Martial Arts film, and it was Raymond Chow the head of Golden Harvest who produced The Big Boss. The rest as they say is history.
Introduction
What is an Auteur?
An auteur is a person who has distinctive characteristics that can be recognised across a number of film texts. The key to constructing an auteur is to find their fingerprint across the majority of the works they are involved in. This fingerprint needs to be some unique element of the mise-en-scene or narrative that is present across their work. An Autuer is usually an actor or director. Alfred Hitcock is often looked up as an ideal auteur, with his unique ability to express ideas in visual terms.
Why i chose Bruce Lee as an Auteur
Bruce Lee has starred in many films which have been very successful. Such as Enter the Dragon, Fist of Fury, The Chinese Connection, and Return of the Dragon. I believe Bruce Lee is a pioneer of martial art films and kicked off the start for a newer generation of martial art films today. He had a unique style of fighting generating an aura of tension. He often does this through exaggerated facial expressions showing his pain combined with loud thumping noises when each attack connects. Not only was known or his ability of fighting but he also wrote, directed, choreographed the stunts and fight scenes in all of his films produced.
My research will begin with certain characteristics and aspects of his fighting scenes that are still present today.
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