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{\an8}BE WATER, 2020
DOCUMENTARY
BY BAO NGUYEN
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- Understood?
- Okay.
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- Test X2, take one.
- Running.
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Look straight into the camera now, Bruce.
Straight in.
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And now 45 degrees in this direction.
And hold.
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And a profile shot in this direction.
All the way over.
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Good. Hold, please.
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Now a profile shot
in the other direction,
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Hold again.
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And 45 degrees on this side.
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And then please look
directly into the camera again.
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Excellent. Now the
camera is pulled back.
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And, Bruce, show us kung fu moves.
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It's hard to do this alone.
But I'm doing my best.
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OK. Maybe one of the guys can help you.
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- Would you like…
- That would be…
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- That's OK.
- That's OK.
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Although sometimes accidents happen…
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But you know…
There are different attacks.
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It depends on where you
hit and what weapon you use.
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Use your fingers for the eyes.
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No fear. I will…
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By the eyes.
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Or directly in the face,
everything from the waist up.
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Wait a minute.
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Uh, let's put the gentleman like this so
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that you move more towards the camera.
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OK. Fine.
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I am sure that my father
is aware of the monster,
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that he was fighting
against, was not aware of.
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How systemic it was.
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Still, I don't think he was naive.
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He just believed in
himself very strongly.
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There is the finger prick.
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There's the punch.
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There's the backhand and then down.
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Of course you can also put the
leg directly into the groin or up.
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He knew he had something worth sharing.
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And he knew how much
he would be willing to work.
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He was already scared.
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He's got nothing to worry about, Tom.
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IN 1971, AFTER 12 YEARS IN
AMERICA, BRUCE LEE ARRIVED
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BACK TO HIS PARENTS' HOMELAND: HONG KONG.
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IN THE NEXT TWO YEARS HE
MADE FOUR FEATURE FILMS.
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He was rejected by Hollywood.
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He had to prove to them that an Asian
man could be a strong, leading man.
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And when Bruce got the offer,
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to make the first film in Hong Kong,
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he decided to just go
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and to see how it goes and
how he would be received.
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So he went to the midnight premiere
of The Death Fist of Cheng Li,
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the first screening of The
Death Fist of Cheng Li.
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NO EVIL IN THE WORLD CAN
ESCAPE THE FURY OF BRUCE LEE!
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Bruce hadn't seen him yet.
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And Bruce always said,
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that people from Hong
Kong really respond to a film.
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If they don't like it,
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you will be booed in the theater.
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THE DEATH FIST OF CHENG LI 1971
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WITH BRUCE LEE
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The script of The Death Fist
of Cheng Li was not well written.
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The production quality was pretty low.
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But Bruce Lee himself
was simply earth-shattering.
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The role and the energy,
this love affair with the camera,
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was very, very immediate
and very, very strong.
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Martial arts have a very deep
meaning, at least in my life.
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Because as an actor, as a martial artist,
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as a human being, I learned
everything from martial arts.
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So we're sitting in the
back, the cinema is full,
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and when the film is
over, the whole hall is quiet.
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Nothing.
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Suddenly everyone starts cheering,
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to shout, to clap, to stand up.
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They totally freaked out.
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They cheered for Bruce.
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You already knew he
was in the room, you know?
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And they carried him out of the cinema.
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It was great. It was wonderful.
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That's when he knew he
was on to something big.
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When it exceeded all his expectations,
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I think he was as
surprised as everyone else.
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This was his first taste of fame.
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To give you an overview:
If a film back then
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raised one million Hong Kong dollars,
which was approximately $120,000,
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it was a huge thing in Hong Kong.
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Wow.
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That's what made you a movie star.
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And if your film made two
million, you were a superstar.
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What do you think about Bruce Lee's Kung Fu?
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Very fast and powerful.
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The technology is incredible.
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He is in a class of his own.
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Bruce Lee is incredible.
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Bruce Lee didn't want to waste time.
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He didn't beat around the bush.
He was very direct.
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Is Bruce Lee your hero?
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Yes.
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Tell me what you like about him.
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He wins against the bad guys.
And he moves very quickly.
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I mean, he's not an action
hero like Eastwood or Bronson.
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I think he is more like Nureyev.
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Hong Kong was a very dynamic
and exciting city in the 1970s.
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Lots of different communities.
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It was a RandR Center of the US
military during the Vietnam War.
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So it was the city that
celebrated 24 hours a day.
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It was the fun, wild, wild East
where anything was allowed.
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China was about 100 years
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dominated and humiliated by the West.
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So there were a lot of
memories. A lot of anger.
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This is a Hong Kong,
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which is currently
experiencing its own revolution.
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Student protests on the streets,
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great tensions between
the British colonial power
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and the locals in Hong Kong.
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The police are called in.
They throw things at us.
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This is an anti-British demonstration.
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Bruce believed that British
colonial rule was wrong.
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He was a nationalist in that
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that he wanted the Chinese
people to be free and independent.
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When The Death Fist of Cheng
Li ran, he wanted to do it again.
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But the next film should
be bigger and better.
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And that was him.
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Greetings from Shanghai
was a much larger production.
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Death Greetings from Shanghai
was an opportunity for Bruce to show
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how a leading actor should act and dress
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and how the fight scenes
should be choreographed.
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Master!
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The film took place in Shanghai
during the colonial period,
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Hey, country idiot, what are you doing here?
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Shanghai was occupied
by foreigners, humiliated,
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dominated and insulted.
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Act like our Japanese
dog and I'll let you in.
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Bruce Lee makes a lot of emotions
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a very passionate explosion.
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That was in Hong Kong in 1972.
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It captured the moment in
a colony when people said:
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"The days when we were
second class citizens are over,
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it's about time."
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Death Greetings from Shanghai was not
only directed against Japanese colonists,
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but also against people from the West.
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It's very, very liberating.
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"SICK MAN FROM EAST ASIA"
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People started
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to react strongly to Western racism.
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This time you eat
paper, next time it's glass.
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Back then, Bruce
understood that Hollywood,
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although he didn't have much success there,
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was the big thing.
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You know, it was the main attraction.
It was the center.
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And Hong Kong would
always remain on the fringe.
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So the question was: Do you think
we can sell our films to the world?
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This is the Pierre Berton Show.
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Bruce Lee, Mandarin superstar,
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recorded on December
9, 1971 in Hong Kong.
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Bruce Lee faces a real dilemma.
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He is about to become a star in the USA.
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Here in Hong Kong he has just
become a superstar as an actor.
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Which does he choose,
the East or the West?
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What are you going to do? Will you…
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Will you be able to
live in both worlds, try
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to dance at two weddings
at the same time?
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I'll do both.
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Because, you know, I have already decided
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that in the USA
something about the Orient,
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I mean, the real Orient should be shown.
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Hollywood clearly doesn't do that.
Believe in it.
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I only have very
abstract memories of him.
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I remember our house, the
visits to Golden Harvest Studios.
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I remember snippets of him.
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But I remember clearly
what his energy was like.
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What it was like to be in his presence
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how he loved me, how he
played with me, all those things.
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And I also remember
him through his own words.
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12 YEARS BEFORE
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May 16, 1960.
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Dear Hawkins, I'm really alone now.
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Since the day I arrived in this country,
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I didn't spend any of my father's money.
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I have a part-time job
as a waiter after school.
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I'm telling you, it's hard.
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I always have fun with it.
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Well, my friend, please get well soon.
Your friend Bruce.
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When Bruce came to Seattle,
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he moved from Hong Kong at 18,
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because he had too many problems there
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and his family thought
he needed a fresh start.
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He was a very handsome young man
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and very imaginative.
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He told me he wanted
to prove to his father
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that he could go to
university without him.
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When I first met Bruce
he was a slight man.
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I think he weighed about
140 pounds at the time.
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He always called me “Woy.”
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When Bruce moves to the USA,
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his identity is suddenly the minority,
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a Chinese minority in a white country.
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He must face the conundrum
that all immigrants face.
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Who should I be? What is my identity?
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How can I express myself?
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And how can I be seen
in American society?
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My father worked at
Ruby Chow's restaurant.
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And at the same time
he studied Wing Chun,
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but only alone.
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He was always interested
in other martial arts
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were represented in the area.
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Many Japanese martial arts
were relatively well known,
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like karate or judo, but
not Chinese kung fu.
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He saw that people were open to it,
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so he made her take lessons from him,
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in parking garages and other places.
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It was a very unconventional
approach to martial arts.
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Many Chinese people at that
time did not teach Westerners.
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The community looked down on him,
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and he broke the barrier.
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Bruce truly opened his
school to anyone who wanted it.
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He didn't care if you
were Chinese or not.
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A time long
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I was probably closer
to him than anyone else.
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00:16:03,928 --> 00:16:06,427
He started speaking
Cantonese again and again,
219
00:16:06,494 --> 00:16:08,007
and then I had to nudge him and say:
220
00:16:08,027 --> 00:16:11,892
"Hey, I have no idea what you're saying."
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He has to figure out
how to hide his accent.
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00:16:16,757 --> 00:16:22,120
He is very attuned to the
rhythm of young American life.
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He meets working class
people, he meets people of color,
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and that influences his
idea of what he wants to be.
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One thing I helped him with was,
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how he should behave on the street
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and how to read
people and stuff like that.
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Attitudes and, you know,
what's cool behavior,
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00:16:41,747 --> 00:16:43,412
and what is not cool behavior.
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Bruce's antennas were
tuned to Hong Kong's streets,
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but not on our streets.
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He learned a lot about
America from the ten guys,
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who he took under his wing.
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For better or worse, we
taught him the American way.
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Who am I?
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This is the question every man
asks himself at some point in time.
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Even though he looks in the
mirror and recognizes his own face,
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even though he knows his
name, his age and his history,
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he asks himself deep down: Who am I?
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The thing is: because
of our looks, I don't think
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that we could ever forget what we are.
242
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We can't run away from this.
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I taught him the
importance of racial pride.
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He found it attractive that I
didn't put up with any nonsense,
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and that was also in him.
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Because he was very ethnocentric himself.
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I didn't apologize to
anyone for anything.
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00:18:08,742 --> 00:18:13,707
Especially because I'm Japanese
American, because of World War II.
249
00:18:13,773 --> 00:18:17,537
He knew about my experiences
in the resettlement camps.
250
00:18:18,537 --> 00:18:21,069
More than 100,000
men, women and children,
251
00:18:21,136 --> 00:18:24,015
all of Japanese descent,
were removed from their homes,
252
00:18:24,035 --> 00:18:28,900
to reduce a military threat when
there was a threat of invasion.
253
00:18:28,967 --> 00:18:30,966
Each family was greeted upon arrival…
254
00:18:31,033 --> 00:18:33,765
The Japanese were imprisoned.
255
00:18:33,832 --> 00:18:36,030
You could call them concentration camps.
256
00:18:36,097 --> 00:18:38,564
But they called them resettlement camps.
257
00:18:38,630 --> 00:18:40,529
THE US GOVERNMENT PRESENTS:
258
00:18:40,596 --> 00:18:42,395
OUR ENEMY THE JAPANESE
259
00:18:42,462 --> 00:18:46,059
To face the Japanese
and to fully complete
260
00:18:46,126 --> 00:18:50,791
the job, we must fully understand them.
261
00:18:50,858 --> 00:18:53,657
You know, I think they
have Asian scene in America
262
00:18:53,723 --> 00:18:56,456
is very confusing for white Americans.
263
00:18:56,522 --> 00:19:01,052
Because the Japanese
were the bad guys, right?
264
00:19:01,119 --> 00:19:05,085
They were the goblins who fought
against the Americans in World War II.
265
00:19:05,151 --> 00:19:08,417
And they were terrible and inscrutable.
266
00:19:10,449 --> 00:19:12,594
HANOI B-B-Q SPECIAL
FROM US FOR THE SLIT EYES
267
00:19:12,614 --> 00:19:15,481
On the other side were the Vietnamese,
268
00:19:15,547 --> 00:19:19,512
People didn't like them because
they were crooked and communists.
269
00:19:23,478 --> 00:19:27,242
And the Chinese were the outliers.
270
00:19:27,309 --> 00:19:31,407
Was China good or evil?
271
00:19:32,507 --> 00:19:37,671
The Chinese were brought here
since the 1830s for one reason,
272
00:19:37,737 --> 00:19:42,836
namely as cheap workers for
the construction of the West.
273
00:19:43,901 --> 00:19:47,333
According to their stereotype,
they are submissive, quiet,
274
00:19:47,400 --> 00:19:49,665
incredibly hardworking.
275
00:19:50,764 --> 00:19:53,444
We are witnessing the rise of a
white working class movement,
276
00:19:53,464 --> 00:19:57,630
led by Irish-American workers.
277
00:19:57,696 --> 00:20:03,326
They manage to stir up hatred
against Chinese-Americans.
278
00:20:03,393 --> 00:20:08,357
And that's why the Chinese
Exclusion Act was passed in 1882.
279
00:20:09,756 --> 00:20:15,022
For the first time there is a clear
ban aimed at a group of people.
280
00:20:16,423 --> 00:20:20,353
The Chinese are not viewed as people.
281
00:20:20,420 --> 00:20:23,850
I ask you to rise from
your seats and fight
282
00:20:23,917 --> 00:20:29,382
with me to give America
back to Americans.
283
00:20:31,848 --> 00:20:35,779
We were like a rape victim, and a
284
00:20:35,845 --> 00:20:38,843
victim robbed of his
constitutional rights,
285
00:20:38,910 --> 00:20:41,676
doesn't like to talk about it or
286
00:20:41,742 --> 00:20:44,841
point the finger at the culprit.
287
00:20:44,908 --> 00:20:48,774
Rather, it sees itself as the person
288
00:20:48,840 --> 00:20:51,507
responsible for this unspeakable crime.
289
00:20:54,970 --> 00:20:59,701
Through the experiences
and stories of these people
290
00:20:59,768 --> 00:21:04,700
Bruce understands how
he affects white Americans.
291
00:21:07,167 --> 00:21:10,398
Asians were completely excluded.
292
00:21:21,094 --> 00:21:24,692
Jesse, Bruce and I went out.
293
00:21:24,759 --> 00:21:27,256
We swapped girlfriends.
294
00:21:27,323 --> 00:21:31,888
So everyone was with the wrong race.
295
00:21:31,955 --> 00:21:33,488
We walked around to see
296
00:21:33,554 --> 00:21:35,787
whether anyone had
anything to say about it.
297
00:21:38,853 --> 00:21:41,299
We went to dances
together in Buddhist churches,
298
00:21:41,319 --> 00:21:45,049
Rhythm and Blues, but
also many popular things.
299
00:21:46,681 --> 00:21:49,347
I called him a movement talent.
300
00:21:49,414 --> 00:21:52,380
When I taught him how
to do a double pirouette,
301
00:21:52,446 --> 00:21:54,380
he just watched me.
302
00:21:54,446 --> 00:21:56,845
He imitated her perfectly.
303
00:21:56,911 --> 00:21:59,977
That was great. Wow.
304
00:22:00,044 --> 00:22:02,075
A fantastic dancer and all.
305
00:22:02,142 --> 00:22:05,774
But very awkward about romantic things.
306
00:22:11,106 --> 00:22:13,938
We kind of grew apart.
307
00:22:14,005 --> 00:22:15,650
I mean, Bruce always had a lot going on.
308
00:22:15,670 --> 00:22:17,936
But for me it wasn't enough.
309
00:22:22,666 --> 00:22:25,499
September 1962.
310
00:22:25,566 --> 00:22:29,598
Dear Pearl, in this letter
I describe my dreams
311
00:22:29,664 --> 00:22:31,862
and my way of thinking.
312
00:22:31,929 --> 00:22:35,028
You can also call it my lifestyle.
313
00:22:37,094 --> 00:22:39,993
Ideas are what America is looking for.
314
00:22:40,059 --> 00:22:42,738
Ideas are what made America what it is.
315
00:22:42,758 --> 00:22:46,291
And a good idea makes a
man what he wants to be.
316
00:22:48,522 --> 00:22:51,001
If you throw a stone
into a basin full of water,
317
00:22:51,021 --> 00:22:53,853
the stone sets in motion
waves that spread out,
318
00:22:53,920 --> 00:22:57,252
until they finally fill the entire pool.
319
00:22:57,319 --> 00:22:59,318
That's exactly what will happen,
320
00:22:59,385 --> 00:23:02,151
when I give my ideas an action plan.
321
00:23:03,450 --> 00:23:05,549
Kind regards, Bruce.
322
00:23:09,714 --> 00:23:13,912
My father opened
his first official school,
323
00:23:13,979 --> 00:23:19,709
the Jun Fun Gung Fu
Institute, 1963 in Seattle.
324
00:23:19,775 --> 00:23:22,442
That was a transitional period.
325
00:23:22,508 --> 00:23:26,307
But once he found out he
could make money from it,
326
00:23:26,374 --> 00:23:31,037
all original members have left.
327
00:23:31,104 --> 00:23:35,835
Looking back, you can say
Bruce always had a plan.
328
00:23:35,901 --> 00:23:40,233
He was a product, not
a friend and teacher.
329
00:23:40,300 --> 00:23:44,467
So he opened this studio
and that's where he met Linda.
330
00:23:46,664 --> 00:23:50,264
His goal in life was to
331
00:23:50,331 --> 00:23:53,075
to introduce the world to
the beauty of Chinese culture.
332
00:23:53,095 --> 00:23:55,827
So he started with me.
333
00:23:59,626 --> 00:24:02,326
We both went to the
University of Washington.
334
00:24:02,392 --> 00:24:05,957
And we often went to this
place with big white columns
335
00:24:06,023 --> 00:24:07,889
and a large green area.
336
00:24:07,956 --> 00:24:10,254
And there we practiced Kung Fu.
337
00:24:10,321 --> 00:24:13,320
He was very open-minded, very personable,
338
00:24:13,386 --> 00:24:17,285
he always actively showed
you how to stand and what to do.
339
00:24:17,352 --> 00:24:19,784
"Okay, Linda, do that with your arms."
340
00:24:19,849 --> 00:24:23,949
He threw me over his shoulder
and I lay flat on the ground.
341
00:24:24,015 --> 00:24:25,880
And he leaned over to me and said:
342
00:24:25,947 --> 00:24:28,845
"Would you like to go to the Space Needle?"
343
00:24:28,912 --> 00:24:31,245
"Sure, gladly."
344
00:24:31,312 --> 00:24:33,378
So that was our first date.
345
00:24:38,443 --> 00:24:42,640
He loved the lifestyle
one could lead in America.
346
00:24:42,707 --> 00:24:45,706
And at that time he wanted
to go all over the country
347
00:24:45,773 --> 00:24:48,072
Establish kung fu schools.
348
00:24:49,272 --> 00:24:52,371
He had big dreams, big aspirations.
349
00:24:57,501 --> 00:25:00,866
He wanted me to try Chinese food
350
00:25:00,933 --> 00:25:03,465
and watch Chinese films.
351
00:25:03,532 --> 00:25:06,364
He took the whole group
of kung fu students with him,
352
00:25:06,431 --> 00:25:10,929
we went to the CoCoSi Theater
to see the movie The Orphan .
353
00:25:14,526 --> 00:25:17,125
When he appeared on the screen
354
00:25:17,191 --> 00:25:21,457
and even the main actor was,
355
00:25:21,524 --> 00:25:26,522
I was totally shocked, surprised.
356
00:25:26,588 --> 00:25:29,386
There was a movie star.
357
00:25:29,452 --> 00:25:33,718
I looked at him and said, “Is that you?”
358
00:25:33,785 --> 00:25:35,817
And he said, "Yes."
359
00:25:35,884 --> 00:25:39,683
But he didn't think it was unusual.
360
00:25:39,750 --> 00:25:42,949
For him, it was a job he had as a child.
361
00:25:47,945 --> 00:25:49,912
Let's talk about the biography first.
362
00:25:49,978 --> 00:25:52,544
You were born in San Francisco, right?
363
00:25:52,610 --> 00:25:57,309
Correct. November 27, 1940. Rifleman.
364
00:25:57,376 --> 00:25:59,608
Ah, a diplomat.
365
00:26:00,741 --> 00:26:03,571
Bruce Lee is born in San
Francisco's Chinatown,
366
00:26:03,638 --> 00:26:06,837
it was the closest thing
to Hong Kong in the US.
367
00:26:08,703 --> 00:26:11,370
It is by far the largest Chinatown,
368
00:26:11,436 --> 00:26:16,767
caused by the immigration of
Chinese workers during the gold rush.
369
00:26:16,834 --> 00:26:20,312
I heard that your father was
relatively well known in Chinese opera.
370
00:26:20,332 --> 00:26:21,763
He was.
371
00:26:21,830 --> 00:26:23,664
What was his name?
372
00:26:23,731 --> 00:26:26,163
Lee Hoi Chuen.
373
00:26:26,230 --> 00:26:30,761
Lee Hoi-chuen and his opera group
were in Chinatown because they found out
374
00:26:30,828 --> 00:26:34,659
that they could make good
money touring the USA.
375
00:26:34,726 --> 00:26:39,291
And my grandmother
came with me on this trip.
376
00:26:39,358 --> 00:26:41,370
She was pregnant with
my father at the time.
377
00:26:41,390 --> 00:26:45,089
That's why my father
was born in San Francisco.
378
00:26:45,688 --> 00:26:48,288
He is a US citizen.
379
00:26:53,285 --> 00:26:55,030
Since he was a baby, Bruce Lee has
380
00:26:55,050 --> 00:26:57,450
starred in films.
381
00:26:57,516 --> 00:27:01,248
He grew up on the set
of the Hong Kong cinema,
382
00:27:01,314 --> 00:27:04,447
behind the scenes of the Cantonese opera.
383
00:27:07,278 --> 00:27:10,178
In 1940, after Bruce was born,
384
00:27:10,245 --> 00:27:14,141
my grandmother said to
my father on the phone:
385
00:27:14,208 --> 00:27:19,640
"There will soon be a war with
the Japanese in Hong Kong."
386
00:27:19,707 --> 00:27:22,273
But my father, you know, a real Chinese:
387
00:27:22,340 --> 00:27:24,138
"Family comes first.
388
00:27:24,205 --> 00:27:25,770
We're taking Bruce home.
389
00:27:25,837 --> 00:27:29,736
If something happens, it
affects us as a whole family."
390
00:27:29,803 --> 00:27:32,468
And you moved to Hong
Kong shortly afterwards?
391
00:27:33,501 --> 00:27:35,234
Yes, when I was three months old.
392
00:27:36,434 --> 00:27:40,698
My father came from
a poor fishing family.
393
00:27:40,764 --> 00:27:45,330
My mother's uncle was
Hong Kong's first millionaire.
394
00:27:45,396 --> 00:27:48,127
His name was Sir Robert Ho Tung.
395
00:27:49,361 --> 00:27:52,427
Bruce's mother, Grace Lee,
396
00:27:52,460 --> 00:27:57,257
was of European descent.
397
00:27:57,324 --> 00:28:00,956
I think we were pretty wealthy.
398
00:28:01,022 --> 00:28:03,288
We had two maids.
399
00:28:03,355 --> 00:28:04,641
We had a chauffeur.
400
00:28:06,420 --> 00:28:10,153
My father also took care
of his older brother's family.
401
00:28:10,220 --> 00:28:13,984
There were always about
15, 16 people around us.
402
00:28:18,216 --> 00:28:21,248
Bruce was a free spirit.
403
00:28:21,315 --> 00:28:23,613
He was always a bit of a bully, you know?
404
00:28:23,680 --> 00:28:27,244
Not good at school, but a good fighter.
405
00:28:33,209 --> 00:28:36,874
I remember that celebrities
often came to my father's house.
406
00:28:36,941 --> 00:28:42,704
A production manager noticed
that Bruce was very active.
407
00:28:43,770 --> 00:28:49,468
He said, "Well, maybe you
should give him a small role.
408
00:28:49,534 --> 00:28:52,733
Seems like he was born
with an acting talent."
409
00:28:54,632 --> 00:28:57,664
So my father let him
play some small roles.
410
00:28:57,730 --> 00:29:02,162
Child, I'll tell you something.
I'm an important man now.
411
00:29:02,229 --> 00:29:05,396
My teacher is Flying Blade Lee.
412
00:29:05,462 --> 00:29:10,294
In the film The Kid, in which he
starred at the tender age of nine,
413
00:29:10,360 --> 00:29:16,156
He represented someone
who experienced great suffering.
414
00:29:16,223 --> 00:29:19,222
Uncle, here is some money for food.
415
00:29:19,289 --> 00:29:21,488
I don't want your dirty money.
416
00:29:22,520 --> 00:29:25,220
There is a Chinese saying:
417
00:29:25,287 --> 00:29:29,652
"Enjoy the sweet while
remembering the bitter."
418
00:29:29,718 --> 00:29:31,749
Longing for suffering.
419
00:29:31,816 --> 00:29:34,681
I don't want to stab you.
420
00:29:34,748 --> 00:29:38,114
How can you? Your parents are dead.
421
00:29:38,181 --> 00:29:40,227
Your uncle worked hard to support you.
422
00:29:40,247 --> 00:29:42,013
How does this help me?
423
00:29:42,079 --> 00:29:43,878
Do you want to stab me?
424
00:29:45,678 --> 00:29:49,042
At first my father didn't want
him to end up in showbiz.
425
00:29:49,109 --> 00:29:52,706
But then the films he made did well.
426
00:29:52,773 --> 00:29:55,573
He was one of the best
child actors, you know?
427
00:29:55,640 --> 00:29:58,407
So he allowed it.
428
00:30:00,739 --> 00:30:03,338
When did you start learning martial arts?
429
00:30:03,405 --> 00:30:04,470
At what age?
430
00:30:04,537 --> 00:30:06,468
- At 13.
- At 13.
431
00:30:06,535 --> 00:30:09,401
Have you studied with a famous sensei?
432
00:30:09,467 --> 00:30:15,099
Well, I have at Y-I-P-M-A-N
433
00:30:15,166 --> 00:30:16,832
learned Chinese art.
434
00:30:16,899 --> 00:30:21,263
The style is W-I-N-G and then C-H-U-N.
435
00:30:21,329 --> 00:30:23,560
People at school looked at him
436
00:30:23,627 --> 00:30:25,818
and said, "Hey, who
do you think you are?"
437
00:30:25,860 --> 00:30:29,160
And then some guys got
together and beat him up.
438
00:30:29,226 --> 00:30:34,358
So he said, "I have to
learn to defend myself,
439
00:30:34,424 --> 00:30:35,756
if necessary."
440
00:30:35,823 --> 00:30:39,421
You are always in an
ongoing learning process.
441
00:30:41,620 --> 00:30:45,618
Ip Man had a broad
understanding of martial arts.
442
00:30:45,684 --> 00:30:49,118
It wasn't limited for him.
443
00:30:49,185 --> 00:30:54,015
And I believe that Bruce Lee
was the perfect student for him.
444
00:30:56,448 --> 00:30:59,713
My teacher at the time
came to me and said:
445
00:30:59,780 --> 00:31:03,544
"Quiet, relax and calm your mind.
446
00:31:03,611 --> 00:31:07,610
Forget yourself and follow
your opponent's movements.
447
00:31:07,676 --> 00:31:10,008
Let your mind do the opposite movement,
448
00:31:10,075 --> 00:31:13,374
without disturbing considerations.
449
00:31:13,440 --> 00:31:17,305
Above all: learn the art of detachment."
450
00:31:20,670 --> 00:31:23,536
After many hours of
meditation and practice
451
00:31:23,603 --> 00:31:27,068
I gave up and went sailing alone.
452
00:31:27,135 --> 00:31:29,446
By the sea, I thought
about my training so far
453
00:31:29,466 --> 00:31:32,765
and I freaked out and hit the water.
454
00:31:32,831 --> 00:31:37,729
Right then, at that moment,
a thought occurred to me.
455
00:31:37,796 --> 00:31:40,660
Wasn't this water the core of Kung Fu?
456
00:31:43,228 --> 00:31:48,160
This water, the softest substance
in the world, seemed so weak.
457
00:31:48,227 --> 00:31:53,124
But in reality, it could break through
the hardest substance in the world.
458
00:31:53,190 --> 00:31:54,656
That was it.
459
00:31:54,723 --> 00:31:57,454
I wanted to be like the water.
460
00:32:03,220 --> 00:32:05,985
At this point he was already
pretty good at Wing Chun.
461
00:32:06,052 --> 00:32:09,483
And there was another
style called Choy Li Fut.
462
00:32:09,549 --> 00:32:12,182
One is always fighting against the other.
463
00:32:12,249 --> 00:32:16,114
They always fight on rooftops.
464
00:32:17,279 --> 00:32:21,544
Bruce often came home with
bruises or even a black eye.
465
00:32:21,611 --> 00:32:26,575
My father did not tolerate
this kind of fighting.
466
00:32:33,139 --> 00:32:36,172
In his 1960 film, The Orphan,
467
00:32:36,239 --> 00:32:40,271
Bruce Lee basically
played himself in a way,
468
00:32:40,338 --> 00:32:42,469
a young criminal.
469
00:32:51,332 --> 00:32:52,978
What broke the camel's back was,
470
00:32:52,998 --> 00:32:56,231
when an undercover cop caught my brother.
471
00:32:56,298 --> 00:32:57,663
“Your son is fighting.
472
00:32:57,730 --> 00:33:02,526
We fear that he could
end up in a gang later on.
473
00:33:02,592 --> 00:33:05,259
If he doesn't stop what he's doing now,
474
00:33:05,326 --> 00:33:09,091
We have no choice but to arrest him."
475
00:33:09,157 --> 00:33:13,223
My father said, "Now that
he was born in the USA,
476
00:33:13,290 --> 00:33:15,400
and we have friends there
who can look after him,
477
00:33:15,420 --> 00:33:18,286
Why don't we just send him there?
478
00:33:18,352 --> 00:33:21,651
…and let him try it on his own
and we'll see what happens."
479
00:33:28,416 --> 00:33:33,281
Sam, you haven't had any
parental care since you were little.
480
00:33:33,347 --> 00:33:37,378
I remember the day before he left.
481
00:33:37,445 --> 00:33:40,111
I was sleeping, he woke me up:
482
00:33:40,178 --> 00:33:43,243
"Robert, I'm leaving Hong Kong tomorrow,
483
00:33:43,310 --> 00:33:47,109
and I don't know where it's taking me."
484
00:33:47,176 --> 00:33:49,507
I've never seen him so worried before.
485
00:33:49,574 --> 00:33:52,152
He was restless.
He didn't know what to expect.
486
00:33:52,172 --> 00:33:54,504
You know, he was scared.
487
00:33:54,571 --> 00:33:57,703
He was only 18 years old, you know.
488
00:33:57,769 --> 00:34:00,203
And that was it.
489
00:34:00,270 --> 00:34:04,268
My father sent him to
the US with only $100.
490
00:34:16,262 --> 00:34:20,161
When we went out, we
often watched movies.
491
00:34:20,227 --> 00:34:22,359
One of them was Breakfast at Tiffany's.
492
00:34:26,991 --> 00:34:29,323
Mickey Rooney looked ridiculous.
493
00:34:29,389 --> 00:34:32,289
Bruce was ashamed of his Asian culture
494
00:34:32,355 --> 00:34:33,989
was presented like this.
495
00:34:34,056 --> 00:34:36,521
If you don't turn off this gramophone
496
00:34:36,587 --> 00:34:39,119
immediately, I'll call the police!
497
00:34:39,186 --> 00:34:42,217
Asian Americans have always
been portrayed in films as,
498
00:34:42,284 --> 00:34:46,083
you know, raging, insane,
499
00:34:46,150 --> 00:34:51,614
portrayed as robotic stereotypes
or servants of white people.
500
00:34:52,781 --> 00:34:55,179
The day laborer earns 10 cents a day.
501
00:34:55,246 --> 00:34:57,444
Dear ladies and gentlemen, I
502
00:34:57,511 --> 00:34:59,509
am pleased to introduce myself.
503
00:34:59,575 --> 00:35:02,474
Hollywood has Asians
504
00:35:02,541 --> 00:35:05,840
always treated blatantly racist.
505
00:35:08,673 --> 00:35:10,339
Chopsticks, huh?
506
00:35:11,370 --> 00:35:13,104
No, stacked like pagodas.
507
00:35:14,704 --> 00:35:18,136
Hollywood took a white person
and had them play a Chinese guy,
508
00:35:18,202 --> 00:35:20,601
instead of hiring a Chinese for the role.
509
00:35:22,135 --> 00:35:23,447
Talk to Nancy Kwan.
510
00:35:23,467 --> 00:35:27,265
Talk to the actors who
were playing at the time.
511
00:35:27,331 --> 00:35:28,865
Yes, who is there?
512
00:35:28,931 --> 00:35:32,377
I don't remember any
Asian leads from this era.
513
00:35:32,397 --> 00:35:36,394
They were all played by white people.
514
00:35:38,427 --> 00:35:40,593
John Wayne played Genghis Khan.
515
00:35:40,660 --> 00:35:43,058
Under whose leadership
are you crossing my land?
516
00:35:43,125 --> 00:35:45,456
My blood says take her with you.
517
00:35:45,523 --> 00:35:48,889
The Chinese community
did not stage an uprising,
518
00:35:48,956 --> 00:35:50,955
even though that was outrageous.
519
00:35:51,022 --> 00:35:52,467
Cast the roles with white people?
520
00:35:52,487 --> 00:35:55,000
Life is hard to bear
even at the best of times.
521
00:35:55,020 --> 00:35:56,452
How can you be so cold?
522
00:35:56,519 --> 00:35:58,551
What kind of man are you?
523
00:35:59,350 --> 00:36:02,650
Crooked teeth, glasses, narrow stature,
524
00:36:02,716 --> 00:36:04,615
no muscles at all.
525
00:36:04,682 --> 00:36:06,594
I think most Asian men
526
00:36:06,614 --> 00:36:08,648
was imprinted,
527
00:36:08,714 --> 00:36:10,280
that she made that difference.
528
00:36:11,613 --> 00:36:13,492
Asian American lead actors
529
00:36:13,512 --> 00:36:15,511
are not allowed to kiss white women.
530
00:36:15,577 --> 00:36:18,091
You are only allowed to
kiss Asian women, if at all.
531
00:36:18,111 --> 00:36:23,109
Well, you tilt your head to one
side and I tilt mine to the other side.
532
00:36:26,606 --> 00:36:28,239
Clever, these Chinese.
533
00:36:28,305 --> 00:36:31,637
There are no other
roles for Asian Americans,
534
00:36:31,703 --> 00:36:36,869
to show a different, human side.
535
00:36:40,067 --> 00:36:42,866
October 20, 1963.
536
00:36:42,933 --> 00:36:47,930
For the sweetest girl, from
the man who appreciates her.
537
00:36:47,997 --> 00:36:52,394
Linda, live contentedly
with limited means,
538
00:36:52,461 --> 00:36:54,294
endure everything cheerfully,
539
00:36:54,361 --> 00:36:59,792
Do everything bravely, wait for
opportunities, don't rush into anything.
540
00:36:59,858 --> 00:37:03,824
In other words, leave the spiritual,
541
00:37:03,890 --> 00:37:07,688
Growing the uninvited and
unconscious through the ordinary.
542
00:37:09,055 --> 00:37:10,988
Bruce.
543
00:37:13,387 --> 00:37:18,618
The fact that Bruce married a white woman
544
00:37:18,684 --> 00:37:22,116
was an expression of his
feelings towards America.
545
00:37:25,715 --> 00:37:28,981
There were still some states
546
00:37:29,047 --> 00:37:32,212
banned interracial marriage.
547
00:37:32,278 --> 00:37:34,444
I was looked down upon.
548
00:37:34,510 --> 00:37:37,275
My mother found it difficult to accept
549
00:37:37,342 --> 00:37:39,507
that Bruce and I would get married.
550
00:37:41,573 --> 00:37:44,340
My mother tried to convince us to wait.
551
00:37:44,405 --> 00:37:47,239
But we had our plans.
552
00:37:47,305 --> 00:37:48,918
After she met him,
553
00:37:48,938 --> 00:37:51,703
she liked him and thought he was great.
554
00:37:56,934 --> 00:37:59,933
I met Bruce Lee in July 1964,
555
00:38:00,000 --> 00:38:02,513
when he took part in the first
international karate championship
556
00:38:02,533 --> 00:38:05,099
demonstrated in Long Beach.
557
00:38:05,166 --> 00:38:09,195
This was Bruce Lee's
first public appearance.
558
00:38:12,894 --> 00:38:15,492
Kung Fu comes from China.
559
00:38:15,559 --> 00:38:19,959
It is the ancestor of
karate and jiu jitsu.
560
00:38:20,025 --> 00:38:22,924
It's a total system, and it's more fluid.
561
00:38:22,991 --> 00:38:24,469
By that I mean it's more fluid.
562
00:38:24,489 --> 00:38:27,954
The movements flow into each
other, it is not one movement,
563
00:38:28,020 --> 00:38:29,544
a second movement, and stop.
564
00:38:31,986 --> 00:38:34,052
The best example is a glass of water.
565
00:38:34,118 --> 00:38:35,484
How come?
566
00:38:35,551 --> 00:38:39,051
Because water is the
softest substance in the world.
567
00:38:39,117 --> 00:38:42,015
And yet it can crush the
hardest stone, granite,
568
00:38:42,082 --> 00:38:44,047
whatever, penetrate.
569
00:38:44,113 --> 00:38:46,012
You can't hold it.
570
00:38:46,079 --> 00:38:48,313
You can't hit it and hurt it.
571
00:38:49,845 --> 00:38:53,277
Every Kung Fu fighter tries to
be as gentle and flexible as water
572
00:38:53,344 --> 00:38:55,376
and adapt to the opponent.
573
00:38:59,441 --> 00:39:02,306
Bruce Lee was looking for it at the time,
574
00:39:02,372 --> 00:39:04,905
what he called truth.
575
00:39:04,972 --> 00:39:07,617
Basically, he dissected
the different species
576
00:39:07,637 --> 00:39:12,803
and simplicity and
lack of tradition spread.
577
00:39:12,870 --> 00:39:15,901
Nobody did that.
He thought outside the box.
578
00:39:15,968 --> 00:39:18,265
I loved what he showed me.
579
00:39:22,530 --> 00:39:26,496
1964 and 1965 were crucial years.
580
00:39:26,563 --> 00:39:28,096
A lot has happened.
581
00:39:30,360 --> 00:39:32,259
To Taki Kamura,
582
00:39:32,326 --> 00:39:36,991
February 1, 1965, our baby is here.
583
00:39:37,058 --> 00:39:39,858
Name: Brandon B. Lee.
584
00:39:40,890 --> 00:39:43,157
A big, healthy boy, of course.
585
00:39:49,954 --> 00:39:54,250
A week after Brandon was
born, Bruce's father died.
586
00:39:54,317 --> 00:39:56,816
That was unexpected.
587
00:39:56,883 --> 00:39:59,415
Bruce was devastated.
588
00:40:00,615 --> 00:40:04,380
It was a terrible loss for him.
589
00:40:09,378 --> 00:40:12,242
He cried. He cried bitterly.
590
00:40:12,309 --> 00:40:14,156
Because in that moment he understood
591
00:40:14,176 --> 00:40:16,155
even though his father
sent him to the USA
592
00:40:16,175 --> 00:40:21,672
with only 100 dollars in your pocket,
593
00:40:21,739 --> 00:40:22,972
that it was good for him.
594
00:40:29,502 --> 00:40:33,002
Before he went to the USA,
595
00:40:33,068 --> 00:40:37,033
he looked at the external things.
596
00:40:37,100 --> 00:40:39,265
He had his looks.
597
00:40:39,331 --> 00:40:42,197
He had his great clothes.
598
00:40:42,264 --> 00:40:45,962
He thought a person had
to be like that, you know.
599
00:40:48,461 --> 00:40:51,359
But when he came to the USA,
600
00:40:51,425 --> 00:40:54,291
he understood what life was really about,
601
00:40:54,358 --> 00:40:58,891
namely: to be independent
and responsible for yourself.
602
00:41:00,057 --> 00:41:02,922
And not just for
himself, but for his family.
603
00:41:08,585 --> 00:41:10,818
I was at home. The phone rang.
604
00:41:10,885 --> 00:41:14,316
It was William Dozier's office.
605
00:41:14,383 --> 00:41:17,526
I had no idea who that was.
They said he was a producer.
606
00:41:21,380 --> 00:41:27,012
As we now know, the Long
Beach Tournament was in 1964
607
00:41:27,079 --> 00:41:30,410
someone in the audience named Jay Sebring,
608
00:41:30,477 --> 00:41:33,843
a star hairdresser in Hollywood.
609
00:41:33,910 --> 00:41:38,473
Jay saw my dad at that tournament
and was very, very impressed.
610
00:41:38,539 --> 00:41:41,872
And he happened to know
that his customer, William Dozier,
611
00:41:41,938 --> 00:41:45,437
a Hollywood producer, an Asian actor
612
00:41:45,504 --> 00:41:48,636
looking for a show.
613
00:41:49,935 --> 00:41:54,166
When Bruce came home and I
said, "You're not going to believe this.
614
00:41:54,233 --> 00:41:57,531
I got a call from this
producer in Hollywood,
615
00:41:57,598 --> 00:42:01,097
He wants you to come to
him and do a test recording."
616
00:42:01,163 --> 00:42:05,528
He was shocked. He was so surprised.
617
00:42:07,294 --> 00:42:09,427
Bruce never told me
618
00:42:09,494 --> 00:42:13,390
that he would like to act again.
619
00:42:13,457 --> 00:42:16,723
Because he was so focused on his goal,
620
00:42:16,790 --> 00:42:20,789
to open martial arts
schools across the country.
621
00:42:26,920 --> 00:42:30,150
- Test X2, take one.
- Running.
622
00:42:30,217 --> 00:42:32,296
Bruce, look directly into
the camera lens, right here,
623
00:42:32,316 --> 00:42:35,982
and tell us your name, your
age and where you were born.
624
00:42:36,049 --> 00:42:38,348
My last name is Lee, Bruce Lee.
625
00:42:38,415 --> 00:42:42,546
I was born in San Francisco in 1940.
I'm 24 now.
626
00:42:42,613 --> 00:42:44,225
Have you just become a father to a boy?
627
00:42:44,245 --> 00:42:45,445
Yes.
628
00:42:45,477 --> 00:42:47,909
And that gives you a little sleep, right?
629
00:42:47,976 --> 00:42:49,109
Oh, three nights.
630
00:42:49,175 --> 00:42:51,055
And tell the crew when…
631
00:42:51,075 --> 00:42:53,608
This test shot shows
Bruce exactly as he was.
632
00:42:56,373 --> 00:42:59,538
He was a very open,
self-confident person.
633
00:42:59,605 --> 00:43:01,537
He knew what he had to do.
634
00:43:01,604 --> 00:43:06,134
And he presented himself as he is.
635
00:43:06,201 --> 00:43:08,401
Okay, the camera is pulled back
636
00:43:08,468 --> 00:43:12,333
and, Bruce, show us some kung fu moves.
637
00:43:12,400 --> 00:43:14,800
This is the crane.
638
00:43:14,867 --> 00:43:16,067
And get started.
639
00:43:24,427 --> 00:43:28,493
The tiger, we start as a tiger,
640
00:43:28,560 --> 00:43:30,539
we scratch the face with our claws,
641
00:43:30,559 --> 00:43:33,257
or the “crane beak in the eyes” movement.
642
00:43:37,254 --> 00:43:38,768
These are some of the movements.
643
00:43:38,788 --> 00:43:39,988
- Thanks.
- Thanks.
644
00:43:40,021 --> 00:43:42,720
This is what we mean by simplicity.
The same…
645
00:43:42,786 --> 00:43:45,885
They were so convinced by
Bruce's test recordings that
646
00:43:45,952 --> 00:43:48,284
that they wanted to find
an apartment for him.
647
00:43:48,350 --> 00:43:52,482
They paid Bruce $1,800,
which was the most money
648
00:43:52,549 --> 00:43:57,014
that we had ever seen in one
go to keep Bruce for 18 months.
649
00:44:04,110 --> 00:44:07,044
We saw quite a bit of violence.
650
00:44:07,110 --> 00:44:09,256
We saw niggers getting hosed and beaten,
651
00:44:09,276 --> 00:44:11,607
tortured with the help
of dogs and cattle sticks.
652
00:44:11,674 --> 00:44:16,007
The 60s were a time of
upheaval and social change.
653
00:44:16,073 --> 00:44:19,072
It was the height of the
civil rights movement
654
00:44:19,138 --> 00:44:22,203
with Martin Luther King,
the Marches on Washington.
655
00:44:22,270 --> 00:44:26,401
Who taught you to hate your hair texture?
656
00:44:26,468 --> 00:44:30,132
Who taught you to hate your skin color
657
00:44:30,199 --> 00:44:34,098
so much that you bleach it to look white?
658
00:44:35,497 --> 00:44:38,429
At that time there were many tragedies,
659
00:44:38,495 --> 00:44:42,895
for example, when President Kennedy
and Martin Luther King were assassinated.
660
00:44:42,961 --> 00:44:46,192
Martin Luther King was shot tonight.
661
00:44:47,958 --> 00:44:51,657
Bruce saw that country at the time
662
00:44:51,724 --> 00:44:55,022
was in trouble because
of all this racial tension.
663
00:44:55,088 --> 00:44:58,789
My enemies are the whites, not
the Viet Congs, Chinese or Japanese.
664
00:44:58,855 --> 00:45:00,434
You are the opponents of my freedom.
665
00:45:00,454 --> 00:45:02,387
You are the enemies of justice.
666
00:45:02,453 --> 00:45:04,132
You are the opponents of equality.
667
00:45:04,152 --> 00:45:07,297
You wouldn't stand up for
me in America, for my religion.
668
00:45:07,317 --> 00:45:08,963
You want me to fight for you somewhere.
669
00:45:08,983 --> 00:45:11,555
But you don't stand up
for me here, at home.
670
00:45:12,715 --> 00:45:16,414
Bruce knew about the
Black Liberation Movement.
671
00:45:16,480 --> 00:45:18,946
He expected Black Americans
672
00:45:19,013 --> 00:45:20,944
would stand up for their rights.
673
00:45:23,077 --> 00:45:27,775
As African Americans great support
674
00:45:27,841 --> 00:45:30,007
in the fight for civil rights
675
00:45:30,073 --> 00:45:34,906
and win human rights for all Americans,
676
00:45:34,973 --> 00:45:39,103
they say, well, African
Americans are too loud.
677
00:45:39,169 --> 00:45:41,215
Look at Asian Americans.
678
00:45:41,235 --> 00:45:45,299
If they were quieter and more
docile, like Asian Americans,
679
00:45:45,366 --> 00:45:48,066
then perhaps they would have more success.
680
00:45:50,032 --> 00:45:55,830
As an American whose
ancestors come from Japan,
681
00:45:55,897 --> 00:45:58,728
I have become accustomed to one question.
682
00:45:59,828 --> 00:46:01,828
Why can't the Negroes be like you?
683
00:46:02,861 --> 00:46:07,158
In this shameful racial
hierarchy in America
684
00:46:07,225 --> 00:46:11,791
Asian Americans were treated
better than Black Americans.
685
00:46:11,858 --> 00:46:13,801
The myth of the model
minority is a stereotype,
686
00:46:13,821 --> 00:46:18,954
that portrays Asian-Americans as docile,
687
00:46:19,019 --> 00:46:24,718
they adapt, don't make a
fuss about discrimination,
688
00:46:24,785 --> 00:46:26,917
Poverty or exclusion.
689
00:46:26,984 --> 00:46:29,981
You work hard with your head tilted down,
690
00:46:30,047 --> 00:46:33,847
follow the rules that white
society imposes on them.
691
00:46:34,946 --> 00:46:39,044
We Asians were never treated
as complete human beings,
692
00:46:39,111 --> 00:46:42,276
but as a narrow spectrum of humanity.
693
00:46:42,343 --> 00:46:45,343
To me this is blatant racism.
694
00:46:51,439 --> 00:46:55,771
Bruce was still waiting to see
what would happen in Hollywood.
695
00:46:55,838 --> 00:46:58,637
When they finally said
696
00:46:58,704 --> 00:47:01,750
that they were going to do The Secret of
the Green Hornet we moved to Los Angeles.
697
00:47:01,770 --> 00:47:02,801
Here come the two.
698
00:47:02,868 --> 00:47:05,112
This is Bruce Lee, he plays Kato, and Van
699
00:47:05,132 --> 00:47:06,746
Williams, who will play the Green Hornet.
700
00:47:06,766 --> 00:47:11,797
So Bruce begins his path in
Hollywood with a role as an assistant,
701
00:47:11,864 --> 00:47:13,377
literally the Asian servant.
702
00:47:13,397 --> 00:47:15,830
Well, I say it the Chinese way.
703
00:47:16,896 --> 00:47:17,862
Thank you.
704
00:47:17,961 --> 00:47:22,926
In this film he begins to break
down the myth of the model minority.
705
00:47:22,992 --> 00:47:26,724
It's easier to say what
the movie won't be.
706
00:47:26,790 --> 00:47:28,824
It won't be a Batman imitation.
707
00:47:28,890 --> 00:47:31,736
The Secret of the Green Hornet
will stand on its own two feet.
708
00:47:31,756 --> 00:47:32,988
Let's get started, Kato.
709
00:47:33,054 --> 00:47:36,052
He is Kato, the person whose job it was
710
00:47:36,119 --> 00:47:39,352
to chauffeur the Green Hornet around.
711
00:47:39,418 --> 00:47:44,150
You see Bruce and his
talent for physical movement.
712
00:47:44,217 --> 00:47:45,897
They say, "There must be a way
713
00:47:45,917 --> 00:47:48,015
how we use that on screen."
714
00:47:49,182 --> 00:47:53,213
During filming, they sent
him to an acting coach.
715
00:47:53,280 --> 00:47:56,845
But the acting coach
said: "There is no dialogue."
716
00:47:57,911 --> 00:48:01,576
Dear Mr. Dozier, Kato
is an active partner
717
00:48:01,643 --> 00:48:05,375
the Green Hornet, not a silent supporter.
718
00:48:05,442 --> 00:48:07,014
I don't want to complain.
719
00:48:07,039 --> 00:48:10,018
But I think an active
partnership with the Green Hornet
720
00:48:10,038 --> 00:48:12,205
will be more effective
721
00:48:12,272 --> 00:48:13,850
and more efficient Kato result.
722
00:48:13,870 --> 00:48:16,369
My goal is to improve the show.
723
00:48:16,436 --> 00:48:19,835
So they gave him a lot more speaking roles.
724
00:48:19,902 --> 00:48:22,334
You know, if we ever
725
00:48:22,400 --> 00:48:26,765
meet that masked kung
fu fighter, I want him.
726
00:48:26,832 --> 00:48:29,130
He had to with all his might
727
00:48:29,197 --> 00:48:33,063
fighting for every inch he could get.
728
00:48:33,129 --> 00:48:34,128
I was number two.
729
00:48:34,195 --> 00:48:36,395
With the idea of becoming number one.
730
00:48:38,628 --> 00:48:42,059
Bruce was treated like an extra.
731
00:48:42,125 --> 00:48:45,991
The salary slip is a perfect example
732
00:48:46,057 --> 00:48:49,155
for the two-class treatment,
733
00:48:49,221 --> 00:48:52,387
that non-white actors had
to contend with at the time.
734
00:48:56,652 --> 00:48:58,331
Who is that weird guy on the bike?
735
00:48:58,351 --> 00:48:59,851
I think his name is Bruce Lee.
736
00:48:59,918 --> 00:49:02,317
Looks pretty similar to Kato.
737
00:49:02,383 --> 00:49:04,816
Do you need help?
738
00:49:04,883 --> 00:49:06,815
Do a little kung fu?
739
00:49:06,882 --> 00:49:08,747
What is kung fu, Bruce?
740
00:49:08,814 --> 00:49:13,245
Well, Kung Fu is a
Chinese style of fighting.
741
00:49:13,312 --> 00:49:17,209
Sports like karate and jiu
jitsu are derived from kung fu.
742
00:49:17,276 --> 00:49:18,657
You're from San Francisco…
743
00:49:18,677 --> 00:49:21,609
When he came to
Hollywood he once said to me:
744
00:49:21,676 --> 00:49:25,007
“I can teach people
something quicker through films
745
00:49:25,074 --> 00:49:26,840
than with books
746
00:49:26,907 --> 00:49:28,984
or with the opening of a
hundred schools here in America."
747
00:49:29,004 --> 00:49:32,070
Are there no karate
schools in San Francisco?
748
00:49:32,137 --> 00:49:33,504
No not really.
749
00:49:33,570 --> 00:49:34,804
In… In Oakland.
750
00:49:34,871 --> 00:49:36,636
- In Oakland?
- Yes.
751
00:49:36,703 --> 00:49:38,348
And have you already
opened a school here?
752
00:49:38,368 --> 00:49:39,801
No, not yet.
753
00:49:39,868 --> 00:49:42,600
You know, we film every
754
00:49:42,667 --> 00:49:43,632
day and it's a lot to do.
755
00:49:43,699 --> 00:49:46,044
See you on ABC in The
Secret of the Green Hornet.
756
00:49:46,064 --> 00:49:48,297
I'm Bruce Lee, and I invite you to join
757
00:49:48,363 --> 00:49:51,195
me in watching ABC every Friday night.
758
00:49:52,562 --> 00:49:54,753
Bruce comes on the screen.
He fulfills it.
759
00:49:54,795 --> 00:49:58,726
He leaves an impression
all over the world.
760
00:49:58,793 --> 00:50:02,324
His presence on screen
is a protest in itself.
761
00:50:04,757 --> 00:50:07,856
As Asian Americans, as people of color,
762
00:50:07,922 --> 00:50:12,587
we get validation from
the culture around us, right?
763
00:50:12,654 --> 00:50:18,517
Seeing someone who
looks like you is electrifying.
764
00:50:19,651 --> 00:50:22,249
You feel like you belong here.
765
00:50:22,316 --> 00:50:24,362
You feel like you can do things
766
00:50:24,382 --> 00:50:27,015
that you didn't think you could do.
767
00:50:29,681 --> 00:50:32,044
Of course he found out
that it was the right place
768
00:50:32,111 --> 00:50:35,043
was at the wrong time.
769
00:50:35,110 --> 00:50:38,376
Because America and Hollywood
may have been ready for change,
770
00:50:38,442 --> 00:50:40,742
but not that much change.
771
00:50:40,808 --> 00:50:46,906
DEAR BRUCE: CONFUCIUS SAYS: "THE
GREEN HORNET WILL FLY NO MORE."
772
00:50:46,972 --> 00:50:47,972
Green Hornet has been cancelled,
773
00:50:48,039 --> 00:50:50,270
because the ratings weren't good.
774
00:51:12,328 --> 00:51:14,861
When The Secret of the
Green Hornet was cancelled,
775
00:51:14,927 --> 00:51:17,827
he was very vulnerable.
776
00:51:19,592 --> 00:51:21,758
He was very disappointed, very sad.
777
00:51:21,825 --> 00:51:23,989
But he has reset his goals.
778
00:51:27,388 --> 00:51:29,887
During this time he read books.
779
00:51:29,953 --> 00:51:32,952
He also wrote a lot,
780
00:51:33,019 --> 00:51:37,117
So he also benefited from this time.
781
00:51:37,184 --> 00:51:40,715
Bruce did a few things to make ends meet.
782
00:51:42,648 --> 00:51:46,547
Sometimes he got a role, but not often.
783
00:51:46,614 --> 00:51:50,545
Sometimes he was a stunt coordinator.
784
00:51:50,612 --> 00:51:53,743
We made the film Rollkommando together.
785
00:51:55,243 --> 00:51:57,575
He was funny. Working with him was fun.
786
00:51:57,642 --> 00:51:59,840
Bruce came to my place
more often to hang out.
787
00:52:01,373 --> 00:52:04,607
And Bruce's plan was,
788
00:52:04,673 --> 00:52:09,337
to become a big kung
fu martial arts star.
789
00:52:10,737 --> 00:52:13,002
I said, "Do it!"
790
00:52:13,069 --> 00:52:15,101
He refused to play roles,
791
00:52:15,168 --> 00:52:17,800
who humiliated the Chinese.
792
00:52:17,833 --> 00:52:22,532
In the following years
he only got a few roles.
793
00:52:22,599 --> 00:52:24,177
It would have been easy for him to
794
00:52:24,197 --> 00:52:26,995
to remain trapped in the hamster wheel,
795
00:52:27,062 --> 00:52:31,927
if he had just done it the
way Hollywood demanded.
796
00:52:38,358 --> 00:52:39,691
They were difficult times.
797
00:52:39,757 --> 00:52:42,722
We never knew where the
next check would come from.
798
00:52:42,789 --> 00:52:46,221
We had some very lean times.
799
00:52:48,019 --> 00:52:49,877
But even though we had difficulties,
800
00:52:49,918 --> 00:52:51,751
we spent a lot of time together.
801
00:52:54,916 --> 00:52:55,883
Shannon was born.
802
00:52:55,950 --> 00:53:00,615
And I'm telling you, she immediately
had him wrapped around her finger,
803
00:53:00,682 --> 00:53:02,181
when she was born.
804
00:53:02,248 --> 00:53:05,514
He just thought she was sweet.
805
00:53:05,581 --> 00:53:08,512
He was infatuated with her.
806
00:53:08,579 --> 00:53:11,544
These were very happy times for me.
807
00:53:11,611 --> 00:53:13,908
Our family was together.
808
00:53:13,975 --> 00:53:17,074
Bruce had a lot of time
to be with the children.
809
00:53:17,141 --> 00:53:19,507
It was a good time.
810
00:53:29,868 --> 00:53:32,047
They opened a school in
Hollywood for people like…
811
00:53:32,067 --> 00:53:33,034
Yes.
812
00:53:33,100 --> 00:53:34,747
James Garner, Steve
McQueen and the others?
813
00:53:34,767 --> 00:53:35,967
Yes.
814
00:53:36,033 --> 00:53:38,312
Why did you want to
learn Chinese martial arts?
815
00:53:38,332 --> 00:53:40,464
Because of a film role?
816
00:53:40,531 --> 00:53:41,597
Not really.
817
00:53:41,664 --> 00:53:45,129
You know, for me most, at least
818
00:53:45,196 --> 00:53:49,060
when I teach it, for me it's like this:
819
00:53:49,127 --> 00:53:53,092
Every kind of knowledge ultimately
also means self-knowledge.
820
00:53:53,159 --> 00:53:56,991
That's why they want to
learn to express themselves
821
00:53:57,025 --> 00:54:01,290
through movements, be it
anger, determination, whatever.
822
00:54:05,620 --> 00:54:07,819
Here is the natural instinct.
823
00:54:07,885 --> 00:54:09,252
And here is the control.
824
00:54:12,851 --> 00:54:15,217
You have to combine both in harmony.
825
00:54:16,848 --> 00:54:18,548
- Yin Yang.
- Exactly.
826
00:54:18,614 --> 00:54:20,480
That's it.
827
00:54:21,647 --> 00:54:24,267
Okay, let's do it again
and see what happens.
828
00:54:30,143 --> 00:54:31,777
Is it turned on?
829
00:54:36,239 --> 00:54:38,971
Bruce fits right into the counterculture.
830
00:54:39,038 --> 00:54:42,505
He is a martial arts teacher,
831
00:54:42,572 --> 00:54:46,204
in a way a kind of Asian guru,
832
00:54:46,271 --> 00:54:48,383
brings deep and ancient
wisdom from the East
833
00:54:48,403 --> 00:54:53,167
to these white people
from the West Coast.
834
00:54:53,233 --> 00:54:57,532
Steve McQueen was at the
peak of his career at this point,
835
00:54:57,598 --> 00:54:59,632
just like James Coburn.
836
00:54:59,697 --> 00:55:03,730
Ted Ashley, the chairman
of Warner Brothers.
837
00:55:03,829 --> 00:55:05,928
I think that was a great thing.
838
00:55:05,995 --> 00:55:10,359
Because there were a lot of these
older white men from Hollywood,
839
00:55:10,425 --> 00:55:12,625
who wanted to be known for it,
840
00:55:12,691 --> 00:55:15,724
hanging out with this cool Chinese guy.
841
00:55:18,855 --> 00:55:23,721
One of my earliest memories
is at Bruce's house in Bel Air.
842
00:55:23,787 --> 00:55:26,685
Brandon and I ran through
the halls of the house.
843
00:55:26,752 --> 00:55:28,897
And when we opened
the doors and barged in,
844
00:55:28,917 --> 00:55:32,150
when my godfather was philosophizing,
845
00:55:32,216 --> 00:55:36,882
and he has all these students around him,
846
00:55:36,982 --> 00:55:41,147
then there was this free
spirit vibe, you know?
847
00:55:41,213 --> 00:55:43,944
You have to work a
little more with your feet.
848
00:55:44,011 --> 00:55:48,477
There were all these people
from different backgrounds.
849
00:55:48,544 --> 00:55:51,735
I just assumed the whole
world would grow up like that.
850
00:55:57,240 --> 00:56:03,036
I met Bruce through a friend,
the editor of Black Belt magazine.
851
00:56:03,103 --> 00:56:05,649
He said: "Bruce is teaching
me a traditional style.
852
00:56:05,669 --> 00:56:08,468
But it's very interesting
and innovative."
853
00:56:17,029 --> 00:56:19,029
Bruce was interested in every sport.
854
00:56:19,096 --> 00:56:22,994
He thought that everyone around the world
855
00:56:23,061 --> 00:56:26,327
could contribute something
to the martial arts as a whole.
856
00:56:28,526 --> 00:56:32,458
Many people go to teachers and say:
857
00:56:32,525 --> 00:56:34,591
"Hey, man, what's the truth?
858
00:56:34,656 --> 00:56:37,323
Can you teach it to me?"
859
00:56:37,389 --> 00:56:38,801
So one of them will say:
860
00:56:38,821 --> 00:56:41,521
"I'll teach you the Japanese way."
861
00:56:41,588 --> 00:56:43,054
Another will say:
862
00:56:43,121 --> 00:56:45,085
"I'll teach you the Chinese way."
863
00:56:45,152 --> 00:56:47,718
For me this is all nonsense.
864
00:56:54,215 --> 00:56:58,447
Personally, I don't
believe in the word "style".
865
00:56:58,514 --> 00:57:01,278
People are divided because of styles.
866
00:57:02,678 --> 00:57:07,643
They are not united
because style became law.
867
00:57:11,873 --> 00:57:13,073
Okay, let's look at it.
868
00:57:17,038 --> 00:57:20,070
After training, Bruce
spends time in his office.
869
00:57:20,137 --> 00:57:25,936
He has a Sony cassette recorder
that plays tapes of Muhammad Ali.
870
00:57:26,002 --> 00:57:29,534
Muhammad Ali, Sugar
Ray Robinson, Joe Lewis.
871
00:57:29,601 --> 00:57:33,831
Black boxing champions were
the pride of Black Americans.
872
00:57:35,665 --> 00:57:38,830
He was open to these
different types of influences.
873
00:57:41,696 --> 00:57:44,960
He wanted to learn where
her strength came from.
874
00:57:46,726 --> 00:57:48,424
And he thought about it,
875
00:57:48,491 --> 00:57:51,723
what would work better for his body.
876
00:57:59,054 --> 00:58:01,019
I have to tell the audience that
877
00:58:01,086 --> 00:58:03,518
Bruce Lee played a small part
878
00:58:03,585 --> 00:58:07,416
or had a supporting role
in the series Longstreet.
879
00:58:07,483 --> 00:58:09,674
That had a big effect on the audience.
880
00:58:09,715 --> 00:58:10,915
What kind?
881
00:58:10,981 --> 00:58:14,915
I think the winning ingredient
882
00:58:14,981 --> 00:58:18,280
was that I was Bruce Lee.
883
00:58:18,346 --> 00:58:19,312
- So…
- Yourself.
884
00:58:19,379 --> 00:58:21,011
I expressed myself.
885
00:58:22,943 --> 00:58:24,910
What are you doing?
886
00:58:24,975 --> 00:58:27,509
In Cantonese, Jeet Kune Do:
887
00:58:27,576 --> 00:58:29,155
"The Way of the Intercepting Fist."
888
00:58:29,175 --> 00:58:30,808
Intercepting fist, huh?
889
00:58:30,874 --> 00:58:32,074
Or foot.
890
00:58:33,707 --> 00:58:35,985
You know, to get to me, you
have to move towards me.
891
00:58:36,005 --> 00:58:39,236
Your attack gives me the
opportunity to intercept you.
892
00:58:39,869 --> 00:58:43,501
In this case, I use my
longest weapon, my side
893
00:58:43,568 --> 00:58:46,434
kick, against your next
target: your kneecap.
894
00:58:46,500 --> 00:58:49,233
This can be compared
to a left jab in boxing.
895
00:58:49,300 --> 00:58:51,199
Except it causes a lot more damage.
896
00:58:51,765 --> 00:58:53,309
Yes, Lee is teaching me all of this.
897
00:58:53,329 --> 00:58:55,096
I can't teach you.
898
00:58:55,163 --> 00:58:57,509
All I can do is help you get
to know yourself. No longer.
899
00:58:57,529 --> 00:59:00,094
Good Good. Come on,
let's do it… let's do it…
900
00:59:00,161 --> 00:59:04,393
The 1960s had a strong influence on Bruce,
901
00:59:04,460 --> 00:59:07,825
a time of experimentation,
disillusionment,
902
00:59:07,892 --> 00:59:10,922
Existential fears were widespread.
903
00:59:10,989 --> 00:59:14,055
There was a very conscious attempt
904
00:59:14,121 --> 00:59:16,821
to question the established Western way.
905
00:59:16,888 --> 00:59:19,354
I live here. My grandmother lived here.
906
00:59:19,421 --> 00:59:21,420
She died here.
907
00:59:21,486 --> 00:59:24,785
So I belong here. Now I hate this place.
908
00:59:24,851 --> 00:59:27,295
If I were an outsider, I would let
909
00:59:27,315 --> 00:59:31,048
it burn down and say, "Leave it."
910
00:59:31,114 --> 00:59:34,547
But because this is my
house, ridiculously, absurdly,
911
00:59:34,614 --> 00:59:39,711
cruelly, my home, I don't
want to leave like that.
912
00:59:41,610 --> 00:59:42,576
I am the fifth generation and the
913
00:59:42,643 --> 00:59:44,322
sixth generation is just growing up.
914
00:59:44,342 --> 00:59:48,806
I don't want another generation
to be completely destroyed.
915
00:59:48,873 --> 00:59:52,019
I don't want them to grow
up with this "either/or" thing,
916
00:59:52,039 --> 00:59:55,971
feel as if they were born as foreigners.
917
00:59:56,038 --> 01:00:01,834
Before 1968 we were Orientals.
Orient means East, right?
918
01:00:01,901 --> 01:00:03,567
The East compared to what?
919
01:00:05,167 --> 01:00:08,533
If you look at how people change,
920
01:00:08,600 --> 01:00:12,997
if they publicly call
themselves Asian-Americans,
921
01:00:13,064 --> 01:00:15,596
then you also see the
change that you say:
922
01:00:15,662 --> 01:00:17,662
"We no longer define ourselves
923
01:00:17,728 --> 01:00:21,692
in relation to the West,
wherever the West is.
924
01:00:21,759 --> 01:00:24,525
We define ourselves from within."
925
01:00:25,758 --> 01:00:31,422
Bruce is struggling at the time to
maintain his philosophy and his ideas
926
01:00:31,489 --> 01:00:35,854
to get on the screen.
927
01:00:35,920 --> 01:00:37,718
You have to listen.
928
01:00:37,785 --> 01:00:39,219
Listen.
929
01:00:39,285 --> 01:00:41,518
- You don't hear the bird, do you?
- No.
930
01:00:41,585 --> 01:00:44,824
Ha. If you don't hear the bird,
you won't hear your opponent either.
931
01:00:46,482 --> 01:00:51,813
My father kept trying to
get roles in Hollywood.
932
01:00:51,880 --> 01:00:54,880
I want to be left alone
and live like an American.
933
01:00:54,912 --> 01:00:56,479
You're old-fashioned.
934
01:00:56,545 --> 01:00:59,458
And you're a fool if
you think you can break
935
01:00:59,478 --> 01:01:01,383
away from us just because you decide to.
936
01:01:01,876 --> 01:01:05,674
He got roles in The Third in
Ambush, Longstreet and other things.
937
01:01:05,741 --> 01:01:10,007
But I think a lot of
people in the studios
938
01:01:10,073 --> 01:01:13,138
saw it as a novelty.
939
01:01:14,770 --> 01:01:18,336
He noticed pretty
quickly that the influence,
940
01:01:18,402 --> 01:01:22,799
which he wanted to exercise
941
01:01:22,866 --> 01:01:25,343
would not only be
possible by filling roles.
942
01:01:27,432 --> 01:01:31,663
He thought the only way to show himself
943
01:01:31,730 --> 01:01:33,829
would be to write your own roles.
944
01:01:39,426 --> 01:01:45,024
When we first came across
Bruce and watched his TV shows,
945
01:01:45,091 --> 01:01:48,457
we noticed that something was there.
946
01:01:49,789 --> 01:01:53,786
So we came up with this
series about a Shaolin monk,
947
01:01:53,853 --> 01:01:59,585
who came to America to help
the Chinese on the highways.
948
01:01:59,651 --> 01:02:01,651
Bruce had the original idea,
949
01:02:01,718 --> 01:02:06,449
which would later become
the series Kung Fu .
950
01:02:06,515 --> 01:02:09,146
He introduced her to Warner Brothers.
951
01:02:09,213 --> 01:02:13,612
He was very happy
that they liked his idea.
952
01:02:13,678 --> 01:02:15,511
I said, "I don't know, Bruce."
953
01:02:15,578 --> 01:02:17,856
I said, "I don't know if people
in Hollywood are ready for that,
954
01:02:17,876 --> 01:02:23,707
to accept an Asian as
the lead of a TV series."
955
01:02:23,773 --> 01:02:26,473
He said, "Shall we bet?"
956
01:02:26,540 --> 01:02:28,339
So, yeah, okay, I bet.
957
01:02:28,405 --> 01:02:30,271
So we made a bet.
958
01:02:31,404 --> 01:02:36,336
One afternoon we had a meeting
in my office at Warner Brothers.
959
01:02:37,468 --> 01:02:40,233
- Mr Marlowe?
- Yes?
960
01:02:40,300 --> 01:02:43,499
And he slammed my door with his foot
961
01:02:43,566 --> 01:02:45,864
and brandished his nunchaku.
962
01:02:45,931 --> 01:02:48,364
It was buzzing in front of my nose.
963
01:02:48,431 --> 01:02:51,030
And I said, "What's going on here?"
964
01:02:51,097 --> 01:02:53,002
Bruce said, "Touch my arm."
965
01:02:54,727 --> 01:02:56,826
It was like touching a stone.
966
01:02:56,893 --> 01:02:58,892
500 dollars.
967
01:02:58,959 --> 01:03:01,325
And who am I doing this nothing for?
968
01:03:01,391 --> 01:03:03,491
Winslow Wong.
969
01:03:03,558 --> 01:03:05,357
It's me.
970
01:03:05,424 --> 01:03:08,556
We talked about the roles in Kung Fu.
971
01:03:08,622 --> 01:03:11,488
Of course Bruce would have liked to do that.
972
01:03:11,554 --> 01:03:16,418
But the bottom line would be Bruce's accent
973
01:03:16,484 --> 01:03:20,849
was too strong for American TV audiences.
974
01:03:22,715 --> 01:03:24,015
OK.
975
01:03:36,511 --> 01:03:41,242
In the TV world there
were only three customers.
976
01:03:41,309 --> 01:03:45,507
There was no economic reason to diversify
977
01:03:45,573 --> 01:03:48,538
just for the sake of diversification.
978
01:03:48,604 --> 01:03:54,503
Nobody wanted to risk deviating
too much from the mainstream.
979
01:03:54,569 --> 01:03:57,634
Because then you would
lose the huge TV audience
980
01:03:57,701 --> 01:04:00,400
and it would be over.
981
01:04:03,498 --> 01:04:07,563
The film industry is biased
against non-white people.
982
01:04:07,629 --> 01:04:11,761
At Kung Fu, which was written for Bruce,
983
01:04:11,827 --> 01:04:13,637
the people in the studio decided
984
01:04:13,661 --> 01:04:16,825
that America wasn't
ready for an Asian hero.
985
01:04:16,892 --> 01:04:20,125
They gave the role…
986
01:04:20,191 --> 01:04:22,722
Now I've forgotten the name.
987
01:04:22,789 --> 01:04:24,855
The series Kung Fu with…
988
01:04:29,820 --> 01:04:33,519
And of course the
series Kung Fu came out,
989
01:04:33,585 --> 01:04:37,418
with David Carradine in the lead role.
990
01:04:39,582 --> 01:04:41,615
ABC was heavily criticized.
991
01:04:41,681 --> 01:04:43,148
I was heavily criticized.
992
01:04:43,215 --> 01:04:45,180
Warner Brothers was heavily criticized.
993
01:04:45,247 --> 01:04:48,346
But at the end of the day
you have to be able to sell it,
994
01:04:48,413 --> 01:04:51,577
what you sell.
995
01:04:51,644 --> 01:04:57,341
I couldn't find an Asian
actor to sell to ABC.
996
01:05:02,040 --> 01:05:04,660
Hollywood is racist
because America is racist.
997
01:05:05,571 --> 01:05:10,236
The images that Hollywood sends
out only reinforce America's racism.
998
01:05:10,303 --> 01:05:12,800
It is a doom-loop. It goes in circles.
999
01:05:18,200 --> 01:05:24,131
And he said, "Okay, so
this is what's happening."
1000
01:05:24,198 --> 01:05:28,196
“How do I turn around and change course?”
1001
01:05:31,527 --> 01:05:34,893
I think what was crucial
was that he didn't stop.
1002
01:05:34,959 --> 01:05:38,624
He didn't let himself be stopped.
1003
01:05:38,690 --> 01:05:42,656
He said: "I understand it,
I've already made up my mind.
1004
01:05:42,723 --> 01:05:44,922
I'm doing this now.
1005
01:05:44,989 --> 01:05:48,320
I'll just keep going."
1006
01:05:55,416 --> 01:05:57,463
I would like to ask you about the
1007
01:05:57,483 --> 01:06:01,448
problems you face as a Chinese hero
1008
01:06:01,514 --> 01:06:03,261
be in an American series.
1009
01:06:03,281 --> 01:06:04,959
Have people in the industry come
1010
01:06:04,979 --> 01:06:06,392
to you and said, "We don't know
1011
01:06:06,412 --> 01:06:08,391
how the audience
receives a non-American?"
1012
01:06:08,411 --> 01:06:14,443
Unfortunately, there
are things like this in the
1013
01:06:14,509 --> 01:06:18,408
world, you know, in certain
parts of the country, yes.
1014
01:06:18,475 --> 01:06:23,105
Where you think it's a risk
from an economic point of view.
1015
01:06:23,172 --> 01:06:24,771
That's not her fault.
1016
01:06:24,838 --> 01:06:26,803
The same thing would happen in Hong
1017
01:06:26,870 --> 01:06:30,269
Kong if a foreigner
came and became a star.
1018
01:06:30,336 --> 01:06:35,700
If I were the man with the money,
1019
01:06:35,766 --> 01:06:37,733
I'd probably have my own worries,
1020
01:06:37,800 --> 01:06:40,365
whether acceptance would be given or not.
1021
01:06:40,432 --> 01:06:42,863
But that's okay.
1022
01:06:42,929 --> 01:06:44,342
Do you still see yourself as Chinese?
1023
01:06:44,362 --> 01:06:47,627
Or do you see yourself as a North American?
1024
01:06:47,694 --> 01:06:51,593
Do you know how I want to see myself?
1025
01:06:51,659 --> 01:06:53,658
As a human.
1026
01:06:53,725 --> 01:06:56,092
Because, I mean, I don't
1027
01:06:56,158 --> 01:06:57,936
want to talk like Confucius,
1028
01:06:57,956 --> 01:07:02,088
but there is only one
family under heaven.
1029
01:07:02,155 --> 01:07:06,321
It just so happens that
people are different.
1030
01:07:09,286 --> 01:07:11,286
He felt the pain of rejection.
1031
01:07:13,784 --> 01:07:15,182
Bruce was devastated.
1032
01:07:15,249 --> 01:07:17,129
He… He just couldn't understand it.
1033
01:07:17,149 --> 01:07:19,181
He said, "What, why?"
1034
01:07:19,248 --> 01:07:22,080
I mean, he was so hurt
1035
01:07:22,147 --> 01:07:25,645
and just disgusted with the whole system.
1036
01:07:27,511 --> 01:07:33,507
And he wanted to do
something about it in his own way.
1037
01:07:38,106 --> 01:07:39,372
Dear Ted.
1038
01:07:39,439 --> 01:07:43,071
I heard what happened to The Warrior .
1039
01:07:43,138 --> 01:07:44,651
Well, we can't always win.
1040
01:07:44,671 --> 01:07:47,403
But I'll win one day, damn it.
1041
01:07:55,132 --> 01:07:56,704
How did you discover Bruce Lee?
1042
01:07:57,265 --> 01:08:02,563
Well, I saw him in a TV
interview in Hong Kong.
1043
01:08:02,629 --> 01:08:06,228
He did fantastic things.
1044
01:08:06,295 --> 01:08:09,593
When Brandon was five, he
and Bruce traveled to Hong Kong.
1045
01:08:09,660 --> 01:08:15,091
There he was recognized as Kato
from The Secret of the Green Hornet.
1046
01:08:15,158 --> 01:08:19,888
In Hong Kong everyone knew
he did well on American TV.
1047
01:08:22,553 --> 01:08:25,086
I called him.
I picked up the phone and called him.
1048
01:08:25,153 --> 01:08:30,617
But he said, "If you want to make
good action movies, kung fu movies,
1049
01:08:30,684 --> 01:08:33,450
You should do ba-ba-ba-ba-ba, you know?"
1050
01:08:33,516 --> 01:08:36,614
I said, "Yeah, yeah, but if you help me,
1051
01:08:36,681 --> 01:08:39,147
We can build something great together."
1052
01:08:46,510 --> 01:08:49,875
The truth is: I am a
yellow-faced Chinese.
1053
01:08:49,942 --> 01:08:53,208
In no way can I become a
role model for white people
1054
01:08:53,275 --> 01:08:55,474
or arouse the feelings of my statesmen.
1055
01:08:55,541 --> 01:08:59,704
That's why I decided to come back,
1056
01:08:59,771 --> 01:09:04,304
to work for the Chinese film industry.
1057
01:09:04,371 --> 01:09:07,701
He was the prodigal son who had returned.
1058
01:09:12,100 --> 01:09:14,697
Life in Hong Kong was exciting.
1059
01:09:14,764 --> 01:09:16,697
It's an exciting city.
1060
01:09:16,764 --> 01:09:20,164
It's difficult to live
there with a movie star.
1061
01:09:21,429 --> 01:09:24,327
Because when he became so well known there,
1062
01:09:24,394 --> 01:09:27,026
it became more difficult to go out,
1063
01:09:27,093 --> 01:09:31,325
without being surrounded by his fans.
1064
01:09:31,392 --> 01:09:34,656
First of all…
1065
01:09:34,723 --> 01:09:37,588
…I don't like the word "superstar".
1066
01:09:37,655 --> 01:09:38,755
I'll tell you why.
1067
01:09:38,821 --> 01:09:41,886
Because the word “star” is an illusion.
1068
01:09:41,952 --> 01:09:46,019
I don't consider myself a star.
1069
01:09:46,086 --> 01:09:47,086
Really not.
1070
01:09:47,153 --> 01:09:49,151
Believe me when I say…
1071
01:09:51,449 --> 01:09:53,783
When Bruce Lee returned to Hong Kong,
1072
01:09:53,849 --> 01:09:57,579
It was difficult for him to fit in
with the rest of the film industry.
1073
01:09:57,646 --> 01:10:00,545
First, he received an American education.
1074
01:10:00,612 --> 01:10:03,944
Oh, yeah, he's that one…
1075
01:10:04,011 --> 01:10:06,376
…half devil.
1076
01:10:06,442 --> 01:10:09,156
You think you're a big deal because
you come back from America?
1077
01:10:09,176 --> 01:10:10,641
Oh no.
1078
01:10:10,708 --> 01:10:13,773
Because he was a mid-Pacific man,
1079
01:10:13,839 --> 01:10:17,038
there were automatically
people who would attack him.
1080
01:10:17,105 --> 01:10:19,751
To say that Bruce is a mid-Pacific man,
1081
01:10:19,771 --> 01:10:23,337
means that he was neither
American nor Chinese,
1082
01:10:23,402 --> 01:10:26,401
someone who lived between both worlds.
1083
01:10:30,233 --> 01:10:32,831
Sometimes I went to a store
1084
01:10:32,898 --> 01:10:38,164
and heard the salespeople saying
unpleasant things about me in Chinese.
1085
01:10:38,231 --> 01:10:40,993
Of course they didn't know
that I could understand them.
1086
01:10:43,328 --> 01:10:44,906
I think people saw Bruce
1087
01:10:44,926 --> 01:10:48,592
this magnificent specimen
of a Chinese man.
1088
01:10:48,658 --> 01:10:53,124
And why did he marry
that boring white girl?
1089
01:10:54,890 --> 01:10:57,323
It's very mixed feelings.
1090
01:10:57,389 --> 01:10:59,720
Stigmatized, hated, angry.
1091
01:10:59,787 --> 01:11:03,451
On the other hand, respected and envied,
1092
01:11:03,518 --> 01:11:05,584
sometimes even revered.
1093
01:11:12,316 --> 01:11:15,446
Bruce was confident to his core.
1094
01:11:15,513 --> 01:11:21,044
He thought: "If you neglect
me, if you don't value me,
1095
01:11:21,111 --> 01:11:24,243
it's your loss.
1096
01:11:24,310 --> 01:11:28,608
You will agree with me in the future."
1097
01:11:28,675 --> 01:11:32,374
After The Fist of Death by Cheng
Li and Greetings from Shanghai
1098
01:11:32,440 --> 01:11:37,471
Raymond agreed to listen to
his directorial ideas and plots.
1099
01:11:41,769 --> 01:11:45,534
He wanted everything he set out to do
1100
01:11:45,601 --> 01:11:48,866
had the best possible quality.
1101
01:11:50,299 --> 01:11:54,297
He turned fighting on
screen into a dialogue.
1102
01:11:54,363 --> 01:11:58,595
There was always a message
behind what he expressed.
1103
01:12:01,594 --> 01:12:05,026
The way he integrated East and West.
1104
01:12:05,093 --> 01:12:09,489
Once he brought a lot of Western thought,
1105
01:12:09,556 --> 01:12:11,656
Western filmmaking.
1106
01:12:11,723 --> 01:12:14,521
For example, the character
that Chuck Norris played was
1107
01:12:14,588 --> 01:12:18,886
not the cartoon villain from
Greetings from Shanghai,
1108
01:12:18,953 --> 01:12:22,651
but a respectful karate fighter.
1109
01:12:27,449 --> 01:12:29,735
This further development
is very, very important.
1110
01:12:44,542 --> 01:12:46,021
People often come to me and say:
1111
01:12:46,041 --> 01:12:48,341
"Hey, Bruce, are you really that good?"
1112
01:12:48,407 --> 01:12:50,973
I answer: "Well, when
I say that I'm good,
1113
01:12:51,040 --> 01:12:52,993
"You're probably saying I'm showing off."
1114
01:12:57,670 --> 01:13:01,268
"If I say I'm no good,
you know I'm lying."
1115
01:13:02,201 --> 01:13:03,567
Let's put it this way:
1116
01:13:03,634 --> 01:13:06,492
I am not afraid of the
opponent facing me.
1117
01:13:23,993 --> 01:13:27,357
When we made The Deathclaw Strikes Again,
1118
01:13:27,424 --> 01:13:30,469
Warner Brothers had already
understood that Bruce Lee was more,
1119
01:13:30,489 --> 01:13:32,522
than they originally assumed.
1120
01:13:32,588 --> 01:13:36,160
At that time, Bruce had already
started working on My Last Fight .
1121
01:13:37,586 --> 01:13:40,951
Bruce called me and said:
1122
01:13:41,018 --> 01:13:43,697
"Hey, I have a movie going.
Can you come over?"
1123
01:13:43,717 --> 01:13:45,316
It was so September,
1124
01:13:45,382 --> 01:13:48,811
but I had ten days in which
to come to Hong Kong.
1125
01:13:50,081 --> 01:13:52,359
And he said, "Look, I can't pay you yet."
1126
01:13:52,379 --> 01:13:54,512
They hadn't financed the film yet.
1127
01:13:54,578 --> 01:13:58,277
We filmed our scenes.
1128
01:13:58,343 --> 01:13:59,575
Then I had to go.
1129
01:14:02,541 --> 01:14:06,740
Bruce began his dream
project, called My Last Fight.
1130
01:14:06,807 --> 01:14:08,738
And right at that moment,
1131
01:14:08,805 --> 01:14:12,005
in which he had built
himself up independently,
1132
01:14:12,072 --> 01:14:17,070
not just as an actor, but
as a writer and director,
1133
01:14:17,137 --> 01:14:22,668
Hollywood realizes
what it really has to offer.
1134
01:14:26,399 --> 01:14:28,232
So I went to Hong Kong.
1135
01:14:28,298 --> 01:14:33,229
Bruce would have done anything
to make an international film.
1136
01:14:33,295 --> 01:14:37,694
Raymond Chow didn't
want to lose his star.
1137
01:14:37,761 --> 01:14:41,027
That's why I kept
negotiating with Raymond.
1138
01:14:41,093 --> 01:14:43,991
And when everything was finally discussed,
1139
01:14:44,058 --> 01:14:47,256
went Bruce, Raymond
and I and everyone else
1140
01:14:47,322 --> 01:14:49,202
out to dinner the night before I left.
1141
01:14:49,222 --> 01:14:50,534
And at that dinner I said:
1142
01:14:50,554 --> 01:14:55,286
"Bruce, it's a shame you'll
never be an international star,
1143
01:14:55,352 --> 01:14:58,518
Because Raymond won't make a deal."
1144
01:14:58,585 --> 01:15:01,217
Raymond looked at me and turned white.
1145
01:15:01,283 --> 01:15:03,383
And he said, "Okay, I'll make a deal."
1146
01:15:03,449 --> 01:15:05,315
And so they became partners
1147
01:15:05,382 --> 01:15:08,281
with Warner Brothers and me
in The Man with the Deathclaw.
1148
01:15:20,942 --> 01:15:23,307
It was a bit difficult at the beginning.
1149
01:15:23,374 --> 01:15:26,207
Because Bruce wasn't
happy with the script.
1150
01:15:26,273 --> 01:15:29,239
He wanted to add things
1151
01:15:29,305 --> 01:15:32,238
which would give the
film a bit more substance.
1152
01:15:34,636 --> 01:15:36,968
Bruce refused to start.
1153
01:15:37,068 --> 01:15:38,735
He refused to go on set.
1154
01:15:38,767 --> 01:15:40,532
The American crew was there,
1155
01:15:40,599 --> 01:15:42,399
everything cost money and stuff,
1156
01:15:42,466 --> 01:15:45,065
and Bruce didn't want to show up on set.
1157
01:15:49,164 --> 01:15:54,927
It was definitely a
big challenge at times.
1158
01:15:54,994 --> 01:16:00,093
He was full of fire and intensity.
1159
01:16:01,691 --> 01:16:04,491
He could be a bit of a rebel.
1160
01:16:04,558 --> 01:16:08,555
He wasn't always the
gentleman he was in the book.
1161
01:16:08,622 --> 01:16:09,822
He said where to go.
1162
01:16:09,854 --> 01:16:11,953
He was an asshole at times.
1163
01:16:14,518 --> 01:16:17,951
Bruce had the same doubts,
1164
01:16:18,018 --> 01:16:22,617
that all successful actors have.
1165
01:16:22,683 --> 01:16:24,881
Does everyone support my project?
1166
01:16:24,948 --> 01:16:28,679
Are they doing what's
best for me and my film?
1167
01:16:31,645 --> 01:16:35,509
In the end he got what he wanted.
1168
01:16:38,210 --> 01:16:39,109
What was that?
1169
01:16:39,176 --> 01:16:40,908
A demonstration?
1170
01:16:40,975 --> 01:16:45,005
We need emotional content.
1171
01:16:45,072 --> 01:16:48,904
Anything in the film
that is a bit philosophical,
1172
01:16:48,971 --> 01:16:51,704
Bruce added to the script.
1173
01:16:54,036 --> 01:16:56,401
That's it.
1174
01:16:56,468 --> 01:16:57,681
How did that feel?
1175
01:16:57,701 --> 01:17:00,033
Let me think.
1176
01:17:00,100 --> 01:17:03,898
Do not think! Feel.
1177
01:17:03,965 --> 01:17:08,863
It's like a finger pointing to the moon.
1178
01:17:08,930 --> 01:17:12,194
Don't focus on the finger or
1179
01:17:12,260 --> 01:17:16,093
you'll miss the heavenly splendor.
1180
01:17:16,160 --> 01:17:19,824
He tried to make the films
1181
01:17:19,891 --> 01:17:21,690
that he wanted to do.
1182
01:17:22,656 --> 01:17:23,957
His vision.
1183
01:17:24,023 --> 01:17:27,921
Always look at your
opponent, even when you bow.
1184
01:17:29,220 --> 01:17:33,153
In the 1970s there were
few Chinese or Asian films,
1185
01:17:33,219 --> 01:17:37,083
who made it to Hollywood.
1186
01:17:38,249 --> 01:17:43,615
Bruce wanted our films to hit Hollywood.
1187
01:17:51,545 --> 01:17:57,209
Initially we didn't think about the
success of The Man with the Deathclaw.
1188
01:17:58,408 --> 01:18:02,040
We just made the best
Bruce movie we could make.
1189
01:18:03,806 --> 01:18:07,437
As we began, we noticed
1190
01:18:07,504 --> 01:18:11,202
that we were going to do
something very, very spectacular.
1191
01:18:15,901 --> 01:18:20,798
Bruce did what he was meant to do,
1192
01:18:20,865 --> 01:18:22,498
and it felt wonderful.
1193
01:18:24,164 --> 01:18:26,396
He was powerful.
1194
01:18:31,826 --> 01:18:34,958
There is something
very unique about stars.
1195
01:18:35,025 --> 01:18:38,357
Her humanity is so complete.
1196
01:18:38,424 --> 01:18:40,125
They are who they are.
1197
01:18:40,191 --> 01:18:44,254
They feel very comfortable
in their own skin.
1198
01:18:44,321 --> 01:18:47,787
That was a big part of what
fascinated people about Bruce.
1199
01:18:58,550 --> 01:19:00,882
I think he loved being famous.
1200
01:19:00,949 --> 01:19:04,313
That's what he wanted. That was his goal.
1201
01:19:04,380 --> 01:19:07,278
Maybe when he got there
he just thought, "Oh well."
1202
01:19:09,610 --> 01:19:13,509
Then you just become famous.
But you have to maintain this fame.
1203
01:19:15,808 --> 01:19:18,207
Fame costs. Yes, it costs a lot.
1204
01:19:22,071 --> 01:19:25,283
The only thing I remember is
him saying, "Here in Hong Kong
1205
01:19:25,303 --> 01:19:27,182
I don't know who my friends are."
1206
01:19:27,202 --> 01:19:28,302
And I said, "What do you mean?"
1207
01:19:28,369 --> 01:19:30,136
He said, "I don't know
1208
01:19:30,235 --> 01:19:32,582
whether they're just being
nice to me for a movie role."
1209
01:19:32,602 --> 01:19:35,035
I think he felt very lonely.
1210
01:19:35,102 --> 01:19:37,598
I don't think I would
have wanted his life.
1211
01:19:39,297 --> 01:19:40,711
You don't have time for yourself.
1212
01:19:40,731 --> 01:19:43,997
You don't have time to be yourself.
1213
01:19:44,063 --> 01:19:45,962
How has your life changed
1214
01:19:46,029 --> 01:19:47,876
Have you changed since
you became successful?
1215
01:19:47,896 --> 01:19:49,096
You are a cult figure
1216
01:19:49,128 --> 01:19:50,875
in Hong Kong, you are very well known there.
1217
01:19:50,895 --> 01:19:54,891
It's changed in the sense
that I'm like in prison,
1218
01:19:54,957 --> 01:19:55,991
do you know what I mean?
1219
01:19:56,057 --> 01:19:57,091
Really? How come?
1220
01:19:57,157 --> 01:19:59,322
I'm like a monkey in the zoo, you know.
1221
01:19:59,389 --> 01:20:02,989
People always point at me and stuff.
1222
01:20:03,055 --> 01:20:06,101
Her father warned her about
the dark side of show business.
1223
01:20:06,121 --> 01:20:07,186
Have you met them yet?
1224
01:20:07,253 --> 01:20:09,120
Apart from the illusion?
1225
01:20:09,186 --> 01:20:11,150
Naturally. Naturally.
1226
01:20:11,216 --> 01:20:13,362
It seems like you got
off particularly well.
1227
01:20:13,382 --> 01:20:15,016
Let's put it this way:
1228
01:20:16,948 --> 01:20:21,815
To be honest, I'm not
as bad as some of them.
1229
01:20:21,882 --> 01:20:25,446
But I'm definitely
not saying I'm a saint.
1230
01:20:33,242 --> 01:20:36,041
In May 1973 he collapsed.
1231
01:20:36,108 --> 01:20:39,040
That was very scary.
1232
01:20:40,939 --> 01:20:46,536
He went with Linda and
Raymond Chow for a checkup.
1233
01:20:46,602 --> 01:20:49,482
One of the doctors said he
had the body of an 18-year-old.
1234
01:20:49,502 --> 01:20:51,467
Do you know?
1235
01:20:52,567 --> 01:20:54,413
We played around in the
gym every now and then.
1236
01:20:54,433 --> 01:20:55,765
Do you know?
1237
01:20:55,832 --> 01:20:59,430
He said, "I'm fit as a fiddle."
1238
01:20:59,497 --> 01:21:02,628
That was the last time I saw him.
1239
01:21:05,393 --> 01:21:07,594
JULY 20, 1973
1240
01:21:08,559 --> 01:21:10,926
I remember it very well.
1241
01:21:10,993 --> 01:21:14,025
We started in the studios in the morning
1242
01:21:14,092 --> 01:21:17,490
with a meeting with George
Lazenby, myself and Raymond Chow.
1243
01:21:19,256 --> 01:21:23,487
He complained of headaches, migraines.
1244
01:21:25,186 --> 01:21:27,953
Then George came
and we talked for a while.
1245
01:21:29,152 --> 01:21:30,917
He was in a very good mood.
1246
01:21:30,984 --> 01:21:36,015
We were looking forward to the
release of The Man with the Deathclaw.
1247
01:21:36,082 --> 01:21:40,179
Bruce wanted to fly to L.A. to
appear on The Tonight Show .
1248
01:21:40,246 --> 01:21:42,212
Bruce, Linda and the children
1249
01:21:42,278 --> 01:21:44,046
wanted to take part in the premiere.
1250
01:21:45,578 --> 01:21:49,009
He was as energetic,
imaginative, cheerful as always,
1251
01:21:49,076 --> 01:21:51,075
just that he had a migraine.
1252
01:21:54,306 --> 01:21:57,438
Betty was Betty Ting Pei.
1253
01:21:57,505 --> 01:21:59,438
We talked to Betty about it,
1254
01:21:59,505 --> 01:22:03,769
to give her a role in
the film My Last Fight .
1255
01:22:03,836 --> 01:22:05,735
He came to eat.
1256
01:22:05,802 --> 01:22:09,301
She gave him Equagesic
and he lay down for a moment…
1257
01:22:11,035 --> 01:22:12,750
…to get rid of the headache.
1258
01:22:17,065 --> 01:22:19,529
And she let him sleep.
1259
01:22:20,763 --> 01:22:23,478
When she tried to wake
him up, she couldn't.
1260
01:22:42,821 --> 01:22:47,150
Raymond Chow called me and
told me to come to the hospital.
1261
01:22:47,217 --> 01:22:49,797
And I said, "Why? What happened?
What happened?"
1262
01:22:49,817 --> 01:22:53,548
He said, "Same as last time."
1263
01:22:56,313 --> 01:22:59,245
So I drove to the hospital.
1264
01:23:00,512 --> 01:23:03,046
They brought him there.
1265
01:23:03,112 --> 01:23:06,544
And by that time he was already gone.
1266
01:23:10,808 --> 01:23:13,008
It was amazing.
1267
01:23:13,074 --> 01:23:16,206
Of course I was devastated.
1268
01:23:16,273 --> 01:23:19,072
But I was there. I saw him.
1269
01:23:21,170 --> 01:23:22,370
The phone rang.
1270
01:23:25,168 --> 01:23:27,500
And suddenly my mother started crying.
1271
01:23:27,567 --> 01:23:29,966
I asked, "What's wrong?"
1272
01:23:31,066 --> 01:23:35,697
Well, a friend told her that
Bruce died in Hong Kong.
1273
01:23:35,764 --> 01:23:38,495
I said, "No, come on. This is a joke."
1274
01:23:42,060 --> 01:23:45,926
The friend said to turn
up the 4 o'clock news.
1275
01:23:45,993 --> 01:23:49,858
The people of Hong Kong are shocked
1276
01:23:49,925 --> 01:23:52,924
because of the death of
action film star Bruce Lee.
1277
01:23:54,223 --> 01:23:56,088
SUPERSTAR BRUCE LEE DEAD
1278
01:23:56,155 --> 01:23:58,854
INTERNATIONAL MARTIAL ARTS STAR DEAD
1279
01:23:58,921 --> 01:24:01,953
HE DIED AFTER TAKING
PAINKILLERS FOR MIGRAINES
1280
01:24:02,020 --> 01:24:03,019
BRUCE LEE'S SUDDEN DEAD
1281
01:24:03,085 --> 01:24:05,851
The coroner concluded
1282
01:24:05,918 --> 01:24:09,683
that the Equagesic caused cerebral edema,
1283
01:24:09,750 --> 01:24:11,550
from which he did not wake up.
1284
01:24:14,313 --> 01:24:17,218
I think people are so
surprised about his death
1285
01:24:17,279 --> 01:24:21,244
because they can't believe
that this 32 year old, very strong,
1286
01:24:21,310 --> 01:24:25,543
very masculine man is suddenly gone.
1287
01:24:25,610 --> 01:24:28,009
So they question it
1288
01:24:28,075 --> 01:24:32,372
and make up theories and all that.
1289
01:24:34,905 --> 01:24:37,504
But that doesn't help, he's gone.
1290
01:24:50,365 --> 01:24:52,331
I remember certain things.
1291
01:24:55,363 --> 01:25:00,662
The funeral was such a crazy situation
1292
01:25:00,728 --> 01:25:02,260
with so many people.
1293
01:25:02,327 --> 01:25:03,527
It was pure chaos.
1294
01:25:07,124 --> 01:25:12,957
Outside the funeral in Hong Kong
1295
01:25:13,023 --> 01:25:17,820
you could see how much
Hong Kong people loved him.
1296
01:25:24,183 --> 01:25:28,182
I was simply led through the crowd.
1297
01:25:28,249 --> 01:25:30,048
I was in a daze.
1298
01:25:32,047 --> 01:25:35,712
Linda was two steps ahead of me,
1299
01:25:35,779 --> 01:25:39,810
and I had Shannon on my arm.
1300
01:25:39,877 --> 01:25:42,710
Brandon is next to me.
1301
01:25:42,777 --> 01:25:46,309
And two people from Golden
Harvest on the other side.
1302
01:25:46,409 --> 01:25:50,039
We're trying to get to the memorial hall.
1303
01:25:51,573 --> 01:25:56,370
My master, such a strong
person, he is like God to me.
1304
01:25:56,436 --> 01:26:01,135
How could he die so young?
1305
01:26:05,300 --> 01:26:07,666
It was a nightmare.
1306
01:26:13,763 --> 01:26:19,127
My two children next
to me, it was stressful.
1307
01:26:27,256 --> 01:26:31,755
I felt,
1308
01:26:31,822 --> 01:26:35,054
as if I couldn't say anything to him.
1309
01:26:53,113 --> 01:26:57,711
Ten days later The Man with the
Death Claw was published in the USA.
1310
01:26:58,944 --> 01:27:02,776
Warner Brother went all out.
1311
01:27:02,843 --> 01:27:05,941
The premiere was at
Grauman's Chinese Theater.
1312
01:27:08,740 --> 01:27:13,070
They closed Hollywood
Boulevard for a dragon dance.
1313
01:27:14,170 --> 01:27:17,936
I looked at the cinema from outside,
1314
01:27:18,002 --> 01:27:22,100
it was decorated with illustrations
from The Man with the Deathclaw,
1315
01:27:22,167 --> 01:27:25,198
and there was a line all
the way around the block.
1316
01:27:26,899 --> 01:27:29,931
Oh my God, that's Bruce Lee.
1317
01:27:30,963 --> 01:27:33,995
And he didn't live long
enough to see the crowds.
1318
01:27:38,161 --> 01:27:42,025
Even though I, Bruce
Lee, may die one day,
1319
01:27:42,092 --> 01:27:46,157
Without having fulfilled
my goals, it doesn't hurt me.
1320
01:27:47,089 --> 01:27:48,956
I did what I wanted to do.
1321
01:27:49,022 --> 01:27:54,621
Whatever I did, I did sincerely
and with all my strength.
1322
01:27:55,753 --> 01:27:57,985
You can't expect more from life.
1323
01:28:00,050 --> 01:28:04,848
I was standing at the back of the
cinema, watching your film on the screen
1324
01:28:04,915 --> 01:28:10,013
and felt that you had an
audience that loved him.
1325
01:28:11,379 --> 01:28:13,046
We all did that.
1326
01:28:13,112 --> 01:28:16,710
We all wished he could see what happened.
1327
01:28:18,609 --> 01:28:21,088
THE MAN WITH THE DEATH CLAW
MADE $91 MILLION WORLDWIDE
1328
01:28:21,108 --> 01:28:22,987
THAT IS EQUAL TO 521 MILLION DOLLARS TODAY.
1329
01:28:23,007 --> 01:28:25,974
IN 2004 THE FILM WAS PROVIDED
BY THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
1330
01:28:26,040 --> 01:28:28,086
SELECTED FOR PRESERVATION
BECAUSE IT IS "CULTURAL,
1331
01:28:28,106 --> 01:28:31,570
HISTORICALLY OR AESTHETICALLY VALUABLE.
1332
01:28:31,637 --> 01:28:33,836
The fact that he didn't live long enough
1333
01:28:33,903 --> 01:28:37,635
to see the effect he
and his films would have,
1334
01:28:37,702 --> 01:28:41,600
is his personal tragedy.
1335
01:28:42,800 --> 01:28:47,697
If he hadn't died so young, his
myth wouldn't have been so attractive,
1336
01:28:47,764 --> 01:28:50,961
so deep and touching.
1337
01:28:51,028 --> 01:28:52,775
Bruce would certainly
have had a greater influence,
1338
01:28:52,795 --> 01:28:54,560
if he had lived longer.
1339
01:28:54,627 --> 01:28:57,559
But I don't think that's that,
1340
01:28:57,626 --> 01:28:59,725
makes what he has
achieved less important.
1341
01:29:01,759 --> 01:29:05,123
He asked for a safe environment for me,
1342
01:29:05,189 --> 01:29:08,554
this growing, biracial child,
1343
01:29:08,621 --> 01:29:12,787
and made me realize
the potential of my future,
1344
01:29:12,854 --> 01:29:15,653
what the world could be like.
1345
01:29:15,719 --> 01:29:18,951
He was “East meets West.”
1346
01:29:19,018 --> 01:29:22,683
But he knew how to combine the two.
1347
01:29:22,750 --> 01:29:25,214
He was a very unique person.
1348
01:29:29,880 --> 01:29:33,911
He is the man he was when he died.
1349
01:29:33,977 --> 01:29:36,110
And that's how he will always be viewed.
1350
01:29:39,642 --> 01:29:44,106
I believe he exceeded
his own expectations,
1351
01:29:44,172 --> 01:29:47,705
and that he will be a role model
for people around the world.
1352
01:29:50,271 --> 01:29:51,782
There's not a day in my life
1353
01:29:51,802 --> 01:29:54,802
where I don't think about him.
1354
01:29:54,868 --> 01:29:57,001
What can I say?
1355
01:29:57,067 --> 01:29:58,833
I liked him.
1356
01:30:09,929 --> 01:30:13,594
I decided to have him buried in Seattle,
1357
01:30:13,661 --> 01:30:17,492
because he loved the time he spent there.
1358
01:30:22,091 --> 01:30:24,089
At least I could go to him
1359
01:30:24,155 --> 01:30:28,987
and say goodbye, it was easier that way.
1360
01:30:38,916 --> 01:30:40,616
I knew what he wanted.
1361
01:30:40,682 --> 01:30:43,880
He wanted me to take care
of the children, to raise them.
1362
01:30:45,580 --> 01:30:47,145
So we just kept going.
1363
01:30:49,079 --> 01:30:50,310
It was'nt easy.
1364
01:31:07,705 --> 01:31:13,034
Being a martial artist is one
of the most important concepts
1365
01:31:13,101 --> 01:31:15,967
the concept of building bridges,
1366
01:31:16,033 --> 01:31:19,700
Building bridges between
me and my opponent,
1367
01:31:19,766 --> 01:31:23,131
Building bridges between
me and my dreams.
1368
01:31:25,797 --> 01:31:29,027
I see my father as the person
1369
01:31:29,094 --> 01:31:33,059
who wanted to build these bridges
1370
01:31:33,125 --> 01:31:37,792
and wanted to keep it open for travelers.
1371
01:31:44,055 --> 01:31:48,319
When my brother died 20 years later,
1372
01:31:48,385 --> 01:31:50,032
I received my father's writings.
1373
01:31:50,052 --> 01:31:52,918
And I started reading them.
1374
01:31:52,985 --> 01:31:58,217
I remember feeling broken.
1375
01:32:01,113 --> 01:32:04,179
I had the medicine for the
suffering in me from the beginning,
1376
01:32:04,246 --> 01:32:07,579
but I didn't take it.
1377
01:32:08,478 --> 01:32:11,877
The suffering came from within me,
1378
01:32:11,944 --> 01:32:15,076
but I didn't notice it until that point.
1379
01:32:19,005 --> 01:32:23,805
Suddenly I had my fate in my own hands.
1380
01:32:23,871 --> 01:32:28,936
And if you want to take on
the task of healing yourself,
1381
01:32:29,002 --> 01:32:33,168
to be your own drive,
to be your own light,
1382
01:32:33,235 --> 01:32:35,732
you can change your perspective.
1383
01:32:35,799 --> 01:32:39,131
And you can go your own way.
1384
01:32:41,197 --> 01:32:45,930
His philosophy was self-realization.
1385
01:32:47,763 --> 01:32:51,693
Don't accept the stereotypical image,
1386
01:32:51,760 --> 01:32:54,125
that others want to impose on you.
1387
01:32:55,358 --> 01:32:59,557
Find something about yourself
that is valuable and express it.
1388
01:33:04,821 --> 01:33:07,187
I said free your mind.
1389
01:33:07,253 --> 01:33:12,184
Be formless, formless, like water.
1390
01:33:12,250 --> 01:33:16,116
If you put water in a
cup, it becomes a cup.
1391
01:33:16,183 --> 01:33:18,595
If you put water in a
bottle, it becomes a bottle.
1392
01:33:18,615 --> 01:33:21,747
If you put it in a teapot,
it becomes a teapot.
1393
01:33:21,813 --> 01:33:25,877
Water can flow or bounce.
1394
01:33:25,944 --> 01:33:27,810
Be water, my friend.
1395
01:34:57,873 --> 01:35:01,570
We warmly welcome Bruce Lee
to the Hollywood Walk of Fame .
1396
01:35:07,202 --> 01:35:10,633
One two three.
1397
01:35:19,662 --> 01:35:25,295
Bruce Lee is a symbol of the
fight for "little people" and justice.
1398
01:35:31,823 --> 01:35:34,424
My father left a wonderful legacy.
1399
01:35:34,491 --> 01:35:37,356
I meet people all over
the world who adore him
1400
01:35:37,423 --> 01:35:39,122
and revere his work
1401
01:35:39,188 --> 01:35:42,121
and were very positively influenced by it.
1402
01:35:42,187 --> 01:35:43,400
Like many of his generation
1403
01:35:43,420 --> 01:35:46,018
Collector Jeff Chin
struggled with discrimination.
1404
01:35:46,085 --> 01:35:50,282
The time, 1973, was like magic.
1405
01:35:50,349 --> 01:35:55,381
Overnight, Chinese men became
the important men on campus.
1406
01:35:59,147 --> 01:36:03,044
More than 700 people came
to the Warner Brothers studio,
1407
01:36:03,111 --> 01:36:06,255
in the hope that they could become
the successors of the late Bruce Lee.
1408
01:36:06,275 --> 01:36:09,641
Did you see anyone at the casting
who reminded you of your husband?
1409
01:36:09,708 --> 01:36:13,207
Nobody with Bruce's personality.
1410
01:36:16,372 --> 01:36:18,118
WE ARE LIKE WATER WE ARE HONG KONGERS!
1411
01:36:18,138 --> 01:36:19,937
BE WATER
1412
01:36:20,671 --> 01:36:23,616
His mother and brother are
with us to tell us more about the
1413
01:36:23,636 --> 01:36:27,067
man karate experts are now
calling the Galileo of martial arts.
1414
01:36:27,134 --> 01:36:30,066
Why did he reach such
mythical proportions,
1415
01:36:30,133 --> 01:36:31,913
and why did it grow
stronger after his death?
1416
01:36:31,933 --> 01:36:34,566
He has a dynamic personality.
1417
01:36:34,632 --> 01:36:37,162
And he can express that personality
1418
01:36:37,229 --> 01:36:39,208
on screen or in front of people.
1419
01:36:39,228 --> 01:36:43,694
Sometimes you talk about
Bruce in the present tense.
1420
01:36:43,760 --> 01:36:45,522
I do. I will always do that.
1421
01:36:46,486 --> 01:36:48,036
Subtitles Vanessa Fellner