Original subtitles

'On July 20th, 1973,

'in the middle of a hot Hong Kong summer,

'the actor, writer, martial artist and filmmaker, Bruce Lee,

'died unexpectedly at the age of only 32.

'On the cusp of a global stardom he had spent years striving towards,

'his death sent shockwaves around the world.

'The legacy he left behind in his short but eventful life

'included a young family, legions of dedicated fans and students,

'and a revolutionary approach to martial arts

'that transformed the world's relationship with Chinese culture.

'Half a century after his death,

'he remains as much an inspiration to millions as ever before.

'His status largely rests on the success of just four feature films

'he completed in the two years leading up to his death:

"'The Big Boss", "Fist of Fury",

"'The Way of the Dragon", which he also wrote and directed,

'and "Enter the Dragon".

'Only four films, and yet there was nearly a fifth.

'Less than a year before he died,

'Lee started work on his second film as writer and director,

'one that would deliver on the filmmaking promise

'he had shown with "The Way of the Dragon",

'and be the ultimate expression of his unique martial arts philosophy.

'Two hours of raw, unedited footage was filmed

'before the project was temporarily shelved,

'only to be left in permanent limbo

'once its creator was no longer alive to finish it.

'Its working title, ominous and fateful in hindsight,

'was "The Game of Death".

'Though Lee never lived to complete

'or even refine his own vision for the project,

'his plans for "The Game of Death" are as scrutinised and interrogated today

'as the circumstances surrounding his untimely death.

'The mysteries around its creation

'have become a vessel for endless heated debate,

'a space in which truth and legend have become practically indistinguishable.

'Was it a lost masterpiece by a young artist

'working at the height of his talents?

'Or was it a cursed film,

'inextricably bound to its creator's own doomed fate?

'Now, with access to all 11 reels of footage shot for the film in 1972,

'we can finally search for answers to the many mysteries

'contained within "The Game of Death".'

'It is July of 1972,

'only one year before Bruce Lee's death.

'He is the biggest star in Hong Kong,

'now unable to walk around in public without being mobbed.

'It was only a year prior, in the summer of 1971,

'that after years of hitting a racial glass ceiling in Hollywood,

'he tired of American executives' nervousness

'over casting a Chinese star in a lead role,

'and looked homeward to Hong Kong,

'where domestically produced martial arts films

'are starting to rule the local box office.

'Signing a two-picture deal with upstart company Golden Harvest,

'Bruce agreed to star in two films, both directed by Lo Wei:

"'The Big Boss" and "Fist of Fury".

'By the end of the year, he is the most famous face on the continent.

'Audiences are instantly captivated by his charismatic energy

'and high-kicking dynamism,

'deliberately captured in long, unbroken takes,

'unlike the choppy editing seen in most films.

'His own customised style of kung fu, which he has dubbed Jeet Kune Do,

'or the Way of the Intercepting Fist,

'is unlike anything audiences have seen before.

'Both films shatter local box office records,

'each taking well over three million dollars.

'Overnight, Bruce is a superstar.

'A big fish in a small pond

'compared to his earlier Hollywood ambitions perhaps,

'but with just two films,

'he has the respect, clout and financial security

'to continue the next phase of his career.

'Keen to retain their box office superstar,

'Golden Harvest executive Raymond Chow

'offers Bruce the opportunity to write, direct and star in his next film,

'as well as co-producing under his own newly formed production company,

'Concord Productions.

'Given complete creative freedom,

'Bruce makes a film much more personal and aligned with his own ethos.

'Its name: "The Way of the Dragon".

'Whereas the previous two films were formulaic revenge sagas

'primarily designed to appeal to local audiences,

'Bruce looks outward for his first time behind the camera.

'He sets the film in Rome, and even films on location there for three weeks.

'Unhappy with Lo Wei's insistence

'on cartoonish Japanese and Russian villains in "Fist of Fury",

'the final confrontation in Bruce's screenplay for "The Way of the Dragon"

'is a more ambivalent one.

'Bruce choreographs a climactic ten-minute fight

'between him and American karate champion, Chuck Norris.

'Set amongst the ruins of the Roman Colosseum

'and filmed in wide shots that accentuate both men's athletic prowess,

'when his character ultimately defeats Norris,

'he does so reluctantly, and covers his body as a gesture of respect.

'The gladiators here are not avatars for nationalistic or racial pride,

'but global representatives of martial arts excellence,

'forced against one another by circumstance,

'and no less honourable for it.

"'The Way of the Dragon" is a crudely made film in many aspects,

'both technically and in the freewheeling nature of its creation.

'But Bruce's sheer ambition and energy burst off the screen,

'showing a determination to try as many ideas as he can,

'and a burning promise to be harnessed and refined in future work.

'It will be the only film he ever completes as a director.

'It is the summer of 1972.

"'The Way of the Dragon" has only just finished filming,

'but ever restless and ambitious, Bruce is keen to seize the momentum

'and channel it into a second film as director.

'He doesn't have much yet.

'A rough sketch of an idea, if that.

'Emboldened by his experience filming "The Way of the Dragon",

'Bruce's ambitions for his next film increase further.

'A film that would use symbolism to add a philosophical dimension

'to the action genre.

"'The film to end all films," he says at one point.

'For nearly a decade, he has spoken about making what he calls

'a multi-level film.

As he puts it,

"'The kind of movies where you can just watch the surface story if you like,

"'or you can look deeper into it."

'The next co-production between Concord and Golden Harvest

'will be Bruce's purest cinematic expression yet

'of Jeet Kune Do in action,

'demonstrating the necessity of adapting to one's circumstances.

'In a 1972 interview,

'he describes an idea for a prologue, ultimately never filmed.

'A key inspiration for this new idea happened during a trip to India in 1970,

'scouting locations for an abandoned project called "The Silent Flute".

'Bruce was struck by the ancient pagodas he saw there,

'and began to devise a scenario

'where his vision of a multi-level film became literal:

'one fighter ascending the temple, higher and higher,

'taking on ever greater challenges on his way to the top.

'What little is known about Bruce's plans for the story of "The Game of Death"

'largely stems from a collection of handwritten notes

'uncovered in a Seattle warehouse belonging to the Lee estate

'in the mid-1990s.

'As with "The Way of the Dragon" before it,

'a full script is never written for "The Game of Death",

'and indeed, Bruce continues to change his mind about the plot

'devising new characters and whole subplots

'right up to the day he dies.

'Though this stands in stark contrast to western film production

'where everything is usually written and planned well in advance,

'it is the norm in Hong Kong filmmaking

'where cast and crew members might come and go

'depending on the vagaries of scheduling

'and dialogue is sometimes agreed upon

'only minutes before cameras begin rolling.

'What these semi-improvised, low-budget films

'lack in polish and narrative finesse,

'they often compensated for in spontaneous energy and invention.

'Over the coming months, Bruce slowly fleshes out the story for his next film.

'On one level, it is an action film

'showcasing an array of fighting techniques.

'On the other, it is Bruce's philosophy for Jeet Kune Do

'literalised in cinematic form.

'No way as way. No limitation as limitation.

'Whereas "The Way of the Dragon" and Lee's prior films

'were rooted in the real world

'and even inspired in some cases by real-life figures,

'his aim for "The Game of Death" was something altogether different,

'something stranger, perhaps even metaphysical.

'Bruce will play the central character of Hai Tien,

'a retired champion fighter who, as the film begins,

'is on a flight to Korea with his sister and younger brother.

'When they land at the airport,

'the trio are kidnapped by the henchmen of a local crime boss.

'The gangster holds Hai Tien's family hostage,

'unless he volunteers to fly out to a secluded compound

'in the Korean wilderness,

'in the middle of which is an ancient pagoda, five floors high.

'The boss wants something from the top of the pagoda,

'and Hai Tien will have to battle his way through various opponents to get it,

'one level at a time.

'Each opponent is a representative of a different fighting style,

'with Hai Tien having to assess each fighter's abilities

'and adapt his own techniques

'in order to climb the tower and win his siblings' freedom.

'Hai Tien is joined on his mission by a handful of the crime boss' underlings,

'each motivated by greed and ambition in their quest to make it to the top.

'When they reach the compound, Hai Tien and the others

'are confronted by dozens of nameless karate fighters

'guarding the outside of the pagoda.

'Upon dispatching the fighters,

'a locksmith breaks them inside the temple.

'The opponent they face on the ground floor is a master of hapkido

'especially skilled at kicking.

'After defeating him, they ascend to the second level,

'guarded by an expert in Praying Mantis kung fu.

'Sadly, though Bruce wrote dialogue

'for many of the aforementioned sequences,

'he would not live long enough to actually film them,

'nor would he ever write the story's grand conclusion.

'Instead, the only scenes that saw the light of a camera,

'barely coherent out of context,

'show Hai Tien's ascent up the remaining three floors of the pagoda.

'The Hall of the Tiger, 'in which he and two other fighters

'battle an expert in Filipino eskrima techniques,

'not least mastery of the deadly nunchaku.

'The Hall of the Dragon, where Hai Tien fights another hapkido grandmaster,

'this time one adept at grappling and hand-to-hand combat.

'And finally, the Hall of the Unknown,

'where Hai Tien, now the last survivor of the mission,

'finds his adaptability tested against a mysterious foe

'whose fighting style is as formless and unpredictable as his own.

'As post-production on "The Way of the Dragon" approaches its end

'in August of 1972,

'Bruce begins to assemble his co-stars for "The Game of Death".

'For the henchmen accompanying Hai Tien,

'Lee jots down the names of four actors:

'James Tien, his co-star in "The Big Boss" and "Fist of Fury",

'Chieh Yuan, a former stuntman for Shaw Brothers,

'Carter Wong, whom Bruce has met

'on the set of the Golden Harvest film "Hapkido",

'and Tony Liu, who also co-starred in Lee's three previous films.

'As the latter two characters were slated to be killed off

'before reaching the Hall of the Tiger,

'Wong and Liu never film any scenes for "The Game of Death",

'and in Liu's case, his name is ultimately crossed out altogether,

'rumoured to be replaced with a white American fighter.

'As with his previous film,

'Bruce shows a preference to cast not trained actors

'with some martial arts skills, but rather expert martial artists

'with little to no previous experience on camera.

'Among them are two of his favourite former students

'and closest friends from America:

'Dan Inosanto, with whom he founded his Jeet Kune Do school in Los Angeles,

'and rising NBA basketball star, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

'Neither of them has ever appeared in a motion picture before.

'As Bruce continues to flesh out the story

'and a single set is built at Golden Harvest Studios

'that will stand for each floor of the pagoda,

'he plans to start filming at the end of September.

'But fate threatens to intervene when he calls Abdul-Jabbar

'and offers him the role of the final guardian.

'Though the basketball star is currently on three weeks' leave,

'he is due to start at NBA training camp in the middle of the month,

'making his participation in the film impossible.

'Determined to get his vision onscreen,

'Bruce tells him to board a plane to Hong Kong as soon as he can.

'They will simply film all of his scenes ahead of schedule

'in plenty of time for him to return to the USA for training.

'Thankfully, Abdul-Jabbar agrees,

'and so filming of "The Game of Death" begins,

'perhaps fittingly, at the story's end.'

'With a handwritten shot list and choreography notes in place,

'Lee assembles much of the crew from "The Way of the Dragon"

'to join him for filming his battle against Abdul-Jabbar.

'Among them are assistant director Ricky Chik,

'and 50-year-old Japanese cinematographer Tadashi Nishimoto.

'In addition to Abdul-Jabbar,

'James Tien, Bruce's co-star from "The Big Boss" and "Fist of Fury",

'joins the first round of filming.

'Bruce, Tien and Abdul-Jabbar participate in a promotional photo shoot

'as filming commences.

'In the years that follow, it is these images,

'taken by freelance photographer Chang Yuk,

'published far and wide by the media in the wake of Lee's death,

'that propel the incomplete "Game of Death" project

'to almost a mythic status.

'Filming begins on September 7th on the top-secret project

'with Bruce remaining behind the camera,

'directing the fight between James and Kareem.

'The title written on the slate seen between setups is simply "audition".

'The title "The Game of Death" will not be confirmed for some weeks,

'with the project referred to in a trade announcement under the working title

"'Yellow-Faced Tiger".

'Born in Guangdong, China in 1942,

'James Tien moved with his family to Hong Kong in 1958,

'and after a stint at the Fu Sheng Drama School in Taiwan

'began acting as a contract player for Shaw Brothers in 1969.

'He decamped to Golden Harvest along with director Lo Wei

'in the following the year,

'and climbed the ladder to leading-man status

'in films such as "The Invincible Eight",

"'The Blade Spares None" and "The Chase".

'James Tien's character, referred to in Lee's notes as Tien Da,

'is one of the other fighters sent by the crime boss.

'Primarily cast as noble heroes at this stage in his career,

'Bruce cast Tien against type as a duplicitous schemer

'who tricks his way up to the final floor of the pagoda,

'only to get his just deserts as he is hopelessly outmatched

'by the foe awaiting him at the top.

'Though this is the third time James Tien and Bruce Lee

'have worked with one another,

'their collaboration got off to a shaky start.

'In the first half of "The Big Boss",

'the apparent star of the film is arguably not Bruce, but James Tien,

'who confidently leads the film's early fight scenes.

'Even when filming started,

'it wasn't clear whether Lee or Tien's character would lead the film,

'as Raymond Chow seemed to hedge his bets against his latest signing.

'But as Lee continued to impress on location in Thailand,

'the die was cast.

'Tien's character would suddenly be killed off halfway through,

'with Bruce's character avenging his death,

'as well as that of his other friends and family in the second half.

'But following his alleged displacement from the lead role in "The Big Boss",

'Tien's stint as a headline name was short-lived,

'and "The Game of Death" was the first of several roles

'playing heels and villains,

'as Tien gradually settled into life as a busy, dependable character actor.

'Born Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr in 1947, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar,

'his Muslim name, meaning "noble one, servant of Allah",

'met Bruce Lee in 1968

'when he was looking for a martial arts tutor after graduating from UCLA.

'Lee and the well-read, intellectually curious Abdul-Jabbar,

'who had just converted to Islam, became fast friends.

'While tutoring the future NBA star in Jeet Kune Do

'and still dreaming of the prosperous filmmaking career yet to come,

'Lee often considered the cinematic possibilities

'of an onscreen duel between the two,

'with Lee standing at 5'7", and Abdul-Jabbar at 7'2".

'The introduction of Abdul-Jabbar's character

'remains one of "The Game of Death"'s most enduring images.

'One could argue that the design of the Guardian of the Unknown

'was an influence on Arnold Schwarzenegger's

'portrayal of the Terminator over a decade later:

'a tall, mute, seemingly inhuman foe with superhuman strength,

'his impassive features largely hidden

'behind a pair of impenetrable black sunglasses.

'In a moment, there is a break in the action

'to be filled with shots of Bruce's character

'still fighting another opponent on the floor below

'that won't be filmed for another six weeks.

'When the scene resumes,

'Tien's character is already fighting for his life.

'He makes one futile, final dash for the top of the pagoda,

'but the Guardian of the Unknown effortless plucks him down

'in a move that will doubtless look familiar to basketball fans.

'It is Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's trademark skyhook,

'where he leaps in the air while holding the ball as high as he can in one hand,

'well out of the reach of the other team.

'His triumphant trademark is creatively repurposed by Bruce

'into something otherworldly,

'unlike anything seen on Hong Kong cinema screens before.

'Not long after James Tien subtly sticks his neck out enough

'for Abdul-Jabbar to reach and pull him down,

'the Guardian's superhuman strength is further demonstrated

'in the next few shots,

'as he begins to choke and squeeze Tien's throat

'while suspending him in mid-air,

'before flinging him across the room like a ragdoll.

'As filming continues, on September 8th,

'Tien stands on a box during the over-the-shoulder shots,

'while the wide shots are accomplished using a wire harness

'attached to his back.

'Though wirework became ubiquitous in later Hong Kong action films,

'in particular those choreographed by Yuen Woo-ping,

'it was still in its infancy here,

'and had only made one prior appearance in a Bruce Lee film,

'in a stunt performed by a young Jackie Chan at the end of "Fist of Fury".

'For the second half of the stunt,

'in which his character is flung across to the other side of the room,

'Tien achieves the desired height

'by jumping off a strategically placed mattress,

'similar to the trampolining effect already well established

'in the wuxia pian swordplay films still popular in Hong Kong,

'whose characters frequently clashed in gravity-defying duels.

'The beginning of the jump isn't intended to be included in the final film,

'but winds up featuring in some later assemblies of the footage nonetheless.

'Ironically filming his character's final scenes in the film

'on only the second day of filming,

'the defeated and terrified Tien

'attempts to scream for help from Bruce's character, Hai Tien,

'still fighting another foe on the floor below.

'As he reaches for his throat, Tien can hardly make a sound,

'his vocal chords crushed by the Guardian of the Unknown.

'In Bruce Lee's first scene of the film to be shot,

'Hai Tien ascends to the Hall of the Unknown,

'narrowly avoiding a collision with Tien Da's lifeless body.

'Though it is the start of shooting,

'Bruce's face is already bruised from the battles fought thus far,

'some yet to be filmed, others never to be filmed at all.

'It is Bruce's first day in front of the camera on "The Game of Death"

'and his first in costume.

'If the introduction of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's character

'is one of "The Game of Death"'s most enduring images,

'not least the subtle moment when he mimics the slack-jawed wonder

'with which Lee first looks upon him,

'then undoubtedly the top spot on the list must be reserved for Hai Tien's outfit,

'a full-length yellow jumpsuit

'with black stripes running down its left- and right-hand side.

'Designed and commissioned by Lee himself,

'the motivation behind the jumpsuit's design is simple.

'While other characters in the film select a stark, traditional wardrobe

'in keeping with their particular fighting disciplines,

'Hai Tien, who in Lee's script notes was nicknamed "the Yellow-Faced Tiger"

'in his professional fighting days,

'embraces a style both colourful and emphatically non-traditional,

'comfortable, bold and fluid,

'an embodiment of the pragmatism and free-form iconoclasm

'of the Jeet Kune Do approach.

'The jumpsuit's bold colours are complemented

'with a matching set of sneakers on his feet,

'one of three different sets Bruce will wear during the course of filming,

'including the Onitsuka Tiger Mexico 66 shoes

'in the Tai-Chi yellow and black range originally launched in Japan.

'As for where Lee got the idea for the suit,

'several origin stories have been offered, none of them verified.

'One story says he got the idea from an outfit lent to him by Roman Polanski

'during a skiing trip in Gstaad, Switzerland.

'Another says that the suit was originally designed

'to be black with yellow stripes,

'only to be inverted when it became clear that yellow would read better on camera

'during the dimly lit fight with Abdul-Jabbar.

'Regardless, the yellow and black jumpsuit remains

'arguably the piece of visual iconography

'most associated with Bruce Lee to this day.

'Director of photography Tadashi Nishimoto,

'often credited under the Chinese alias Ho Lan-shan, had previously shot films

'such as King Hu's wuxia landmark "Come Drink with Me"

'for Shaw Brothers,

'and was responsible for bringing over the TohoScope widescreen lenses

'that would form the basis of the studio's iconic Shawscope system.

'His skill at capturing action in striking, moody compositions,

'often shot at low angles with very wide lenses,

'was honed in his native Japan when filming the chanbara swordplay films

'that influenced numerous Hong Kong filmmakers, not least Bruce Lee.

'As if freed from the shackles of formal convention

'by the more heightened, fantastical elements of the story,

'Lee and Nishimoto's camerawork becomes more playful and expressive,

'such as this angle shot from the point of view of Abdul-Jabbar's character

'while sitting in a rocking chair.

'While invention was being encouraged behind the camera,

'in many other respects

'filming on "The Game of Death" adheres to standard operating practices

'for Hong Kong filmmaking.

'Most infamously, no sound is recorded on set.

'Among other things, the lack of hindrance

'caused by having to accommodate live sync-sound recording

'allows film crews to shoot up to twice as much material

'as they would do otherwise,

'a blessing for anyone working on a densely choreographed fight scene

'on a low budget, often with a multilingual cast and crew.

'At a time when filmmakers in the West were still typically breaking scenes

'into a conventional list of camera angles or setups,

'a master, or a wide shot,

'that captures most or all of the action in a single take,

'complemented by close-ups and insert shots

'to accentuate certain elements within a scene,

'Hong Kong filmmakers, working at the height of the kung fu boom,

'favoured a style that academic David Bordwell has referred to

'as "segment shooting",

'wherein the scene is broken up into several short pieces

'which are dually filmed one at a time,

'even if it involves moving the camera back and forth multiple times.

'While a Western crew might accuse its Hong Kong counterparts of inefficiency,

'in fact, the result was just the opposite,

'with directors choosing to edit in-camera,

'often resulting in a shooting ratio,

'meaning the amount of raw film shot

'compared to what is actually used in the completed film,

'usually somewhere between 2:1 and 3:1,

'compared to a Hollywood average of 10:1, or often much higher.

'And while a Hollywood director like Stanley Kubrick

'might enjoy the luxury of shooting as many takes as he likes,

'even a big star like Bruce Lee accepts that in Hong Kong,

'if you get it right on the first take,

'you move on to the next angle.

'The economic rationale is self-explanatory.

'35mm film and studio time aren't cheap.

'But an expected artistic advantage is a restless, dynamic energy

'that puts the action scenes in many of its Western counterparts to shame.

'In spite of the ruthless economy

'that came with the segment shooting production style,

'Lee holds firm when it comes to pursuing perfection

'during the combat scenes.

'The third day of filming begins with a wide angle,

'showing Lee toppling Abdul-Jabbar with a leglock.

'The following back-and-forth between Lee and Abdul-Jabbar

'ends up taking no less than seven takes to shoot,

'with the timing needing to be absolutely on point.

'You'll notice a pattern emerge in longer setups that require multiple takes.

'Lee and his scene partner may initially come across as stiff

'on the first couple of tries,

'as if attempting to remember the choreography while moving,

'but by the final takes looking far more fluid and spontaneous.

'Lee has a keen eye for how not only his moves

'but those of his scene partner's will read on camera,

'and is aided in judging takes on more dynamic scenes

'by his trusted cinematographer, Tadashi Nishimoto.

'As Hai Tien attempts in vain to best the Guardian of the Unknown,

'who smiles eerily as his long-limbed strength

'helps him regain the upper hand...

'Or should that be the upper leg?

'...a dramatic dolly shot accompanies Hai Tien's retreat

'as he stands back to consider his next move.

'The Guardian sits calmly.

'With almost clairvoyant precision, the Guardian thrusts out his hands,

'halting Hai Tien's attack dead in its tracks.

'In his handwritten note for this part of the fight,

'Bruce writes in Chinese a voiceover for his character,

'giving the audience an insight to his inner monologue.

'The voiceover says, referring to the Guardian,

"'His big advantage is that he gives no thought to life or death,

"'and with no distracting thoughts,

"'he is therefore free to concentrate on fighting against the attack

"'from outside."

'As the Guardian stands,

'Kareem Abdul-Jabbar speaks some of the first dialogue

'Bruce has written for the film.

'In English, he says,

"'Little one, you must have given up hope of living."

'Lee has Abdul-Jabbar film three takes of the dialogue,

'his face more still and inscrutable with each turn.

'The camera reverses for Bruce's reply.

"'On the contrary, I do not let the word 'death' bother me."

'The Guardian replies, "Same here, baby."

'To which Hai Tien says, "Then, what are you waiting for?"

'For some, Lee's dialogue may risk sounding inelegant and stilted.

'But the stylised nature of the words are in keeping

'with the heightened unreality of the tale being told.

'It is in this dialogue

'where the motivation behind the title "The Game of Death" becomes clear.

'It refers not only to the mortal stakes of the pagoda heist itself,

'but Hai Tien's transcendence of his own limitations.

'In understanding and matching the Guardian's advantage over him

'and how his true strength lies not in his physical abilities

'but his transcendent mastery over

'and acceptance of the fear of death itself,

'Hai Tien begins to tip the scales back in his favour, if only for a short while.

'The arc of Lee and Abdul-Jabbar's fight

'demonstrates the core theme of Lee's thesis for the film

'and Jeet Kune Do in general.

'This final fight would be the culmination

'of everything demonstrated throughout the preceding battles

'on the lower floors of the pagoda.

'Unlike those earlier fights, however,

'Hai Tien has two significant disadvantages:

'the Guardian of the Unknown's physical size and strength,

'in particular the long reach of his arms and legs,

'but also his own unpredictable lack of a specific fighting discipline.

'Like the small willow tree that withstands the snowstorm

'while larger oaks around it fall,

'his character will ultimately triumph against the colossus in front of him

'not through the mastery of one specific fighting regimen,

'but learning his opponent's strengths and weaknesses in combat

'and adapting his strategy accordingly,

'fighting smarter, not harder.

'Having already been knocked down once at the start of the fight,

'he starts allowing the Guardian to make the first move,

'continually learning as he responds to each move in turn.

'In one of the violent highlights of the scene,

'Hai Tien nearly meets his end

'when the Guardian attempts to push his face

'onto the sharp end of a broken vase until he bends his body in such a way

'to be able to kick the Guardian in the head, escaping his grasp.

'In spite of a debilitating back injury in 1970

'that had been one of the contributing factors

'behind his hiatus from Hollywood acting,

'Bruce maintains intense core strength,

'allowing him to perform this difficult stunt single-handedly

'without the use of doubles or wire assistance,

'aided only by the counterbalance offered as Kareem holds the back of his head.

'However, the lack of a camera angle

'explicitly detailing how Hai Tien is able to flip himself over

'in such a way where he lands on his feet

'means this scene is cut together awkwardly

'in any assembly of the footage.

'In a project so deliberately and ambitiously choreographed,

'it stands out as the one move one could reasonably call a cheat.

'We can speculate that Lee might have planned

'for a pick-up shot at a later date,

'perhaps being doubled by Yuen Wah, the acrobatic stuntman

'that would later perform backflips for Bruce on "Enter the Dragon".

'However, no notes or footage exist to corroborate this,

'and though Yuen Wah will appear in "The Game of Death" footage later on,

'it is not to double Bruce.

'September 10th, the fourth day of filming.

'One interesting flourish that Lee gives Abdul-Jabbar to perform

'is the Guardian adjusting his sunglasses as the fight increases intensity,

'showing both his rattled realisation

'that Hai Tien may not be the pushover he originally assumed,

'but also cluing the audience in on his one major weakness

'that will be exploited later in the fight.

'As Hai Tien begins to gain the upper hand against the Guardian,

'he makes things really personal with an uppercut punch to the groin.

'Once again, Bruce's choreography notes for the scene

'include a line of internal monologue, potentially to be recorded in voiceover.

'Here, Hai Tien assesses the advantage he now has over the Guardian.

"'With his great size,

"'he's going to find it difficult to keep getting up each time I knock him down."

'As Hai Tien senses the Guardian's growing exhaustion,

'Bruce writes another piece of internal monologue

'referring to his next plan of attack:

"'Look at him. Give him the fatigue bombing."

'One criticism levelled at Lee on and off through the years

'was that he allowed himself to look too invincible

'in many of the fights he choreographed himself,

'always having the upper hand against whoever he was sparring with,

'in contrast to the conventional wisdom

'that a fight scene should set its protagonist against a foe

'of equal or greater ability to heighten the tension,

'to put the audience on the edge of their seat

'about whether the hero will survive.

'Setting aside Lee's motivations for not doing so for now,

'the arc of this battle with Abdul-Jabbar,

'like the fight with Chuck Norris in "The Way of the Dragon",

'follows the more common structure of the vulnerable hero

'looking increasingly exhausted,

'almost succumbing to his adversary's strength

'two thirds of the way through.

'Whereas Lee's character in his previous film

'won the fight against Norris through the surgical use of Jeet Kune Do,

'Hai Tien regains his advantage against the Guardian of the Unknown

'through a lucky discovery,

'as Hai Tien accidentally breaks the paper

'covering the square windows of the pagoda,

'causing daylight to flood the darkened Hall of the Unknown.

'The fourth day of filming the scene ends with a happy occasion,

'assistant director Ricky Chik's wedding,

'with Bruce, Raymond Chow and others in attendance.

'But before Ricky can head off on his honeymoon,

'there's one more day of filming left to go.

'September 11th, 1972.

'Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's last day of filming.

'The Guardian recoils, revealing his Achilles' heel.

'The sunglasses aren't just to look cool.

'He has a crippling sensitivity to daylight.

'Hai Tien seizes the advantage and lays into the Guardian,

'sending him to the floor.

'Three takes are filmed from Abdul-Jabbar's character's point of view.

'The first maintains a constant focus from start to finish,

'with the next two toying with a shifting focus,

'implying that he's losing concentration and may even be concussed.

'The effect, achieved in-camera by Tadashi Nishimoto,

'is repeated from a similar moment with Chuck Norris

'in "The Way of the "Dragon".

'The Guardian's allergy to sunlight

'is never explained in Lee's notes for the film,

'nor is it known whether he ever discussed it

'with Abdul-Jabbar or anyone else.

'Though Lee's characteristically grounded, authentic choreography

'tempers any notion the film will venture into the realm of outright fantasy,

'unlike many of the wuxia films

'inspired by Chinese myth and legend that preceded it,

'or even the wire-fu films that followed,

'a vein of magical realism runs through "The Game of Death",

'subtle and often unremarked upon.

'What we see instead in "The Game of Death",

'albeit in controlled, nascent bursts,

'is Bruce Lee's imagination given free rein.

'At the story's core,

'the far-fetched notion of the remote ancient temple guarded by expert fighters,

'whose lives solely revolve around mastering their craft in solitude

'while fending off the occasional intruder,

'is one steeped in a mythic, almost dream-like illogic.

'Would Lee have clarified the practicalities

'of such an unlikely arrangement in a finished script had he lived?

'Unlikely.

'Some have even compared "The Game of Death"

'to Lee's script for "The Silent Flute" from 1970,

'a tale much more driven by esoteric philosophical ideas

'and 1960s psychedelia

'than anything he would subsequently film in Hong Kong.

'Whether due to the low budgets offered by Golden Harvest

'or simply changing tastes on his part,

'Bruce only teases at the otherworldly potential of his storyline.

'Any philosophical breakthroughs in the script are purely subtextual

'and left to the audience's imagination.

'However, one brief series of setups during the filming of this scene

'offer two tantalising glimpses of the fantastical nature

'of the Guardian of the Unknown,

'unremarked upon in the script or anywhere in Lee's notes.

'The first occurs after Hai Tien has kicked the Guardian's sunglasses

'from his face, leaving him blinded and cowering in the safety of the dark.

'Lee and Nishimoto shoot three takes of a point-of-view shot

'filmed from the Guardian's perspective.

'The initial take is filmed with a red filter,

'almost as if the Guardian's eyes are being flooded with ultraviolet light.

'On the second and third takes, the filter is removed.

'Whether this means the red filter was an experiment that was swiftly abandoned

'or if Lee was simply covering his bases by filming the scene both ways,

'we will never know.

'However, Bruce attempts another experiment

'as he films a close-up of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's eyes.

'Abdul-Jabbar poses static for the camera in the single take.

'Then, in probably the most mysterious piece of footage

'filmed for "The Game of Death",

'a still image of Abdul-Jabbar's face is filmed with serpentine, mutant eyes

'painted on top of his own.

'How Lee would have incorporated this twist, what it means,

'and whether it would have even been used at all,

'is, again, unknown.

'The shot is reminiscent of the reveal of the father's eyes

'in the dream scene from "Rosemary's Baby",

'directed by Lee's friend, Roman Polanski,

'and a supernatural, perhaps even vampiric element seems inevitable,

'given the character's super strength and aversion to light.

'But with little else to contextualise it,

'the shot of the eyes has often been omitted

'from assemblies of the footage altogether.

'As the confrontation hurtles towards its final act,

'Lee writes more dialogue for him and Abdul-Jabbar,

'including a call-back to their earlier exchange,

'as he pleads for common sense from the Guardian:

"'Why continue? Just let me pass."

'Abdul-Jabbar's tired response, delivered through halting breaths,

'confirms his character's acceptance of his impending fate:

"'You have forgotten that I, too, am not bothered by the word 'death'."

'And so begins their final battle,

'the last of three ground-game fights peppered throughout the scene.

'The first, early on, signalled Hai Tien's awareness

'that he would have to drastically change his strategy

'in order to continue the fight following a failed attempt at a leglock.

'The second, midway through,

'comes as another attempt to defeat the Guardian at floor level

'almost leads to Hai Tien's defeat,

'before he accidentally knocks out one of the windows.

'Finally, with the Guardian subdued,

'Hai Tien is able to topple the giant to his level,

'and with extreme effort finally chokes him out.

'After five days of exhausting filming on a hot, sweaty soundstage,

'the fight in the Hall of the Unknown wraps filming.

'Kareem Abdul-Jabbar flies back to the United States

'in anticipation of another record-breaking season

'playing for the Milwaukee Bucks.

'The following summer, he is en route to Hong Kong to see his friend again,

'when, flying through Singapore, he receives the terrible news

'that Bruce is gone.

'Though he did not continue training in martial arts after Bruce's death,

'Kareem Abdul-Jabbar appeared in a variety of cameo appearances

'in films such as "Airplane!" and "Fletch",

'all while maintaining a record-breaking NBA basketball career

'until his retirement in 1989.

'Now aged 75, he remains today a prolific author

'and a passionate, outspoken advocate of social and racial justice,

'and in 2016 was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom

'by President Barack Obama. '

'Two weeks later,

'Bruce and his crew returned to the same soundstage,

'now redressed into the third floor of the pagoda, the Hall of the Tiger.

'The first two days of filming are largely dedicated

'to a fight scene never seen before and long presumed lost

'until now.

'As cameras roll on September 25th,

'we see James Tien, his scheming character alive and well,

'little knowing his doom is still two floors ahead.

'The actor joining him, carrying the large pole,

'is stuntman turned actor, Chieh Yuan.

'The actor waiting for them, sitting in a chair, is Dan Inosanto.

'Though there are no script notes to indicate this,

'we can infer from his late arrival that Bruce's character, Hai Tien,

'is busy fighting the Guardian of the second floor of the pagoda,

'an expert in Praying Mantis Kung Fu.

'Born in 1945 to a Chinese family living in Malaysia,

'Chieh Yuan had already firmly established himself for five years

'as an in-demand stuntman at Shaw Brothers

'since first appearing in their record-breaking hit,

"'The One-Armed Swordsman".

'His role in "The Game of Death", originally intended

for then up-and-coming Golden Harvest fight choreographer Sammo Hung,

'is of another one of the fighters

'sent by the Korean mobster to raid the pagoda.

'His character, unnamed except for "Chieh" in Bruce's notes,

'is immediately contrasted with James Tien's.

'Dressed in traditional black karate gi clothing,

'Chieh's headstrong and less sophisticated character

'is cannily manipulated by the stylish James Tien,

'who continually goads him to run into the path of danger first.

'The log fight,

'as it has become known to legions of Bruce Lee fans over the years,

'has never been incorporated into any edited assembly

'of "The Game of Death" footage before.

'As Chieh wields the large pole, picked up, allegedly,

'from a display of weapons held on the second floor of the pagoda,

'Dan's character is unfazed as he picks up the two much smaller sticks

'known in the Philippines as kali, or arnis.

'Dan begins to tap an insistent, nagging melody using the kali,

'taunting Tien and Yuan by repeating it over and over.

'Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap, tap-tap.

'Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap, tap-tap.

'The origin of this melody dates back to Bruce and Dan's early friendship.

'It was the secret knock they devised

'for entrance to the Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute

'the pair opened in the Chinatown area of Los Angeles in 1967.

'Having only appeared on camera once before

'as a fight double in an episode of "The Green Hornet" opposite Bruce,

'Dan's character in "The Game of Death" is the Guardian of the pagoda's third floor.

'Expert in the art of eskrima stick fighting from the Philippines.

'The third-floor Guardian's red headband and open-chested black shirt

'indicate he is a Moro,

'one of the Muslim communities native to the southern Philippines.

'As Chieh turns to James Tien, intimidated by Dan's display of force,

'James Tien snorts derisively, provoking Chieh to continue.

'Born to Filipino parents in Stockton, California in 1936,

'Dan Inosanto began learning karate at the age of 11,

'and by the time he met Bruce Lee at Long Beach in 1964

'was already proficient in a range of different fighting techniques,

'learning from an eclectic mix of masters and teachers.

'His deftness at combining different methods greatly influenced Bruce

'as he developed Jeet Kune Do,

'and soon Dan became one of only three Jeet Kune Do instructors

'personally appointed by Bruce.

'Chieh turns to Tien for guidance.

'Tien goads him to proceed, telling him:

"'Don't let him psyche you out."

'As with the fight with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar,

'the message is that it's not the size of the fighter

'or their chosen weapon that counts,

'but rather the skill and strategy with which they attack.

'This fight philosophy unfolds through numerous stages,

'and with the log fight footage found again,

'we get a much clearer view of what Lee strived for.

'In many ways, the Hall of the Tiger sequence expands on the Colosseum fight

'from "The Way of the Dragon".

'That classic confrontation between Lee and Chuck Norris

'progressed in two phases.

'The first had Lee attempting to match Norris' hard style of traditional karate

'but coming up short.

'But on the second phase, Lee overcomes his mammoth opponent

'through Jeet Kune Do's ethos of adaptability and flexibility,

'visually signified by the Ali shuffle in his footwork

'and an overall unpredictability of movement

'that doesn't fit with any traditional martial system.

'In the Hall of the Tiger sequence,

'this philosophy is expressed through four phases.

'Each one has its own sub-phases

'that unveil a more nuanced expression of Lee's martial ethos,

'while never losing sight of entertaining his audience.

'In particular, Lee had a keen sense of storytelling

'and understood that for action to not be monotonous,

'danger and escalation were key to gripping the viewers' attention.

'Phase one is entirely dedicated to Chieh Yuan,

'as he attempts to bypass the third-floor Guardian.

'He strikes at Inosanto with a large log,

'and does so with appropriate gusto, desperate to prove his worth.

'But Chieh's chosen weapon proves too unwieldy

'for the dexterity and speed of the Guardian's duo eskrima sticks.

'Chieh Yuan switches gears and resorts to empty-hand combat.

'Inosanto discards his own weapons

'and employs kenpo karate to take down his foolhardy opponent.

'The first day's filming ends,

'and after a one-day break from shooting for reasons unknown,

'the second day, Wednesday 27th September,

'begins with one more take of the same shot.

'This entire first phase perfectly establishes

'Dan Inosanto's formidable martial prowess

'in both armed and then unarmed combat.

'But these two skillsets are presented in isolation from each other,

'separated by the third-level Guardian's pride in his own abilities.

'With this information brought to light, Lee as a choreographer and director

'also smartly foreshadows Inosanto's limitation.

'Phase two, and it is James Tien's turn.

'He pulls out his own stick, wanting to fight Inosanto at his own game.

'Unlike the brash Chieh,

'Tien is more cautious and takes a more defensive approach.

'But as soon as he uses any offensive manoeuvre,

'he falters.

'Though it is only onscreen for a fraction of a second,

'the slate seen at the beginning of the next take

'shows an important milestone.

'For the very first time, the title written at the top,

'as opposed to "audition" or "Yellow-Faced Tiger",

'is "The Game of Death".

'Many martial arts that specialise in weapons

'lay the claim that any object held should be an extension of one's body.

'If this is the case, the Tien versus Inosanto bout

'has them wield only a single arm each.

'It is only when Inosanto gains a second stick

'that the tides turn in his favour.

'As in phase one, a nuance is at play here.

'Are these sticks extensions of the third Guardian's body?

'Or are they simply chains that restrict it?

'These questions will later be answered once Inosanto faces our main hero.

'Day three of filming, and Bruce Lee finally makes his appearance,

'marking the beginning of phase three.

'Our hero presents his own extended limb,

'a wiry, emerald-hue bamboo stick.

'After reacting to James Tien,

'who is still nursing his wounded pride on the floor,

'Bruce turns to Dan Inosanto

'and speaks his first line of dialogue in the scene:

"'Do you speak any English?"

'Like the scenes opposite Kareem Abdul-Jabbar,

'Bruce films all of his dialogue with Dan Inosanto in English

'even as other actors in the film, like James Tien,

'speak Cantonese on set,

'and in one later instance, Korean.

'Dan Inosanto responds:

"'Of course I speak English."

'Bruce looks down at the wounded Chieh as he says to Dan:

"'I hope you don't mind us moving our man,

"'so that the two of us will have more room to groove."

'Dan accepts, with one condition:

"'But have your men stay as far away from that stairway as possible."

'The idea that the three of them could ambush the third-floor Guardian,

'or, indeed, any of the adversaries in the pagoda

'is seemingly out of the question.

'Like the Colosseum in "The Way of the Dragon",

'the rules of combat apply,

'and to break them, even during a heist, is to lose face.

'Though films made in Hong Kong in 1972

'were overwhelmingly distributed in Mandarin,

'in contrast to the Cantonese language

'more commonly spoken by Hong Kongers

'that had yet to reassert itself in the cultural mainstream,

'it was not unknown for films made in Hong Kong to feature English as well,

'especially as the country was still under British colonial rule.

'Bruce himself had even dubbed the voices

'of English-speaking characters in the original Mandarin dub tracks

'for "Fist of Fury" and "The Way of the Dragon".

'But whether the English dialogue in "The Game of Death"

'would have been maintained for its original release in Hong Kong

'if it had ever been finished, we will never know.

'Inosanto attempts to intimidate our hero

'by swinging both sticks in flashy and perfectly coordinated figures of eight,

'a physical declaration of war, if you will.

'But, unlike James Tien,

'Lee has no intention of matching Inosanto's fighting repertoire,

'or, as he dubs it later, a rehearsed routine.

'Before battle commences,

'Bruce allows himself one more lengthy line of dialogue

'that serves partly as a warning to Inosanto,

'but also as a summation of the film's themes and Jeet Kune Do in general:

"'You know, baby...

"'this bamboo is longer,

"'more flexible and very much alive.

"'And when your flashy routine

"'cannot keep up with the speed and elusiveness of this thing here,

"'all I can is that you're gonna be in deep trouble."

'The third-floor Guardian does not heed his warning.

'He taps his teasing beat once more, and says:

"'That we will have to find out."

'Lee's dialogue stresses the importance of the speed and elusiveness

'of his chosen weapon.

'He simply holds the bamboo stick over his head in a striking pose,

'not a fighting stance from any traditional martial art,

'but a personal stamp to the physical dynamism burning to be released.

'And as these two warriors collide, we see this dynamism in a single strike.

'Efficient and non-complex,

'Lee strikes his bamboo stick akin to the snap of his famous backfist.

'Suddenly, Inosanto's flashy routine unveils its restrictive nature.

'Two hefty sticks simply can't keep up with the fast whipping motion

'of one thin and more elusive stick.

'In addition, the defensive stance of crossing two sticks

'proves to also be futile.

'Hai Tien, using the bamboo stick like a whip,

'strikes the third-floor Guardian on the forehead,

'branding him with the first of two scars.

'He taunts him further

'with another line of dialogue expressing his and Bruce's martial philosophy:

"'I'm telling you, it's difficult to have a rehearsed routine to fit in with.

"'Broken rhythm."

'Already, one of our questions from phase two is answered.

'The swinging duo sticks are indeed extensions of Inosanto's body,

'and we can see the years of drilling these patterns

'have concocted a powerful formula, but only to a point.

'Once Inosanto becomes reliant on that formula,

'he corners himself from expressing these objects

'in any other way.

'The sticks are no longer extensions of his body, but chains.

'Or, as Bruce taunts him further:

"'You see? A rehearsed routine lacks the flexibility to adapt."

'As Bruce effortlessly steals one of the Guardian's kali sticks

'and bobs and weaves,

'Bruce adds another line of dialogue not found in his original script notes.

'Reading his lips, he appears to say:

"'It's a challenge, isn't it?

"'When bamboo strikes, it's a sword."

'Others have interpreted the line differently,

'and on the second take, it could be argued that he says:

"'When bamboo strikes, it's hard."

'It is at this point the fight switches gear, and a fourth phase commences.

'To counter such an elusive and unpredictable opponent,

'Inosanto employs the nunchaku,

'a weapon derived from Okinawa

'where two sticks are joined by a chain or cord.

'He swings and waves it with a dextrous, flashy blur,

'even more so than his eskrima sticks,

'perhaps to demonstrate that he can be just as flexible and unpredictable.

'Hai Tien gives his two companions a signal to approach

'and give him something he'd passed to James Tien earlier on:

'a black leather sleeve, perhaps picked up from the floor below,

'containing his own set of nunchaku.

'Of course, Lee is undeterred,

'and as if to meet his opponent halfway,

'he demonstrates his own mastery of the nunchaku.

'Day four of filming the scene

'begins with the Guardian's stunned response to Hai Tien's skills,

'to which Bruce cheekily responds: "Surprised?"

'Both warriors give further demonstrations,

'circling each other in a sort of pre-battle ritual.

'But this nunchaku versus nunchaku section

'was not just a novel way to escalate the conflict.

'It was another chance for Lee to hammer home his martial ethos.

'Seemingly similar in the way they wield their weapons,

'on closer inspection, both warriors carry over their physical ticks and traits

'from the previous phase.

'Inosanto swings his nunchakus around his body

'much in the same way as his eskrima sticks,

'showing he's unable to break away from the codified system

'he trained his body so well in.

'Lee, on the other hand, employs the freestyle movements

from his bamboo stick swings and strikes,

'even carrying over his cheeky taunts.

'The nunchaku used during the making of "The Game of Death"

'are custom-made by Bruce's friends, Taky Kimura and George Lee.

'For scenes in which Dan and Bruce merely pose with the weapons,

'allowing the audience a close look,

'authentic lacquered wood versions are used for maximum realism.

'For shots such as this, where there is a risk of injury,

'a backup set likely made of foam rubber is used,

'allowing for multiple takes to be filmed

'even if the sticks make contact with someone's face.

'Bruce had already popularised the use of nunchaku onscreen

'in "Fist of Fury" and "The Way of the Dragon",

'and had been introduced to them in 1964 by Dan Inosanto.

'According to Dan, Bruce thought the chain sticks

'were a worthless piece of junk when they were first handed to him,

'but within three months, he was, in Dan's words,

"'swinging them like he'd been doing it for a lifetime."

'His pose after licking the tip of one of the nunchaku sticks

'is even reminiscent of the beginning of the fight

'where he held the bamboo over his head.

'Again, not an indicator of being trapped in a rigid system,

'but showing one's personal stamp within another system of combat.

'The other noticeable difference is that Lee is working with his entire body.

'He isn't just swinging the nunchakus in isolation.

'He bounces and pops as he moves from one spot to the other.

'It is as if something within him is about to burst,

'showing his unpredictability as a fighter,

'but also that individualistic screen charisma that Bruce Lee oozed.

'But it is also here that the other nuance from an earlier phase comes into play.

'As mentioned in phase one,

'Inosanto's character is shown to be proficient

'in both armed and unarmed combat.

'Both categories are demonstrated in isolation.

'However, up till this point,

'we truly see that he is unable to merge these two together.

'A skilful man indeed,

'but unable to mix things up and truly be present in the moment

'and react according to spontaneity.

'In comparison, Lee employed numerous bursts of hook and spin kicks

'in conjunction with his nunchaku strikes,

'thus showing his character's adaptability and versatility in combat.

'Lee is broken rhythm personified, unique and truly present.

'Because to possess broken rhythm is to be present in the moment,

'reacting fast and well enough

'to whatever life throws at him.

'While a weapons versus weapons fight was nothing new for a Bruce Lee film,

'whether it was the nunchaku versus sword battle in "Fist of Fury",

'the nunchaku versus switchblade fight in "The Way of the Dragon"

'or even just the knife fights in "The Big Boss",

'it perhaps seems inevitable that he would choreograph a fight

'where both opponents wield the weapon that was swiftly becoming his trademark.

'Granted, a majority of the fight becomes a matter

of defence over offence because of this,

'but it gives a more unique spin on a Bruce Lee fight in the long run.

'It's well documented that Inosanto was Lee's teacher of the weapon,

'so, of course, by Lee casting Inosanto in the nunchaku fight,

'it becomes a direct case of the student becoming the master.

'But, as emphasised by Lee's strong eye for the camera,

'his approach to certain nunchaku manoeuvres,

'such as stance-shifting,

'is shown to have more of a flourish to them than Inosanto's.

'Inosanto, or rather the third-floor Guardian,

'tends to stay hand-locked when shifting from shoulder to shoulder,

'guarded and stiff,

'while Lee as Hai Tien goes for the over-the-shoulder swings,

'more casual and exhibitionist.

'At last, the Guardian's nunchaku connects with Hai Tien's face.

'And he allows himself a brief moment of self-congratulation, as he says:

"'How do you like that...?"

'But he hasn't even finished his sentence

'before Bruce strikes him square in the nose

'and mimics his words back to him, retaining the upper hand.

'If there was ever any doubt about who was truly in control of this situation,

'we now know for sure.

'And as the formerly unflappable Guardian

'looks increasingly angry and frustrated, we sense his doom approaches.

'The last day of filming the Hall of the Tiger

'begins as Bruce Lee reprises his Ali shuffle,

'Hai Tien toying with his foe.

'As filming on the Hall of the Tiger approaches its end,

'one of the final displays of nunchaku mastery from Lee

'takes no less than ten takes to get right.

'While he already showed earlier signs of perfectionism

'in the filming of this scene and the Hall of the Unknown,

'some may read this fastidiousness as a sign

'as to how much harder Bruce was going to be on himself in the months to come

'to make sure he got everything down to no less than perfect.

'Having played the Guardian at his own game of death for long enough,

'Hai Tien knocks him to the floor with another one of Bruce Lee's trademarks,

'the triple spin kick, as demonstrated in his three previous films,

'not least the scene in "Fist of Fury"

'where he takes on a dojo of Japanese karate fighters,

'also armed with a nunchaku,

'using one of their own weapons against them.

'In the end, Lee takes his opponent's life,

'albeit more willingly than he did Chuck Norris in "The Way of the Dragon",

'though we do see the briefest pause as his character soaks in his deed.

'Is it regret?

'Perhaps a growing weariness?

'It's vague, yet no less compelling,

'and just another example of Lee's unique screen presence at play.

'As behind the scenes

'Lee tries to assemble a cast for the next round of filming,

'sending Taky Kimura a plane ticket so he can fly from Seattle to Hong Kong

'in a couple of weeks to play the second-floor Guardian,

'the Hall of the Tiger shoot ends as Lee, Chieh Yuan and James Tien

'all ascend the fake stairway to nowhere.

'In a letter, in which he also tells Kimura

'to bring his "old and blue classical gung fu uniform", Lee says:

"'If something comes up, I will call you personally.

"'If not, I will see you upon your arrival on or around October 8th."

'But Kimura is forced to cancel his trip to Hong Kong,

'and filming on "The Game of Death" will not resume

'for almost another month.

'During shooting, the set for "The Game of Death"

'regularly receives a number of friendly visitors,

'among them King Hu, former collaborator of Tadashi Nishimoto,

'and, of course, Bruce's wife Linda,

'often with their children Brandon and Shannon in tow.

'But it is during the filming of the Hall of the Tiger sequence

'that Bruce receives a visit from Fred Weintraub,

'an old friend from the States and an up-and-coming executive

'at Warner Bros.

'Fred comes with stunning news.

'Warner are offering Bruce the lead role in a new feature film.

'It will be filmed in Hong Kong,

'but is unmistakably a Hollywood production

'with the budget, resources and wide distribution

'only a major studio can afford.

'The script goes through several names in preproduction,

'before settling on Bruce's own preferred title:

"Enter the Dragon".

'It is the biggest opportunity of Bruce's career,

'the one he's been chasing for years.

'And it is the catalyst that seals the fate of not just "The Game of Death",

'but perhaps Bruce himself. '

'In October, 1972,

'early negotiations take place between Warner Bros. and Concord Productions

'for the film that will eventually become "Enter the Dragon".

'Its production not yet an assured outcome,

'Bruce continues work on "The Game of Death",

'drawing upon the Golden Harvest talent pool

'to cast Hai Tien's next opponent,

'the Guardian of the Hall of the Dragon, the fourth floor of the pagoda.

'Ji Han-jae was born in 1936 in Andong, South Korea.

'Already an eighth-dan black belt by his early twenties,

'in 1957 he combined all of his knowledge into a hybrid form

'he called hapkido.

'Though some dispute whether Ji actually invented hapkido,

'it cannot be argued that he was foremost in promoting and teaching it

'far and wide,

'eventually founding the Korea Hapkido Association in 1965.

'Bruce Lee first met Ji Han-jae in 1969,

'when the latter was in the United States

'to teach hapkido to members of the Secret Service

'and other branches of the US government,

'including President Richard Nixon's security detail.

'While staying at Andrews Air Force Base,

'a mutual friend, taekwondo grandmaster Jhoon Rhee,

'introduced the pair, and Lee asked Ji to teach him some moves.

'In 1972, Golden Harvest director Huang Feng

'recruits Ji, along with his right-hand man Hwang In-shik,

'to train the cast of his upcoming film, "Hapkido".

'Ji and Hwang also play roles in the film,

'and it is on the set at Golden Harvest Studios

'where Ji once again makes the acquaintance of Bruce Lee,

'who is filming "The Way of the Dragon" at the same time.

'Bruce enlists Hwang In-shik's services as an actor on "The Way of the Dragon",

'playing a Japanese fighter near the end of the film,

'and soon enough, he has offered both Hwang and Ji acting roles

'in "The Game of Death".

'Hwang's role is the Guardian of the first floor of the pagoda,

'but other than some exterior footage we'll discuss later,

'his scenes never make it before a camera.

'Ji Han-jae, on the other hand, plays the Guardian of the fourth floor,

'and as it happens,

'his is the last of the major fight scenes for "The Game of Death"

'that Bruce Lee ever lives to film.

'Filming resumes on October 22nd,

'exactly where we left off nearly a month prior,

'with Bruce Lee, James Tien and Chieh Yuan

'ascending the stairs and arriving at the Hall of the Dragon,

'a level in which the action demonstrates

'some Lee's most inventive and imaginative choreography.

'To begin our breakdown with Lee's choreographic approach,

'we must look at one aspect often overlooked:

'the space.

'For the second time, the soundstage is redressed to differentiate it

'from the previous two levels already shot,

'and it is for this level Lee opted for a more visually off-kilter look.

'As mentioned previously,

'the somewhat illogical and dreamlike setting of "The Game of Death"

'has often been compared to a previously scrapped project of Lee's,

"'The Silent Flute".

'In that film, Lee would mix his esoteric philosophical ideas

'with 1960s psychedelia.

'This creative impulse is most pronounced in this fourth level,

'where the overall art direction leans towards more otherworldly sensibilities.

'We immediately see this as Ji Han-jae emerges behind a ghostly, white veil

'his gi seamed with gold lapels

'and, wrapped around his waist, an equally blinding gold belt.

'They constantly glimmer in the light, almost as if to distort the senses

'of anyone who lays eyes on this Guardian.

'Even Ji's choice to drench the room with a harsh red light

'evokes a mildly psychedelic sensation.

'The red light is explained in the fourth-floor Guardian's

'only major line of dialogue, written by Bruce as follows:

"'As you gentlemen know, red spells danger.

"'Therefore I advise you people not to step into this warning arena.

"'If you want to go on living, stop here and go back downstairs.

"'Life is precious."

'In a moment, you'll see a break in the action

'when Chieh Yuan charges at Ji.

'The ensuing fight in which Ji easily beats both Chieh and James Tien

'is not filmed until three days later, on October 25th.

'Was the fight filmed on the 22nd and deemed insufficient,

'having to be reshot later?

'No footage survives to corroborate this theory.

'Instead, we return to a similar angle,

'where Chieh and Tien rub their wounds

'as Lee approaches Ji for his turn at combat.

'The Hall of the Dragon marks a significant departure for Lee,

'as the choreography would involve heavy amounts

'of locks, throws and grapples.

'As a screen fighter, Lee was primarily a striker,

'given his roots in Wing Chun

'and his later employment of more boxing fundamentals

'in his Jeet Kune Do.

'Employing Ji Han-jae's specific hapkido skills

'show's Lee's ongoing impetus to widen his cinematic martial vocabulary.

'It was clearly a challenge, as, unlike Inosanto and Abdul-Jabbar,

'Ji Han-jae was not someone Lee had trained extensively with.

'As such, there was a lack of familiarity

'with how they would move with one another.

'Of course, Lee was no less tenacious in wanting to create a spectacular duel

'while also keeping true to his philosophy,

'and it shows with take after take,

'experimentation after experimentation,

'all to best capture this clash of martial bodies.

'Lee is most renowned for his martial arts ability on and off the screen,

'and rightfully so.

'But this iconic status,

'coupled with the often critical dismissal of kung fu cinema

'often belied his skills as a cinematic storyteller.

'Many forget that Lee was an actor first,

'and appreciated the craftsmanship of American and Japanese filmmakers.

'In fact, he believed the Hong Kong film industry

'should employ the same standard of artistry

'if it were to compete with the worldwide circuit.

'We can see this incentive at work as Lee gained more creative control,

'and it's particularly true in this penultimate duel.

'The first day's filming concludes with Bruce's first blow against Ji,

'shot at a number of speeds over multiple takes.

'When Lee first approaches Ji, he raises one hand to his opponent.

'The pose is a peculiar amalgamation of a fighting stance

'and a gesture to beckon his opponent to attack.

'It becomes obvious that Lee must make the first move.

'With the most deliberate pace,

'Lee retracts his hand and eventually reaches a crescendo,

'that being a dynamic roundhouse kick.

'To quote his choreography notes,

'he "relaxes, smiles, and puts his hand back,

"'and while keeping his smile,

"'initiates a lightning right finger-jab feint,

"'follows instantaneously with a low-high hook kick

"'with fluid speed, intense grace and powerful one, two, three."

'Each gesture and movement are simple by design,

'but when utilised with the correct intent and rhythm, as Lee does,

'it effectively establishes the narrative conflict

'and adds a level of anticipation and suspense.

'Through these rushes,

'we not only see the breakdown of Lee's choreographic decisions,

'but also his directorial decisions and his approach to storytelling.

'It must be stressed that these are rushes, after all,

'far away from being a completed and refined product.

'But as with the previous two levels involving Inosanto and Abdul-Jabbar,

'there is enough evidence here to show Lee wanting to elevate

'what would be another one-on-one martial arts duel.

'Structurally, the Hall of the Dragon

'is no different to the Hall of the Tiger and the Hall of the Unknown,

'but they all possess their own key characteristic

'that influences the action unfolding at their centres.

'That characteristic could be obtrusive,

'like the darkness in the Abdul-Jabbar fight,

'or insidious like the harsh red light in this one.

'But given the planned order of these three levels,

'we do get a sense that the higher we climb the pagoda,

'the more otherworldly the surroundings become.

'All this is further evidence that, for Lee,

'the choreography isn't just about the interaction between two individuals,

'it is also the interaction with the space,

'and how the action escalates when said space changes.

'The second day's filming begins with the second angle,

'only this time shot at regular speed.

'Two takes of an additional angle

'will also be filmed as part of the pickup filming three days later.

'If this feint is intended to demonstrate

'Hai Tien's canniness and unpredictability,

'then the next shot shows that he will have his work cut out for him,

'as Ji lands gracefully and regains his fighting stance,

'seemingly unphased.

'Another aspect of Lee's choreography is the camerawork.

'Many fans and critics championed his naturalistic approach

'to capturing fight scenes,

'specifically the use of a wide-angle lens,

'which represents the audience's objective standpoint,

'a clear window that authenticates the physical abilities being exhibited.

'This is certainly true,

'but also an oversimplification of Lee's creative stamp.

'Much credit goes to the film's cinematographer, Tadashi Nishimoto,

'for injecting such visual dynamism in each of these wide shots.

'But it's when the camera moves, even slightly,

'that it becomes a third participant in Lee's choreography.

'A good example would be the shaky point-of-view shot of Ji Han-jae

'as he kicks Bruce back to the floor,

'an impressionistic design choice

'showing what it would be like to be on the receiving end of such a blow.

'And it's no accident that we are seeing this through the hero's eyes.

'For this reason, we, as an audience,

'are both Bruce Lee's observer and his advocate.

'Further evidence of this would be when Lee circles around his opponent.

'He extends out one arm to keep his distance,

'all the while searching for a way in for his next strike.

'Here, the camera moves in tandem with Lee,

'capturing not only his movement, but also his screen energy,

'and we, as an audience, are pulled in by this energy,

'which ultimately helps us identify with Lee's character.

'With these creative choices highlighted,

'it becomes apparent that the camerawork has two functions.

'It is objective in capturing the authenticity

'of highly skilled bodies in motion,

'but it's also subjective in capturing the unfolding story

'and the emotional content of our hero.

'At this point in the narrative,

'we've become well acquainted with James Tien's scheming ways.

'But this isn't an exercise in repetition.

'Tien's underhand method to reach the top level

'becomes a recurring character trait that we, as an audience, take notice of.

'This links directly with two narrative plants

'that also occur in this fourth-level bout.

'We see a break in between the action

'where James Tien convinces Chieh Yuan

'to clear his way to the top level.

'In the dialogue in Lee's script notes, Tien says:

"'You are my brother.

"'I will let you do this first deed of merit.

"'You go ahead. I wish you success."

'Lee fails to stop Chieh from ascending the stairway,

'and as Ji Han-jae runs forward,

'presumably in his own attempt to stop Chieh,

'Hai Tien unleashes a multitude of snapping side kicks towards him.

'The violence is interrupted once again,

'when Chieh is thrown back down to the fourth level

'by an unknown assailant.

'It is here the audience will gasp and question

'what powerful individual could be guarding the fifth and final level.

'We obviously know that the assailant is Kareem Abdul-Jabbar,

'but in this unfolding story,

'this moment of dark humour interrupts the danger happening onscreen

'by foreshadowing a larger danger ahead.

'Some fans have speculated

'that Chieh Yuan did not in fact perform the jump,

'in spite of his considerable experience as a stuntman,

'largely due to on-set photographs

'showing Hwang In-shik dressed in Chieh's character's clothing.

'In fact, we can clearly see Chieh's face in the flashes between takes,

'proving he did indeed make the fall himself.

'However, he is doubled by Hwang In-shik elsewhere in this scene,

'and his lifeless corpse, seen later on,

'is in fact doubled by Bruce's long-time friend and housekeeper, Wu Ngan.

'Regardless of Chieh's fate and the ease with which his dead body

'has been thrown back down to the floor below,

'James Tien's ruthless ambition to reach the top floor has not dimmed one iota.

'And as we already know,

'that ambition will soon prove to be his downfall.

'In the following sequence, we see Tien trying to sneak over to the stairway.

'However, he is quickly stopped and knocked down by Ji.

'What follows this is another silent, humorous exchange,

'as Lee gestures Tien to stand aside, almost like a parent figure

'ordering a mischievous child to stand in the corner.

'Bruce Lee had many misgivings about Hong Kong's filmmaking practices,

'in particular the overabundance of classical shapes

'and the dance-like choreography

'in the contemporary crop of martial arts pictures.

'The visual rhythm was overly rehearsed and tiresome,

'the same old tune played over and over.

'His own brand of choreography was a direct reaction to this.

'Based on the ethos of his Jeet Kune Do,

'Lee wanted to present the spontaneity of real-life combat,

'the practicality and improvisation involved

'when using the body as a weapon,

'and the emotional volcano that erupts whenever that weapon is swung.

'He strived for a visual rhythm that didn't follow a set pattern,

'rather something that constantly breaks and resets that pattern.

'We have seen this already

'when after reacting to Chieh Yuan's fall from the top floor,

'Lee attempts to strike Ji Han-jae,

'but the current of Ji's hapkido throws proves too overwhelming.

'After a brief respite,

'Lee manages to adapt and overcome Ji's throws,

'riding his opponent's current before landing two clean strikes,

'one in the rib and the other in the groin,

'just like the willow tree riding with the wind

'in the film's planned opening.

'As mentioned, Lee disliked the dance-like martial spectacles of the time.

'But that doesn't mean his own kung fu spectacles weren't musically inclined.

'Any type of choreography is still a composition of moments,

'a through line where one's emotional content is being expressed.

'It's a whimsical, even overly romantic cliche

'that martial arts are often compared to music.

'But just like music,

'martial arts screen fighting employs a rhythm and song-like structure

'to captivate its audience.

'In these rushes, we get a real sense of Lee's distinctive rhythm

'and its role in advancing the characters and story.

'The actual movements themselves

'are indeed an impressive collage of Lee's cinematic violence.

'However, these are just the high and powerful notes of a chorus,

'and a chorus is never continuous.

'There needs to be build-up, quiet melodies in between the violence

'that allow the emotional content to unfold,

'or, in musical terms,

'the verse that unfolds a song's story and theme.

'It is in these quiet moments we latch to Lee's point of view,

'his emotional disposition in the stillness,

'as he re-evaluates the circumstances around him.

'These will be the vital springboards

'to the next barrage of punches and kicks.

'In many ways,

'these have more to do with Lee's acting ability than his martial ability,

'and it's largely the reason why his would-be imitators

'fail to recapture his uniqueness.

'As we return to the advancing stage of the bout,

'we see James Tien's second attempt to reach the top level.

'This time, he succeeds.

'However, as we are already privy to,

'the Guardian of the Unknown proves far too formidable.

'Tien's actions in the fourth level provide story context

'to the fifth-level material already shot.

'So when he finally faces the Guardian of the Unknown,

'it is actually a character payoff,

'that being the comeuppance for his scheming ways.

'The events as noted will directly impact the actions in the fourth level,

'as we get another break in between the Lee versus Ji bout.

'Dust falls on Hai Tien's head,

'and in a point-of-view shot, we see the ceiling shake.

'Again, a narrative plant is signposted for the audience.

'This time, the falling dust is a visual foreshadowing

'of the enormous ability and power the fifth-level Guardian has.

'The amount of narrative and philosophical cogs at work here

'makes Bruce Lee's choreography all the more impressive,

'and a strong indication that he was thinking far beyond

'wanting to flex fancy shapes.

'Punches and kicks weren't just random movements to Lee.

'They were choices of how to display his fighting philosophy effectively.

'Likewise, there was no dead space in between the violence,

'as they would provide the characters' emotional content

'in forward momentum to the story.

'This is arguably the key component in Lee's philosophy,

'as it allows the audience to emotionally connect

'with these spectacular fighting bodies.

'In an interview with Pierre Burton, Lee commented:

"'It is easy for me to put on a show and be cocky.

"'I can show you some really fancy movements.

"'But to express oneself honestly is very hard to do."

'Applying this quote too literally would be missing the point,

'especially on such an exaggerated premise as "The Game of Death"'s.

'But the honest expression doesn't come from the premise,

'nor the character Lee's playing.

'After all, it's all make-believe.

'But make-believe is not his voice,

'but a vessel for his voice to reach his audience.

'As such, to honestly express oneself

'is to resonate with some form of truthful human connection.

'Even within the exaggerated backdrop,

'we see Lee as always trying to find these moments

'to truly connect with us, the audience.

'And if an emotion stirs within us,

'then, in that sense, his expression is most certainly truthful and honest.

'As we see Hai Tien reacting to the sound of James Tien

'screaming for help from the floor above,

'the final stage of his bout with Ji Han-jae commences.

'Both men trade a series of kicks,

'before Lee's attempt to subdue Ji results in getting kicked in the face.

'As both men lie on the floor, exhausted,

'Hai Tien backs off and considers his next move.

'Over the years, rumours have swirled that Bruce Lee was unhappy

'with the Hall of the Dragon footage,

'whether it was dissatisfaction with his own choreography

'or Ji Han-jae's performance.

'Nothing, however, that can be corroborated through interviews,

'Lee's notes or anything we see in the footage itself.

'Indeed, we frequently see Lee smiling and in a positive mood

'in the flashes between takes

'as well as the photographs taken on set by Chan Yuk.

'It's not out of the question that the Hall of the Dragon shoot

'may have been more challenging than the filming of the other two levels,

'if only because in comparison to Dan Inosanto and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar,

'close friends with whom Bruce had trained for years,

'Ji was a relative stranger who spoke little to no English,

'making the process of getting a performance from him

'more difficult by comparison.

'Furthermore, while Ji's hapkido skills are beyond reproach,

'and he is obviously capable of matching Bruce blow for blow,

'there's inarguably something lacking in the Hall of the Dragon

'compared to the other two levels,

'a real sense of menace or palpable threat.

'Regardless, despite persistent rumours

'that Bruce wanted to reshoot the scene entirely,

'some say with another actor playing the role of the fourth-floor Guardian,

'the fact remains that there is no evidence to corroborate this.

'And in any event, what we see now is all there is,

'and all there will ever be.

'As the scene nears its end,

'both men are covered with sweat and running on fumes.

'But, of course, Bruce emerges triumphant,

'as he hoists Ji up and brings him crashing down on his knee,

'breaking his back.

'Unlike the third-floor Guardian, Hai Tien leaves Ji alive

'but crippled beyond repair.

'He stumbles to the stairway and barely has time to catch his breath,

'before he reacts to a sound from upstairs,

'most likely James Tien's character

'being pummelled by whoever is waiting for Hai Tien above.

'The third day of filming ends as Bruce Lee ascends,

'his epic battle with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar awaiting him.

'But the Hall of the Dragon shoot isn't over yet,

'with one more day of pickup filming left to go,

'filling the gaps left three days earlier.

'The headstrong Chieh Yuan launches himself into battle against Ji Han-jae,

'and is quickly and thoroughly beaten.

'And it is in the wide shots of Ji

'repeatedly flipping Chieh over on his back,

'where Chieh's face is pointedly kept out of view,

'where Yuan is being doubled by Hwang In-shik,

'who is well practised at demonstrating flips

'alongside his hapkido grandmaster.

'One could even theorise

'that perhaps the reason this part of the scene was left until last

'was simply Hwang's availability, or lack thereof.

'Bruce and James Tien watch at the sidelines,

'as Tien once again encourages Chieh to continue.

'These quiet moments crop up frequently,

'showing the ebb and flow of this physical interaction.

'One other quality these moments reveal is Lee's keen sense of humour.

'Lee had worked with comedy before,

'most notably in "The Way of the Dragon".

'In "The Game of Death", we see his use of humour grow in sophistication,

'as the humour injects the action with personality,

'while never losing sight of advancing the narrative.

'The interplay between Lee and James Tien perfectly demonstrates this.

'In one shot, we see the two debate

'about who should next battle the fourth-floor Guardian.

'It's a wordless exchange,

'communicated only through movements and gestures,

'each one carefully timed to hit its intended mark.

'If "The Game of Death" was completed as intended,

'this moment would most likely act as a payoff

'to the character interplay between Lee and Tien,

'that being our hero finally one-upping Tien's duplicitous schemer.

'As well as being the last day of filming "The Game of Death"

'at Golden Harvest Studios,

'October 25th is also the last day of filming

'for James Tien and Chieh Yuan.

'Though Chieh appears in several more films over the next five years,

'including 1976's box office record breaker "The Private Eyes",

'he arguably never quite gets an opportunity to shine

'like he did in "The Game of Death".

'Similarly, James Tien's career as a star never quite regained the momentum

'of his earliest days at Golden Harvest,

'and as a character actor,

'he became a mainstay of Hong Kong action cinema

'for many more years, playing villains for directors like John Woo,

'Sammo Hung and Jackie Chan.

'He retired from acting in 1997 and vanished from the public eye entirely,

'his current whereabouts unknown.

'And so the filming of the pagoda scenes on "The Game of Death" concludes.

'There's still a bit more shooting left to go outside,

'but these two additional angles of Bruce's feint and jump kick against Ji

'are the last studio sequences ever shot for the film.

'The sets are dismantled and the project is officially put on pause.

'Ten months later, Bruce Lee's dream has come true.

'He is the star of the number one film in the United States.

'But he has not lived long enough to see that dream manifested. '

'According to Golden Harvest producer Andre Morgan,

'every delay and gap in filming on "The Game of Death"

'was welcomed by Bruce

'as an opportunity to solve the puzzle that most eluded him:

'what exactly would be the treasure on the top floor of the pagoda,

'the MacGuffin that sets the whole plot in motion?

'In his scene-by-scene breakdown of the story,

'Bruce only offers three sentences for the latter part of the film.

"'The big fight", referring to the scenes in the pagoda.

"'The arrest", possible referring to the defeat of the Korean crime boss.

'And "the airport", where one assumes Hai Tien and his family

'would return home as the film ends.

'When it comes to deciding the treasure on the top floor,

'Bruce changes his mind on an almost daily basis.

'Rumours of how the ending might play out

'and what would have awaited Hai Tien on the top floor

'have been shared among fans for years.

'A floor of bountiful treasures? Another fighter?

'The most common theory is that Bruce may have recycled an idea

'from his treatment for "The Silent Flute",

'with Hai Tien finding a sacred book

'filled with nothing but mirrors on each page,

'perhaps indicating that knowledge of the self

'was the treasure he was seeking all along.

'How much relevance this may have had in the overall context of the pagoda heist

'is a moot point.

'Beyond some second-hand accounts,

'there is nothing concrete to verify Bruce considering this as an option.

'Instead, all we have to go on is what was filmed in 1972.

'Having repeatedly asked Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

'to let him pass up to the top floor,

'upon defeating him,

'Bruce does not give the stairway to the treasure a second look.

'Instead, he walks to the window and shouts down below to the locksmith

'and whoever else is waiting outside, giving them the all-clear.

'Rather than take the treasure down with him, however,

'Bruce leaves it behind and starts the long walk downstairs.

'Two months later,

'once the rest of the Hall of the Dragon scene has concluded filming,

'Bruce films three takes of him passing through this floor.

'He briefly stops as he descends, and reacts to something.

'Exhaustion at what he has undergone

'and at knowing how many steps down are left to go?

'Or sounds from outside,

'indicating that another fight awaits him as he exits the pagoda,

'perhaps from the criminals double-crossing him

'now he has served his purpose?

'We will never know for sure.

'Without these missing pieces to clarify his intent,

'the conclusion to "The Game of Death" as filmed

'becomes something more ambiguous,

'with Hai Tien on a haunting death march towards an uncertain fate.

'Does he sense the game is rigged,

but doesn't intend to go out without a fight?

'Regardless of what Bruce might have planned,

'the last scene he films, in terms of plot chronology,

'is on the Hall of the Tiger set in September,

'likely on the heels of receiving the "Enter the Dragon" offer

'from Fred Weintraub.

'Does he already know that "The Game of Death"

'is going to go on the backburner, perhaps never to be revived?

'We don't know.

'Instead, what we have is this.

'Hai Tien walks to the window, punches out the panels,

'and shouts something unknown to the people outside.

'Perhaps a cry for help.

'Perhaps someone's name.

'His expression changes.

'He descends.

'He is gone.

'The end.'

'Over two separate days three weeks apart,

'Bruce leads a small crew to the hills of the New Territories,

'the countryside on the border of Hong Kong's bustling metropolis.

'There they will film some of the most hotly debated footage in the film

'in which three of the pagoda's Guardians, Dan Inosanto,

'Ji Han-jae,

'and Hwang In-shik, Bruce's top choice to play the first-floor Guardian

'are shown fighting a handful of subordinates

'dressed in white karate outfits.

'Is it training footage meant to establish

'some of the key villains at the start of the film?

'Or just a camera test never intended to make it to the final film?

'Bruce left no indication in his notes or script pages,

'which means we will never really know for sure.

'On the 4th of October,

'days after filming his scenes in the Hall of the Tiger,

'Dan Inosanto returns,

'once again demonstrating his eskrima prowess opposite Wu Ngan,

'Bruce's childhood friend and present-day butler,

'playing one of the karateka.

'The pair have already extensively rehearsed the sequence

'in the backyard of Bruce's home on Cumberland Road,

'but shoot numerous takes filmed at various speeds.

'Though Inosanto is one of a few actors

'to film all of his scenes for "The Game of Death"

'and the only one to reprise his role when called to do so five years later,

'he did not pursue a career in film acting full-time.

'Today, aged 87,

'he continues to teach Jeet Kune Do, eskrima

'and many other fighting techniques

'at the Inosanto Academy of Martial Arts in Marina del Rey, California.

'On the 26th of October,

'the day after filming on the Hall of the Dragon concludes,

'Ji Han-jae also films his last scenes for "The Game of Death"

'at the New Territories,

'fighting off fellow hapkido master Hwang In-shik

'and a handful of Bruce's regular stunt team

'playing more members of the karateka that guard the outside of the pagoda.

'The stuntmen are Billy Chan, Lam Ching-ying and Yuen Wah.

'After the release of the film "Hapkido",

'Ji Han-jae only acted in two more films in Hong Kong

'before moving to the United States in 1984

'where, aged 86, he lives and teaches to this day.

'Hwang In-shik, born in Sunchon, Korea in 1949

'was a key figure in the Korea Hapkido Association

'alongside Ji Han-jae, and followed him to Hong Kong

'when the pair were recruited by Golden Harvest

'to instruct and star alongside the cast of Huang Feng's film "Hapkido".

'It was on the set of that film earlier in 1972,

'where Bruce Lee cast him in a memorable role as a Japanese fighter

'in "The Way of the Dragon".

'He was especially noted for his kicking abilities,

'which would have been foregrounded in his role as the first-floor Guardian.

'Sadly, these few takes

'opposite stuntmen Wu Ngan, Billy Chan and Lam Ching-ying

'are the only footage he ever filmed for "The Game of Death".

'His film roles, though limited in number following Lee's death,

'helped popularise Korean fighting methods

'in martial arts cinema,

'and at the age of 82, he continues to train students at his school

'in Toronto, Canada.

'Rumours have persisted that Bruce shot footage of himself fighting here

'thanks largely to behind-the-scenes photos

of him fighting with the karateka,

'but outside of split-second flashes between takes,

'no footage apparently exists to corroborate this.

'In any event, the material filmed on October 26th

'will end up being the last footage Bruce will ever film

'for "The Game of Death".

'The rest of 1972

'is taken up with contract negotiations and rehearsals for "Enter the Dragon",

'until, finally, shooting begins on January 25th, 1973,

'a week before the Chinese New Year.

'The production of "Enter the Dragon" takes a heavy toll on Bruce.

'He fights with American director Robert Clouse

'and executives from Warner Bros. almost every day,

'attempting to improve the action choreography,

'writing and filming new scenes, even changing the title.

'He has gone from being a man in charge of his own destiny

'to his fate being back in the hands of white Hollywood.

'And while he wins many battles behind the camera as well as in front,

'it is not without a cost.

'Even after the film wraps, he pushes his body to its utmost limits,

'and rumours of a heavy, all-hours lifestyle persist.

'He takes harder drugs in greater quantities.

'His behaviour becomes more volatile, unpredictable and paranoid.

'During a dubbing session in May, 1973, Bruce collapses,

'losing consciousness until doctors revive him at Queen Elizabeth Hospital,

'diagnosing it as a cerebral edema, a swelling of the brain.

'In the maelstrom of momentum ahead of "Enter the Dragon"'s completion,

'Bruce himself is the first to dismiss it as an isolated incident.

'He flies to Los Angeles and receives a clean bill of health,

'claiming to have been told he has the body of an 18-year-old.

'Instead, he ploughs onwards,

'completing post-production on "Enter the Dragon",

'and looking back to the project he abandoned the previous autumn.

'What Bruce may have done with "The Game of Death"

'after "Enter the Dragon" is debated to this day.

'Would he have discarded much of which he had already filmed

'and retooled the concept with a new plotline?

'Would he have dropped it altogether,

'once "Enter the Dragon" hit big at the box office?

'We know that in the months prior to his death

'he goes back to work on developing "The Game of Death",

'and plans to resume filming at the end of the summer.

'He calls Tadashi Nishimoto

'and tells him that they will soon be filming the exterior scenes

'at Songnisan National Park in South Korea,

'where the five-storey Palsangjeon Temple

'will double for the outside of the pagoda.

'While filming "Enter the Dragon", Bruce films a camera test

'with his former Wing Chun mentor, Wong Shun-leung,

'sparring with Wu Ngan, body double Joey Chen

'and stuntman Peter Chan.

'He's auditioning Wong for the role of the second-floor Guardian.

'Bruce has already offered the role of the second-floor Guardian

'to a close friend and former student of his from Seattle, Taky Kimura,

'who had been forced to cancel the previous October.

'Eventually, Kimura relents,

'and Bruce even buys him another plane ticket

'and tells him to get to Hong Kong for filming,

'but fate will soon intervene.

'On the morning of July 20th,

'he meets former James Bond star George Lazenby

'and promises him a part in the film,

'allegedly as one of the initial partners to raid the pagoda.

'Less than 12 hours later, Bruce is gone.

'The events of that day are still a matter of debate,

'but the commonly held version is this.

'That evening, Bruce and Raymond Chow

'visit the apartment of Betty Ting Pei,

'an actress with whom Bruce has been romantically linked in the press,

'ostensibly to discuss offering her a role in "The Game of Death".

'Bruce has complained all day of a migraine,

'and Betty offers him a painkiller so he can take a nap.

'Raymond Chow goes ahead to the restaurant to meet Lazenby,

'but when he gets there, he receives a panicked phone call from Betty.

'Bruce will not wake up.

'And by the time the paramedics arrive, he is dead.

'The coroner diagnoses the official cause of death

'as a cerebral edema, like the one he had in May,

'the likely cause of which is determined to be an allergic reaction

'to the Equagesic painkiller.

'But such a prosaic explanation will not suffice for many people.

'Fuelled by a tabloid press

'hungry to spill ink regardless of the collateral damage,

'increasingly outlandish conspiracy theories

'begin to spread like wildfire,

'implicating everyone from the Triads

'to ancient curses and even Raymond Chow

'as culpable in Bruce's death.

'Some even refuse to believe Bruce has died at all,

'and suggest he has faked his death,

'perhaps as a publicity stunt for "Enter the Dragon".

'Perhaps the main drive behind these theories was simply denial,

'a widespread inability to accept the loss of a man

'who had recently been immortalised in freeze-frame

'as he leapt towards a firing squad at the end of "Fist of Fury".

'How could someone so iconic and beloved

'who would come to be revered by many

'as the greatest warrior the silver screen had ever seen

'be felled by something so intangible,

'so unexpected and perhaps even self-inflicted?

'Regardless, two certain truths remained:

'Bruce Lee was gone forever,

'and if production on "The Game of Death" were ever to continue,

'it would be without him.

'His open-casket funeral, held in Hong Kong only five days after his death,

'is a media circus.

'Cameras film every mourner from every possible angle,

'and footage of his dead body lying in state

'is rushed onto cinema and television screens across the country.

'In the wake of every public tragedy

'is a long line of opportunists out to make a quick buck out of it,

'and before Bruce Lee's body is even in the ground, the vultures sweep in.

'Right away, eager to satiate an audience hungry for more films

'by a man no longer alive to make them,

'the film industry spawns a whole new subgenre,

'one that has come to be known in later years as "Brucesploitation",

'a unique phenomenon only possible in a country like Hong Kong

'where trademark laws and likeness rights have never even been heard of.

'Hundreds of counterfeit Bruce Lee films are made,

'designed to entice audiences either too naive to realise they're being sold a fake

'or too desperate for more to care. '

'Bruce is back in his first action film at the age of 18.

'We repeat this dramatic development, a film no one believed existed,

'a film held in China and never before seen is finally here. '

'Unauthorised biopics professed to tell the true story

'of Bruce's life and death,

'but often dramatised the wild scenarios invented by the tabloid press. '

'The martial arts community was shocked

'by his sudden death.

'Kung fu people especially mourned the loss of their most popular hero.

'The early reports of his death were unclear and confusing. '

Man, look at his face. Doesn't even seem like the same person.

'It's the life story,

'the true story, it's "The Bruce Lee Story"!

'It reveals secrets of his personal life you've never seen before,

'a life more violent than his movie roles. '

'Betty Ting Pei even stars in one such film for Shaw Brothers. '

'The film that separates truth from fiction.

'See "Bruce Lee: His Last Days",

'as told by the one person who was with him during his final hours. '

'Another film even depicts the widely held fantasy

'that Bruce has faked his own death, planning to re-emerge in 1983

'on the tenth anniversary of his exodus from public life. '

You must announce that you are dead.

'Your wife, your children, your friend and, above all, your work...

'That's gone.

'You will live as a recluse for ten years. '

'Inevitably, with the public eager to see "The Game of Death",

'Brucesploitation producers step in to fill the void,

'cannily spinning their own storylines

'from the few scraps of information publicly known about Lee's script. '

'Now, through the miracle of motion pictures,

'we bring you the story and the film that superstar Bruce Lee

'wanted you to see. '

"'Goodbye, Bruce Lee: His Last Game of Death". '

'Few would ever mistake these for the real thing,

'but the success of these films only demonstrated

'that in the absence of the genuine article,

'fans would happily take whatever they could get.

'Then, in 1976, the Lee family sells all of its shares in Concord

'to Raymond Chow and Golden Harvest.

'Knowing that money is being left on the table

'and that a unique opportunity presents itself

'to make one last Bruce Lee film,

'the studio immediately gets to work on reviving "The Game of Death".

'A documentary that merely presents the footage as Bruce has shot it

'is deemed commercially unviable,

'and the notion of presenting outtakes through the medium of home video

'is still several years away.

'Only a new, feature-length narrative film

'will satiate demand and recoup the investment

'Golden Harvest have already sunk into the project.

'A promotional film is quickly distributed

'that shows Golden Harvest auditioning lookalike actors

'to replace Bruce in the lead,

'working with Hollywood companies to develop a new storyline,

'and even states that James Coburn,

'Steve McQueen, Muhammad Ali and Pelé

'are lined up to star in the new footage.

'Enter, once again, Robert Clouse.

'Following the runaway success of "Enter the Dragon",

'none of his subsequent films has enjoyed the acclaim or box office

'of his fleeting collaboration with Bruce Lee,

'and when Raymond Chow offers him the opportunity

'to finish "The Game of Death", Clouse accepts.

'He views the two hours of raw footage,

'entirely without sound and not even a completed script or plot outline

'to help contextualise the events taking place onscreen.

'Nonetheless, he eventually completes a script of his own

'and begins filming in Hong Kong towards the end of 1977.

'When Clouse's film, "Game of Death", is finally unveiled to the public

'in the summer of 1978,

'the answer as to how the filmmaker has been able to incorporate

'Bruce Lee's incomplete vision into a finished feature film

'quickly becomes apparent.

'He has ignored it altogether.

'Instead of Lee's tale of Hai Tien using his nimble adeptness in combat

'to take down every foe on each level of the pagoda

'in order to win his family's freedom,

'and in doing so depicting the importance of adaptability

'to Lee's Jeet Kune Do philosophy,

'Clouse's script tells a completely different story,

'one almost certainly inspired by some of the more inane rumours

'that circulated around Lee in the tabloid press following his death. '

'He is an international superstar.

'They call him a living legend.

'But the woman he loves belongs to the mob.

'And now they're out to own him. '

Don't be a slow learner, Billy.

Billy!

'If they can't buy him, they'll have to kill him. '

Billy!

You don't have too many choices.

A final warning.

And so begins the "Game of Death".

'In Clouse's film, Lee's character is Billy Lo,

'a famous action film star

'who is pressured by a vicious American syndicate

'that subsequently attempt to assassinate him

'when he doesn't give in to their demands.

'Billy Lo survives, but fakes his death,

'at which point Clouse tastelessly reprises

'the actual footage of Lee's open-casket funeral

'filmed by Golden Harvest,

'complete with a jaw-dropping scene in which his character's plot is exposed

'when one of the mobsters mutilates the face

'of a wax facsimile of Lee's corpse.

'And if that kind of bad taste

'sounds like something you'd see in a Brucesploitation film,

'that's because it is. '

Someone important died?

Oh, it's Bruce Lee, kung fu star, at age 34.

His death is still the headlines here.

'Today, the funeral ceremony for Bruce Lee, kung fu superstar.

'Tens of thousands of people turn out to pay homage to this brilliant young man

'whose untimely death will be mourned by a great many people.

'In the funeral procession were leading names in the movie business

'and, of course, thousands of Bruce Lee's loyal fans. '

'The mourners, many who kept the long vigil through the night,

'now file in to pay their final tribute.

'Family, friends and admirers,

'some from distant lands, Rome, Tokyo, London,

'all shocked by this sudden tragedy.

'Bruce Lee's love for the martial arts

'was perhaps only surpassed by his love of friends.

'As the Dragon, it was said he was feared by many

'but loved by all. '

'Out of the two hours of footage,

'Clouse has been able to edit together barely 11 minutes of material

'featuring Bruce Lee, which, even then, is liberally intercut

'with newly filmed inserts featuring lookalikes

'as well as recycled footage from his other films.

'The fights with Dan Inosanto, Ji Han-jae and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

'all feature in the film, but only fleetingly,

'the setting changed from a Korean pagoda

'to a Chinese restaurant.

'Of Lee's original cast, only Dan Inosanto returns to film new scenes,

'the other actors either unable or unwilling to participate,

'replaced by body doubles or their characters cut out altogether.

'To be generous to Clouse for a moment, he had an impossible task in front of him,

'and it is difficult to imagine anyone who could have acquitted themselves

'with the task of fashioning a coherent feature film

'out of the disparate odds and ends that were available.

'Indeed, Bruce Lee himself had yet to decide the specifics

'of much of the connecting tissue that would have held these strands together

'even up to the day he died.

'But it is difficult to imagine a more thorough vandalism

'of Bruce's original intent, or a more committed misunderstanding

'of the philosophical underpinnings he imbued his work with

'than that which Clouse achieved in 1978.

'In the years that followed,

'rumours of a curse surrounding the production grew in prominence,

'with superstitious Chinese tabloids blaming, among other things,

'the title of the project itself,

'blaming Lee's careless use of the word "death"

'for all the ills that befell him and it.

'Like all films purported to be cursed,

"'The Game of Death" is, of course, only the victim of tragic coincidences,

'but those coincidences did not stop with Lee's death,

'and indeed became more troubling as time passed.

'On November 16th, 1977, Chieh Yuan suddenly died.

'Just like Bruce,

'the coroner diagnosed his cause of death as a cerebral edema.

'He died just 32 years and eight months, the same age as Bruce when he died.

'While filming Robert Clouse's "Game of Death" the same year,

'Academy Award-winning actor Gig Young

'fell in love with the film's young script supervisor, Kim Schmidt.

'A year later, in September, 1978, they married in Manhattan,

'and only three weeks later,

'Young shot and killed Schmidt in their apartment

'before turning the gun on himself.

"'Game of Death" was his last film.

'Fifteen years later,

'Bruce's son Brandon was tragically killed on the set of "The Crow"

'in an accident involving improperly loaded blank rounds.

'Some were quick to note the eerie similarity

to a scene in Clouse's "Game of Death",

'where Bruce Lee's character is shot on the set of his latest film.

'Regardless of what anyone believed,

'there was no denying "The Game of Death" was already a film shrouded in notoriety,

'unfinished, unlucky, unseen. '

'For whatever sins we can accuse

Robert Clouse's "Game of Death" of,

'its success was pivotal in keeping the spectre of Lee's original project alive,

'and one could argue that the most enduring image of Bruce

'to audiences today is him in the yellow and black jumpsuit.

'Filmmakers who have paid tribute to "Game of Death" over the years

'range from Stephen Chow to Quentin Tarantino,

'and its influence was keenly felt

'on the next generation of kung fu superstars as well,

'some of whom directly paid homage to it in their films.

'It's often been argued that "The Game of Death"

'had the greatest impact not on cinema, but on video games.

'Lee's original multi-level concept and escalating series of antagonists

'evoked in many early eight-bit electronic favourites.

'One can't help but wonder, though,

'what impact Lee's "Game of Death" might have had

'if it had ever been finished.

'As a new millennium approached, there were finally signs of hope.

'After gathering dust in the vaults

'following the sale of Golden Harvest's assets

'to Media Asia in 1993,

'nine of the eleven reels of footage are uncovered in 1998.

'Almost simultaneously, Lee's original notes for the project,

'including dialogue and a shot list for almost all of the footage shot in 1972,

'are discovered by biographer John Little

'in a storage unit in Seattle belonging to Bruce's family.

'At last, not only is most of the footage rediscovered,

'but a written guide exists on how to make some sense of it.

'In the year 2000, two documentaries are released,

'each containing different attempts

'at reassembling and reclaiming Lee's original vision

'for "The Game of Death".

'Now, two decades later, the other two reels have been found,

'including the fight between Chieh Yuan and Dan Inosanto

'thought lost for 50 years,

'and with it a new opportunity to assemble the footage

'into something resembling its creators intentions.

'It would be dishonest to call any presentation of this footage

'an accurate representation of Lee's wishes for "The Game of Death".

'We can never know what shape the project would have taken had he not died,

'or even how much of the film's material he would have used at all.

'Too many pieces of the puzzle are forever missing.

'However, we now have the raw materials to present something else,

'a short film, finished in the style of Lee's other films,

'presented as if he had completed it sometime in the hiatus

'between "The Way of the Dragon" and "Enter the Dragon".

'Using music and sound effects from the Golden Harvest archives

'and a newly recorded voice track,

'sound exists where there was none before.

'The illusion of a freshly uncovered film from 1972

'is completed with the help of newly animated opening credits

'in the style of other films from the period,

'as well as some newly filmed material

'incorporated into a prologue intended to clarify the plot.

'What you are about to see is not Bruce Lee's "The Game of Death".

'That film is lost forever.

'Instead, it is an attempt at harnessing the creativity

'that fuelled him in the fall of 1972 into a completed form,

'something that might stand alongside the four films that made him a legend.

'Other pieces of the puzzle may reveal themselves in the years to come.

'But for now, this is the final "'Game of Death". '

Welcome to Korea, Hai Tien.

Now, listen up.

You may not be a champion fighter anymore,

but I don't care if you put that behind you.

As long as we have your family,

you're playing my game and following my rules.

You win the game, you, your sister and your brother go free.

You lose, you die.

So, listen carefully.

Tomorrow morning, you drive out to a hidden compound

surrounded by 50 miles of forest in every direction.

And in the middle of this compound is an ancient pagoda,

five floors high.

On the top floor of this temple is something I want very badly.

And you're going to get it for me.

You don't need to know what it is.

Just know that if you don't get it, you lose the game.

Sound easy enough so far? Think again.

Getting into the compound is one thing.

Getting into the pagoda is another.

I've sent ten men in there before, and none of them ever made it out alive.

We don't know much, but here's what our spies have told us.

Once you get to the pagoda,

you'll have to fight your way through the deadliest karate fighters

this part of the world has ever produced.

Most guys never get inside.

But I think you'll make short work of them.

Once you're inside the temple, that's where this game really gets going.

Each floor is guarded by a fighter

trained in the deadliest skills known to man.

And when they're not in training,

their sole purpose in life is to guard whatever's at the top of that temple,

even if it means fighting to the death.

The fighter on the first floor is said to be the world's greatest kickboxer.

'His feet are mightier and faster than your fists,

'so watch out. '

Once you get past him, you reach the Hall of the Tiger.

The man who guards that floor

is an eskrima grandmaster from the Philippines.

'He won't need to kick you. His sticks will do the job for him. '

If, by some miracle, you survive him,

you'll reach the Hall of the Dragon,

'where you'll face the greatest hapkido master

'this country's ever seen. '

Should you succeed in making it to the floor above that...

Well, they don't call it the Hall of the Unknown for nothing.

'No one knows who, or what, is waiting for you up there. '

Like any good gambler, I like to hedge my bets,

so you won't be on your own.

Four of my men will be heading out with you.

Two to wait outside and guard the pagoda,

the other two to finish the job

if it turns out you're not the champion they all say you are.

Now, I've got a good feeling you'll do what it takes to win this

and keep your family safe.

But I have to incentivise my people, too.

Which is why I've already told them

that whoever gets to the top first wins fifty grand in cash

and a seat at the table for life.

They win, you lose.

Just in case you thought about sitting this one out

or trying to escape.

Those are the rules of the game.

You play to win, or you die.

Your choice.

Begin!

Huh?

Huh?

Those red sticks look pretty cute.

But still, size always wins out.

Show him.

Huh?

Two little sticks. Ha!

Don't let him psyche you out.

Do you speak English?

Of course I speak English.

I hope you don't mind us moving our man,

so that the two of us have more room to groove.

But have your men stay as far away from that stairway as possible.

Hey, wake up.

You know, baby...

...this bamboo is longer...

...more flexible and very much alive.

And when your flashy routine cannot keep up with the speed

and elusiveness of this thing here,

all I can say is that you'll be in deep trouble.

That we will have to find out.

I'm telling you,

it's difficult to have a rehearsed routine to fit in with...

...broken rhythm.

You see?

A rehearsed routine lacks the flexibility to adapt.

It's a challenge, isn't it?

When bamboo strikes, it's hard.

Hmm?

Surprised?

How do you like that...?

How do you like that?

Uh-uh.

Hmm.

In this red light, the floor before you becomes an arena of war.

If you value your lives,

go down those stairs and leave this place.

If you step forward, you must leave your weapons

and take your lives into your own hands.

Hmm.

Hmm?

Again.

My friend,

now's our chance to get up those stairs while they're still distracted.

- Oh... - You go first.

Right. Thank you.

Wait, stop!

Watch me!

Huh?

Hai Tien...

Hai Tien...

Hai Tien!

'His big advantage is that he gives no thought to life or death,

'and with no distracted thoughts, he is therefore free to concentrate

'on fighting against the attack from the outside. '

Little one, you must have given up all hope of living.

On the contrary. I do not let the word "death" bother me.

Same here, baby.

Then what are you waiting for?

'With his great size,

'he is going to find it difficult to keep getting up each time I knock him down. '

'Look at him. Give him the fatigue bombing. '

'I'm so tired.

'No. No, Hai Tien.

'He must be much more tired than you.

'Calm down your soul. '

'This tough son of a gun is wearing me out. '

Why continue?

Just let me pass.

You have forgotten

that I too am not bothered by the word "death".

Come on!

Who is that up there?

Hai Tien!

Hai Tien? Well, get down here right now!

Help me!

'So much of the conversation around "The Game of Death"

'revolves around what it was supposed to be, or what it could have been.

'So let's take a step back and ask a simpler question: what is it now?

'What are we left with?

'Stripping away any interpretations or feelings the project may inspire,

'the inescapable truth is that all we have is a series of disparate pieces,

'fragments of a vision forever unrealised, too many puzzle pieces missing.

'We have two hours of filmed material with no sound

'and no indication of how much, if any of it,

'might have made it into the finished film.

'Instead, there is a void where additional scenes,

'editing and sound design should go,

'a void that allows each individual to project

'the "Game of Death" that they want,

'the Bruce Lee that they want, onto what is left.

'Is it his lost masterpiece?

'The pinnacle of his achievements thus far?

'One could argue that it cannot qualify.

'Masterpieces have to be finished first.

'Whatever lofty ambitions Bruce may have had for the project,

'and whatever virtues are evident in the material available to us,

'ultimately we will always be left with more questions than answers.

'So, allowing for that void, the unknowable truth

'of how Bruce Lee might have completed "The Game of Death",

'there is still so much to celebrate.

'It is an incomplete project, yes, but even in its rawest form

'arguably shows more ambition and offers more excitement

'than many finished films.

'It remains Lee's most straightforward and earnest cinematic expression

'of his personal ethos,

'his next and sadly last confident stride forward as a filmmaker.

'Some may argue that "Enter the Dragon",

'as his last completed film,

'shows Bruce Lee at the peak of his powers,

'the pinnacle of his physical form and fighting ability.

'But if you believe the journey is as important as the destination,

'then, as evidenced by the photos taken on set

'and the glimpses seen between takes,

'what survives of "The Game of Death" may show something greater,

'a man who has achieved great success and is still reaching outward,

'still hopeful for the future,

'still expounding the boundaries of what a man in his position might achieve.

'To watch "The Game of Death"

'is to see Bruce Lee at his most assured, his most fulfilled

'and, arguably, his most happy. '