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Home , Bruce Lee, Bruce Lee (comics), Bruce Li, Enter the Dragon, Fist of Fury, Game of Death

GBA4 | GBAFOCUS Friday, July 17, 2020 EDITION | DAILY

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“With Re-enter Brucethe Lee, some people like his movies, some prefer his , and I particularly respect that he integrated and life wisdom into his personal philosophy,” Ng said. “The spread of these thoughts — through the con- vergence of movies and kung fu — has a¥ ected many people’s life philosophy. He injected his beliefs and patterns into his fi lms, making the fi lms more appealing, and helping them to con- nect and receive popular acclaim worldwide.” ruce Lee’s role was a young martial artist liv- as the titledragon charac- ing in when he fi rst met Lee — after ter’s in the the star’s ground-breaking display of his mar- American TV series tial arts techniques at the 1964 Long Beach TheB lasted — like International Championships. Van It seems the world still can’t get enough the show itself — for just Clief would later become close friends one season but its impact of . On the eve of the 47th with the “Little ,” and shared dim would alter the course anniversary of the martial arts star’s sum with the star in a few days of his life. before his death. The story goes untimely death, Mathew Scott “He was a special man,” said Van that by the Clief. “There was just an air about time the looks for the reasons why. him that drew people towards series had Bruce. Plus what he said — been cancelled, in and what he did with his 1967, Lee had become martial arts — just made a increasingly frustrated by lot of sense to a lot of people.” the lack of opportuni- home to Hong Kong where he had been a child star — most ties in Hollywood, famous for his role as a plucky orphan in the 1950 hitThe Kid. His family A spin-off subgenre and was consid- was well-connected in the entertainment industry, thanks to his father On-screen that impact ering going Lee Moon-shuen, a huge opera star. would be felt with the posthu- back The thinking was that the connections Lee had been making on the mous global box o§ ce success of Lee’s Bruce Lee as a fringes of Hollywood — as a co-ordinator for A-list stars Dean ($350 million) but also young actor in Martin and on The Wrecking Crew (1968), with the emergence of what’s known the as he pitched projects to studios, and his fame as a as the “Bruceploitation” genre of fi lms. in the . martial arts coach to the likes of actors James These fi lms — hundreds of them, from PHOTOS PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY Coburn and Steve McQueen — would the likes of Bruce Lee Fights Back from help open doors back in the city he’d the Grave (1976) to The Clones of Bruce lived in until he was 18. Lee (1980) — were blatant attempts to What Lee didn’t expect, when he cash in on the Lee legacy, mostly by either around a walked out of immigration at the old hiring impersonators such as Bruce fi ctional Kai Tak airport back in 1971, was that and Bruce Lei to take the lead, or splicing martial he’d be greeted by scores of ador- together old footage of Lee, even arts ing fans. There they were, shouting from his movies, to form some kind of cham- and calling his name. Despite Lee’s narrative. pion- struggles in America, back home The genre also speaks volumes about ship, and uses old in Hong Kong he had already just what a huge star Lee was and contin- fi lm become a star. And that was ues to be. No other star — in the history and thanks to the wild popularity of cinema — has a genre dedicated simply TV of The Green Hornet. to his imitators. stock Movie ticket of The from 1973. A 40th anniversary edition of Fist of Fear, As the charismatic Kato, “The genre is so creative, and it comes foot- was released recently on DVD. Lee had fl ashed glimpses of out of nowhere,” said Ross Chen, a mem- age the easy charm and confi - ber of the Hong Kong Film Critics Society featuring Lee dence — and sheer ath- and founder of lovehkfi lm.com. — and pointed instead to the reason, he letic talent — that would “That it took o¥ is a testament to how claimed, people agreed to get involved. later turn him into a great (Bruce Lee) was because people “The film is what they now call a global superstar and wanted more from him. You can say that but it is also a bunch see his legacy continue it’s like at its most basic. of people paying tribute to what Bruce to impact on people You have an idea, you throw in fi ve fi ght Lee was,” said Van Clief. “He was a around the world to this scenes. Then you have it.” star.” very day, some 47 years From the to the 1980s, Bruce- Philip Elliott Hopkins after his life was lost to a ploitation fi lms popped up in markets all is the founder cerebral edema on July 20, over the world to feed a global fan base of The Film 1973, at age 32. still desperate to see, or be reminded of, Detective, a their hero. Massachu- Collector’s items “What’s also fascinating is that they setts-based Ng Kwai-lung was among were making them before he died,” says internet those whose heads were Chen. “It was just to feed a short-term television turned when he first saw market. It’s because he died that it became service and Lee in The Green Hornet. this long-term thing.” vintage film Ng would go on to establish He feels it would be fascinating to have archive and the House program booklets of Bruce Lee-starrers (1972), The Big (1971), The Way a personal trove of Bruce a symposium critically examining the company behind of the Dragon (1972) and The (1978). Lee memorabilia, some of Bruceploitation genre, given the many the anniversary edi- which would have featured twists and turns in its evolution — white tion of Fist of Fear, in The Dragon Never Dies actors playing Bruce Lee-like fi gures in Touch of Death. — Bruce Lee @80 exhibition the for example, and raise questions such “It’s a cockamamie at the Hong Kong Book Fair as, “Does a Bruceploitation fi lm just show movie but somehow this week. However, the fair Lee’s iconic presence as a person, and a despite all the chaos, it has been rescheduled in view legend, or does it have to be plot-driven worked in a very weird of the escalating third wave around Bruce Lee?” way,” he said. “Growing up of COVID-19 cases in the city. Contemporary stars such as Donnie I would see these posters or “The Green Hornet was one Yen — whose recent release Enter the Fat Bruce Lee movies. You’d see of the fi rst dramas broadcast Dragon sees him imitating the picture of Bruce Lee, you by TVB, launched in 1967,” says imitating Bruce Lee in the 1978 original know about Enter the Dragon Ng, who contends the show — continue to tap into Lee as a source of and who he is, but then you inspired the entry of martial inspiration. realize that it is really not a Bruce art-related content in local But was it the rise of that Lee movie. It’s a Bruceploitation comic books “in the 1970s when brought the curtain down on the “Bruce- movie. Brue Lee kung fu movies were ploitation” craze? “It’s completely exploiting his very popular in Hong Kong.” “They had tried to push him in the West popularity and trying to ride o¥ this “Hong Kong artists Tony through films like The Protector,” said deception. But they are also a tribute Wong Yuk-long then successfully Chen, of the Hong Kong-US production to what a star he was, and there’s never incorporated kung fu elements Chan vehicle released in 1985. been a genre dedicated to one star like into comic books. I had to save “They couldn’t push his comedy this one is.” pocket money every week to because they thought people overseas American fi lmmaker Michael Worth buy the new comic books, which wouldn’t accept so it wasn’t until Rumble has spent the past decade piecing were the start of my ‘idol’ collec- in the Bronx (1995) that it all changed. together a book on the Bruceploitation Portraits of Bruce Lee by Yuen Tai-yung from the Hong Kong Book Fair-hosted The Dragon Never tions.” And when Jackie Chan became his own genre, and the past two years helping put Dies — Bruce Lee @80 exhibition. The fair, scheduled to run this week, is temporarily on hold owing thing, with the comedy, that’s about when together a documentary on the subject to the COVID-19 crisis. New documentary Bruceploitation ended. When he became currently undergoing fi nal edits. A scene from the 1980 film, Fist of This year the global spotlight the number one martial arts star there For the fi nal word on the theme that Fear, Touch of Death, made by returned to Lee with the screening of was no more need for Bruceploitation. the world continues to be fascinated by putting together bits from old Lee the Bao Nguyen-directed documenta- People found a new icon.” the man, look no further. films and new footage featuring ry Be Water on ESPN. The fi lm charted “He was a talented martial artist, no Lee lookalikes. the course of Lee’s life and spoke to The enduring mystique doubt about it, but what was much more family and friends in an attempt to dig After Lee’s death in 1973, his friend Van striking was his charisma,” said Worth. deep into why his star continues to burn Clief would go on to assume the persona “He’s very hip. He’s got this swagger to so brightly. Reaction to the film — first of “The Black Dragon” for a series of fi lms him. He was a hit. Then, like James Dean, screened in on June 6 — lit of his own, including The Black Dragon’s he was gone. up social media around the world as fans dis- Revenge (1975). He would also star in the “But Bruce Lee had also disrupted cussed Lee’s lasting impact on popular psyche. Bruceploitation fl ick Fist of Fear, Touch of martial arts with his ideas, and no one In the lead-up to the now-postponed book Death — which has just seen its 40th anni- could quite work him out. A lot of what fair exhibition — which would have showcased versary edition released via Blu-ray/DVD. the Bruceploitation genre was about was Lee in terms of literature, martial arts history Van Clief, now 77 years old and living in trying to unravel the mystery of Bruce and — Ng was asked to o¥ er his Hawaii, said he acknowledged the fi lm’s Lee. It’s something we are still trying to opinion as to why Lee remains such a global force. limitations in terms of quality — it’s set do today.”