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Bruce Lee - The Man & The Legend (1973)

I finally got my hands on a UK release of that DVD and was amazed. Read on for my review.

Following the retirement of Chief Censor James Ferman, which was in 2000, there has been some relaxation in the British Board of Film Censors department regarding weapons policy and censorship in movies. Films re-submitted for classification under this 'new' policy are re-examined in the light of the current regime. This has applied to the Bruce Lee movies, and has resulted in a more 'flexible' approach to the use of Bruce Lee's nunchaku weapons, leading to something of a field day for production companies re-submitting Bruce Lee movies for DVD prints.

The result? Most of the current crop of DVDs are being passed 'virtually' unscathed in the United Kingdom for the first time in a quarter of a century. The B.B.C television company are also a keen interest in the phenomena, and were filming during a recent Bruce Lee convention in Bradford, England, where they interviewed Bruce Lee Association co-ordinator Andrew Staton, for an upcoming documentary concerning Bruce Lee.

One such movie to benefit from this relaxation policy is the 1973 documentary Bruce Lee The Man The Legend. What follows here is a review of this uncut DVD.

Filmed in the days following Bruce Lee's sudden and tragic death in July 1973, this first ever Bruce Lee documentary was produced by Bruce Lee's colleagues at Golden Harvest film studios (HK) in his memory.

Beginning with a shot of Bruce Lee's widow, Linda Lee Cadwell, on board a Northwest Orient flight from Hong Kong's 'Kai Tak' airport on route for Seattle. The plain contains Bruce Lee's coffin and the couple's children, Brandon and Shanon.

The scne reverts to the Lee family home in Kowloon with potent footage of Linda Lee being 'escorted' to Bruce Lee's Hong Kong memorial service. Local children congregate around the entrance to the Lee home.

Fascinating footage (follows) of the Hong Kong memorial service on July 25th, 1073 with teeming thousands of mourners and bereft fans, and co-stars, paying respects. Substantial attention is given to each 'celibrity' who visited the funeral parlour, among Bruce Lee's elder brother Peter, Sammo Hung, Lo Wei and Wu Gnan.

Linda and her two children are shown donning the traditional white Chinese robes of mourning, her personal wreath to her late husband bears the philosophical inscription: "To Bruce, until our next incarnation... Linda"

Outside the Kowloon kome of Bruce Lee, in the elaborate Japanese ornamental garden, the remaining Lee family are shown preparing to leave Hong Kong for the final time, to journey to Seattle, the final resting place for Bruce Lee.

Perhaps the most intrusive aspects of the documentary now takes place, as a film crew take the opportunity to film in and around Bruce Lee's now deserted home, gym and office area. Fascinating as this footage now is, it is nevertheless discomforting to watch, especially in the light of the haste in which it was filmed following Bruce Lee's sudden death.

A calender eerily shows Thursday 19th July crossed out (Bruce Lee passed away on the 20th). Below an unfinished meal sits on Bruce Lee's desk, possibly the last he ate before leaving the house that afternoon to meet with ex-James Bond George Lazenby, Raymond Chow and Betty Ting Pei, to discuss his ongoing Game Of Death movie project.

A silver 'thermos' mug sits next to the meal, recognisable as the mug Bruce is often depicted holding in stills taken during filming of the 'cavern' scenes in Enter The Dragon. A life-size wall painting of Bruce Lee is shown, an original which later formed the basic design fot the Cantonese posters for Way Of The Dragon.

In Bruce Lee's Golden Harvest office, a staff member tidies away a collection of magazines, on the top is a 1971 issue of 'Black Belt' depicting Bruce Lee executing a graceful sidekick. Bruce Lee's fascination with tigers is evident, above his desk is a mounted picture of the beast. Beneath are two mini-California state license plates bearing the names Bruce and Lee. Below these resides a state of the art (for 1973) hi-fi unit, while nearby a cloakroom contains his Kung Fu suits and weight training belt.

Linda Lee is seen in Hong Kong's Kai Tak airport accompanied by Raymond Chow, fending off a crush of jounalists. Linda reads from a prepared statement. She states she holds no one responsible for her husband's death, and that it was her wish that the press cease its endless specualtion. The twin engine plane carries her husband's coffin aloft for its final journey.

Man And Legend now turns its attention Stateside to Seattle airport. Bruce Lee's devastated mother, Grace Oi Yue Lee, is comforted by the magnificently composed Linda. Bruce's younger brother Robert looks on. Also present are Bruce Lee's restaurant employer from Seattle, Ruby Chow, Bruce Lee student Taky Kimura, and Tae Kwon Do matriarch Jhoon Rhee.

The focus shifts to the Campus of Bruce Lee's alma mater, the University of Washington, where Bruce majored in Philosophy. His widow Linda is shown walking the grounds, past mock Grecian columns, which feature in photographs of Bruce from his time in Seattle.

The Man And Legend now changes direction, featuring stills from Bruce Lee's life, including childhood and schooldays including one from the set of his childhood movie My Son Ah Chang. Bruce Lee appeared in eighteen movies as a child actor in Hong Kong, and severyl clips follow though sadly without original soundtracks.

Though a brief sound sequence from Kid Cheung appears authentic. Other stills feature Bruce playing guitar, and there's a colour still of Bruce with Oakland student James Yimm Lee, and George Lee on the set of 1966 TV series The Green Hornet.

Bruce Lee's Wing Chun 'uncle' Wong Sheung Leung is interviewed in Cantonese, re-telling the 'infamous' story of Bruce turning  fellow students away from class, in order to gain private Wing Chun tuition.

Margaret Walters, Bruce Lee's English teacher at the Seattle University is interviewed explaining that Bruce would often give demonstrations on the local KCTS TV station. As she speaks various paintings Bruce submitted to the art department, are shown adoning his walls.

A mixed group of Bruce Lee's martial arts fraternity are shown in discussion following the Seattle funeral. A vertiable who's who, they include, in no particular order' Jerry Poteet, Ted Wong, Dan Inosanto Dan Lee, Bob Bremer, Richard Bustillo, Herb Jackson and numerous Jeet Kune Do students, the name Bruce Lee coined for his martial art.

Rare footage of now demolished Seattle Congreational Church follow, the location for Bruce and Linda Lee's, August 17th 1964 marriage. Taky Kimura, (best man at the wedding) is briefly interviewed. Later footage of Bruce Lee's Bel-air home in Rocomare Road., followed by excellent stills of Bruce in August 1972 relaxing with Brandon and Shannon Lee on the set of Game Of Death.

Martial art luminaries Jhoon Rhee, Mike Stone, Bob Wall, are featured, as are former 'Black Belt' supremo Mito Uyehara, a close friend and 1960's champion of Bruce Lee's career. Also shown are Hollywood legends and friends of Bruce Lee, Steve McQueen, James Coburn and Chuck Norris. Stills from Bruce Lee's first United States TV role The Green Hornet appear, with a rare still of Bruce and co-star Van Williams in an open top Caddilac parade, 'Kato and Green Honet' can be seen emblazoned on its doors.

Next, Bruce Lee student and Oscar winning screenwriter, Stirling Silliphant appears, in a rare onscreen interview.

Unsurprisingly Bruce Lee movies are heavily featured, beginning with The Big Boss containing superb uncensored widescreen footage, including the superb finale knife sequence.

The scene returns once more to Bruce Lee's deserted Hong Kong home, parked outside is the red 350SL Mercedes coupé that Bruce Lee treasured, and was still used by his widow a decade later. Nearby Bruce's pet German Shepherd, playfully teases her pups. Bruce Lee's well-stocked bookcase is shown, complete, with delightful wrestling figurines. Poignantly. Bruce's son, eight year old Brandon, is glimpsed reading nearby, surrounded by local children, and course a devoted younger sister Shannon.

Excerpts follow from Bruce Lee's second Chinese movie, Fist Of Fury. The footage is uncensored, featuring the now infamous 'Nunchaku' weapon, seen for the first time in a Bruce Lee movie. A voiceover informs us that the movie won the 1972 golden 'horse' statuette.

A taped speech of Bruce Lee, speaking his native Cantonese follows, in which he ridicules overweight Gung Fu masters.

Further segments follow from Bruce Lee's seminal third Chinese movie Way Of The Dragon. Again uncut, we are treated to more Nunchaku sequences.

Exceptionally rare 35mm footage follows, of Bruce Lee with Wing Chun Sifu, Wong Sheung Leung, on the closed set for Enter The Dragon. Wong is sparring with Bruce Lee's (real-life) butler Wu Gnan. Wu is shown first, with bare-chest, suddenly the action jumps and a 'bare backed' man is now seen punching Wong Sheung Leung, we see the man perform the move once more, this is Bruce Lee in probably his last ever filmed sequence, blink and you'll miss it.

The documentary reverts to Bruce Lee's Golden Harvest office. The walls are decorated in risqué naked lady paper. A framed hand-written note on Bruce Lee's personal red and gold Yin-Yang notepaper states:

"If you think you are beaten, you are

If you think you dare not, you don't

If you like to win, but think you can't

It is almost certain you won't

If you think you will loose, you are lost

For out of the world we find

Success begins with a fellow's will

It's all in the state of mind

If you think you are outclassed, you are

You've got to think high, to rise

You've got to be sure of yourself before

You can ever win a prize

Life's battles don't always go to

The stronger or faster man

But sooner or later the man

Who wins is the man

Who thinks he can..."

A pair of his broken spectacles served to remind Bruce, of earlier poverty. On Bruce Lee's desk sits a model of a grave stone made for him by George Lee, it bears the legend;

"In memory of a once fluid man, crammed and distorted by the classical mess."

Also shown is a philosophical 'Walk On' ornament beloved by Bruce Lee, now owned by his daughter Shannon Lee Keasler.

Man And Legend looks at Game Of Death showing rare footage for (1973) of James Tien, Dan Inosanto and Kareem Abdul Jabbar. A previously unseen shot of Bruce examining Tien's body, prior to seeing Jabbar for the first time, is shown. Though I think John Little's Warriors Journey-Game Of Death footage probably lends most of these earlier edits, less relevance. Dan Inosanto is shown in a rare confrontation with Chieh Yuan. Uncut footage of Bruce and Dan using nunchaku follow.

Next comes the most extensice range of stills for Bruce Lee's unfilmed costume epic ever shown, litrally hundreds. Footage is shown from the 16mm Robbins Nest production The Making Of Enter The Dragon. These are widescreen and while not complete show most of the Bruce Lee sections, including the Cantonese dub of the now restored Monk scene (in the 25th anniversary version) from Enter The Dragon.

Returning once more to Seattle and Linda Lee in the campus grounds, the scene shifts to the most complete footage of Bruce Lee's Seattle funeral ever aired. Funeral parlour eulogies from Linda Lee (unfortunately without soundtrack) and Warner Exec Ted Ashley are shown. Whilst at the graveside, James Coburn presents a final speech, before throwing his white pall bearer's gloves into the open grave, Steve McQueen follows suit.

The Man And The Legend is a fascinating time capsule insight into a family and a nation's collective mourning, for the man who helped re-generate fierce national pride. Well worth re-visiting in this uncensored pristine DVD version.

Written on April 15th - 20th 2002

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