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ANNOUNCER: More ancient than the earliest records

of Chinese civilization are legends.

Legends of great warriors, of knights and wizards,

and mysterious monks

who could perform wondrous feats.

In these fabulous beings

was embodied the essence of good and evil.

They had the power to fly

and the strength to defeat whole armies.

These fables thrived until about 100 years ago,

and then a new legend was born.

According to the Chinese astrological calendar,

1940 was the year of the dragon.

Bruce Lee was born on the 27th of November of that year.

The place was San Francisco.

His father, Lee Hoi-Chuen,

was a leading comic actor in Hong Kong,

and was appearing in a touring Cantonese opera troupe,

something like the Chinese equivalent

of a vaudeville show.

His wife, Grace, who was half-German,

was accompanying him.

The tour over, the Lee family returned to Hong Kong

when Bruce was 3 months old.

A family portrait in their Nathan road flat

shows Bruce at the center.

Bruce considered his first film role

was in The Beginning of a Boy

which he made when he was six.

Two years later, he played a leading role

inMy Son, Ah Chung.

Much of the material written about Bruce Lee

states that he never appeared in films with his father.

These rare scenes fromMy Son, Ah Chung

prove the opposite.

Interestingly,

this was the first of their films together

in which Bruce had a more important role than his father.

The theme of this film was fairly typical

of many of the more than 20 he appeared in

before returning to San Francisco in 1958.

InAh Chung, Bruce Lee is an orphan,

whose only education is what he can find on the street.

Hey, you little brat. Put that down, you!

Uncle.

In what is almost a preview in miniature

of a scene inEnter The Dragon,

Bruce picks up a broomstick and attacks.

Why did you hit me for?

Why did you steal?

It'’s not your business.

You'’re a thief.

I'’ll get you, you pig!

Now then tell me the truth.

Where were you last night?

Are you scheming against me, eh?

You little devil, you!

Are you going to tell me the truth, are you?

Come along, speak up, I say.

Tell me the truth, you little devil.

You'’ve been nothing but trouble

ever since you came here.

I'’ll see that you'll get a good fighting.

Oh!

You beat up my brother, I'’ll chop off your head!

You devil!

I'’ll kill you.

How much of his own character

did Bruce bring to these roles?

And how much were his screen characters

beginning to infuse into his own personality?

As time went on, Bruce would play

more and more of the kind of role

that could be described as a problem youth.

Many of these reflected themes

of films popular in the United States at the time,

films like Blackboard Jungle.

One of Bruce'’s films is calledBoys on the Street.

If we watch him closely in the many street brawls

with which these films abound,

we can already see the beginnings

of the trademarks of expression and gesture

which he would later make so very much his own.

Yes, I got a big mouth,

but I can back it up with my fist.

You want to pick a fight?

You said it, you asked for it.

Hey, stop it.

Paper Tiger, after all.

Stop it, will you?

You kids shouldn'’t fight here.

This is my place, now get out of here.

Coward, I dare you follow me.

Hey, he took my box.

Get him. Come on.

[ all clamoring ]

Hey, you!

[ cheers and applause ]

These kids really have guts.

You want some more?

I took your shoeshine box to get you your first square-off.

Now you know I mean business.

Come on, kids.

Come on, kids, let'’s go.

Oh, come on, let'’s go.

Snapshots from the Lee family'’s photo album

show Bruce growing to be a handsome young man,

with a normal interest in girls

and motorbikes.

Although he was bright, Bruce was not a good student,

at least not in the scholastic sense.

He was more interested in learning martial arts.

Bruce always maintained

that his first teacher was his father,

who was a devotee of the fighting forms

known as Tai Chi.

But his first real teacher was Yip Man,

a master of the Wing Chun style.

The roots of Wing Chun

reach back to the famed Shaolin Temple.

As this demonstration from the filmWarriors 2 shows,

it emphasizes lightness and quickness

rather than power and strength.

Stretch out two fingers.

You must try to catch it when I let it go.

Pick it up.

Do you realize why you can'’t catch it?

Because when your eyes see it fall,

your brain signals your hand nerves to react,

but there'’s a delay.

So we'’re aiming to minimize that delay.

That'’s why Wing Chun concentrates

on touch and speed.

Practice, there'’s no other way.

The wooden man is a Wing Chun training aid

used to develop quickness and flexibility in attack.

Your enemy will not stand still.

Your reactions must be one step ahead of his.

Otherwise you'’re dead.

Therefore, your fists have got to strike

with the speed of light.

Try again.

But kung fu was not Bruce'’s only interest

outside movies at that time.

He was quite a snappy dancer,

and in 1958, won a Hong Kong cha-cha champion.

But somehow, even his achievements

on the dance floor led back to kung fu.

This is Siu Hon Sung,

another of Bruce Lee'’s kung fu teachers.

He explains how Bruce negotiated a deal with him.

One day Bruce took me to a coffee shop.

He said, "You'’re a master of your styles of gung fu,

and I'’m a pretty good cha-cha dancer.

Why don'’t we do a deal?

You teach me gung fu, I'’ll teach you cha-cha."

Now an average person would take 3 to 4 weeks

to learn my basic moves,

but Bruce took only 3 nights to master the moves.

So much for my cha-cha lessons.

Bruce didn'’t even give me time to learn the basic beat.

The Orphan was the second last film

Bruce would make before leaving for America.

In it, he played the most extreme

of his delinquent loner roles.

His final film in Hong Kong

was a complete contrast ofThe Orphan,

and to any role before or after.

The Thunderstorm is probably the only film

in which he doesn'’t have one single fight scene.

Although there are confrontations in the film,

all the emphasis inThe Thunderstorm

is on the character'’s refusal

to be drawn to fight under any provocation.

This reluctance, at least initially,

was a character device that would feature heavily

in all of Bruce'’s later films.

Mary.

Can I help you, Mr. Chan?

Mary, mom knows you'’re leaving us.

It'’s hard to find jobs these days.

She wants me to give you $100.

Oh, thank her for me, please,

but I just can'’t take her money.

I'’m really sorry about today.

My brother didn'’t mean it.

He'’s sorry.

I promise he won'’t do it again.

That'’s what he told me to tell you.

Don'’t apologize, Mr. Chan.

Well, anyway, I'’m not your maid anymore.

Mary, I'’ve never treated you like a maid.

I'’m your friend, Mary.Leave her alone!

Mr. Wong.

Sorry about today.

Chan, just leave my sister alone.

David, what'’s wrong with you?

Mr. Chan was merely offering to help us out.

We'’re from a poor family.

My sister will marry a simple working man.

Yes, cooking meals,

washing clothes, bearing children--

these are what she'’ll be doing.

Any thoughts of going to school

or marrying a very wealthy man

will just bring her disappointment.

That'’s only one way of looking at it.

I think--Chan, I'’m warning you.

Warning?Yes.

If I see anyone from your family seeing my sister

or coming to my neighborhood, I'’m gonna kill him.

David!

Are you out of your mind?

Mr. Chan, I think you better excuse us.

All right.

Mr. Wong, I know you dislike me very much.

However, I still want to be your friend.

Let'’s shake hands.

I don'’t follow foreign habits.

It is quite likely that Bruce would'’ve returned

to San Francisco anyway,

as he needed to do so by the time he was 18

to confirm his American citizenship,

but the fact that things were hotting up

in his constant confrontations with rival street gangs

and that his mother had to stand guarantor for him

to avoid police prosecution

probably hastened his departure.

Bruce Lee took the next steamer to the city of his birth.

On the way, he made a little extra money

giving dance lessons.

From San Francisco, he moved quickly to Seattle.

A Chinese restaurant called Ruby Chows

provided him with accommodation

in return for work.

He served in the restaurant and lived in the attic.

Once established, a dramatic change occurred.

He enrolled in high school

and the school dropout became a diligent student.

He still practiced kung fu passionately,

but not longer on other people.

Graduating from high school,

he went to university to study philosophy.

His art teacher still treasures

two of the drawings he did at the time.

WOMAN: Bruce was a good student.

And his work with me was always very ambitious,

and I'’ve no doubt that he was the same in all his classes.

For the ambitious Bruce Lee,

it was not enough to be a good martial artist.

He had to be the best.

He taught kung fu

to a group of fellow students,

one of whom was a 19-year-old girl

called Linda Emery.

They were married and moved into this small

but comfortable house.

The former bully and man about town

became the ideal husband and father

to Brandon and later Shannon.

A kung fu demonstration at Long Beach in 1964

turned out to be one of the most important events

in Bruce Lee'’s life.

It was seen by an acquaintance

of a television producer

who was looking for someone to play

Charlie Chan'’s number one son

in a proposed series.

A screen test of Bruce was arranged.

INTERVIEWER: Tell us your name,

your age and where you were born.

My last name is Lee.

Bruce Lee.

I was born in San Francisco in 1940.

I'’m 24 right now.

And you worked in movies and pictures in Hong Kong?

Yes, since I was around 6 years old.

And when did you leave Hong Kong?

1959, when I was 18.

I see.

Now look over to me, Bruce, as we talk.

I understand you just had a baby boy.Yeah.

And you'’ve lost a little sleep over it, have you?

Three nights.

And tell the crew what time

they shoot the pictures in Hong Kong.

Oh, it'’s mostly in the morning

because it'’s kind of noisy in Hong Kong,

you know, around three million people there.

So every time when they have picture,

it'’s mostly, say around,

12 a.m. to 5 a.m. in the morning.

I see.

Look directly into the camera, Bruce.

Directly at it.

And now give me a three-quarter this way.

And hold it.

And give me a profile that way, all the way.

Good, hold it.

Now come back to a profile on the other side.

Now hold that.

Give me a three-quarter on that side.

And then give me a right into the camera again.

All right, now the camera will pull back.

And, Bruce,

first show me the movements

in the classical Chinese theater.

Classical Chinese theater?

Well, you know, what we talked about in the office.

How they walk and how they start to move.

Well, in a Chinese opera,

they have the warrior

and then the scholar.

The way the warrior walk will be something like this.

Walking this way, straight, come out, bend,

straight and then walk out again.

An ordinary scholar,

will be just like a female,

a weakling, 90 pounds... [ indistinct ].

He'’ll be just walking, you know, like a girl, real--

shoulder up and everything.

So by the way they walk,

you can immediately tell who they are.

Right. What character they represent.

Now show us some gung fu movements.

Well, it'’s hard to show it alone,

but I will try to do my best.

All right. Maybe one of the fellows will walk in.

Yeah, it would be--

Go ahead. Go ahead. Go ahead.

Come on, Lee, get in there!

[ indistinct happy chatter ]

Although accidents do happen, but, you know--

There are various kinds of strikes.

It depends on where you hit

and what weapon you will be using.

To the eye, you would use fingers.

Don'’t worry, I won't.

To the eyes or straight at the face,

from the waist everything on.

Hold it, just a minute.

Let'’s move this gentleman around this way

so you'’re doing it more into the camera.

Okay, swell.

And then there is bent-arm strike

using the waist again

into a back fist.

Let'’s have the assistant director

back up this way.

[ laughter ]

Okay, go ahead. Continue.

And then, of course, kung fu is very sneaky.

You know, the Chinese, they always hit low,

from high go back to the groin.

Now turn around the other way, would you, Bruce?

Okay. Yeah.

Would you want me to--

MAN: These are just natural reactions.

Right, right.That is a natural reaction.

Right into the camera. Cheat into the camera a little bit.

Show us again.

All right. Go ahead.

There is a finger jab, there is a punch,

there is the back fist and then low.

Of course, then they use leg,

straight to the groin or come up

or if I can back up a little bit,

they start back from here and then come back.

All right.He'’s kind of worried.

For various reasons,

the series was never produced,

but it did lead to the role of Kato

in the series The Green Hornet.

While the show itself was not exactly

an overwhelming success--

it lasted 30 half-hour episodes--

Bruce received favorable reviews

and was probably more popular than the star.

He had a small part inMarlowe

with James Garner.

And then came Longstreet.

I'’ll be kicking you. You ready?

Ready.One and two!

You all right?That guy'’s fantastic!

Now what is this--

what is this thing you do?

In Cantonese, Jeet Kune Do,

the way of the intercepting fist.

Intercepting fist, huh?

Or foot.

Come on, touch me any way you can.

You see?

To reach me, you must move to me.

Your attack offers me

an opportunity to intercept you.

In this case, I'’m using my longest weapon,

my side kick, against the nearest target, your kneecap.

This can be compared to your left jab in boxing,

except it'’s much more damaging.

I see.

Well, speaking of a left jab--

Oh.

This time I intercept your emotional tenseness.

By now, Bruce Lee'’s Jeet Kune Do classes

were so famous he could charge $275 an hour,

and even then he could pick and choose his students,

students like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar,

Steve McQueen and James Coburn.

However, Bruce Lee'’s overriding ambition

was Hollywood.

But Hollywood was not responding.

The movie roles were not forthcoming,

and it was a bitter disappointment

when he was passed up for the lead

in the TV seriesKung Fu.

He returned once again to Hong Kong.

Hong Kong, 1970.

Apart from one brief visit in 1968,

Bruce Lee had been away for 12 years.

Arriving in Hong Kong, he first approached

what was then Hong Kong'’s biggest movie studios.

None of the studio bosses seemed to recognize

the potential in Bruce.

He was just another actor, they said.

Who could tell?

One who could, it seems, was Raymond Chow,

the head of a small new studio, Golden Harvest.

Good morning.Good morning.

The director says it'’s his best work so far.

Well, I'’ve seen it once

and I think it'’s absolutely terrific.

All right, let'’s roll, then.

Raymond Chow was first and foremost a filmmaker.

Although now the corporate head

of his new Golden Harvest studio,

his production background

led him to constant contact

with producers, directors and writers.

[ indistinct conversation ]

On the busy Hong Kong grapevine,

Chow had heard of Shaw'’s unsuccessful offer

and made sure he saw a demonstration Bruce gave

on a local TV station

before returning to the U.S.

The demonstration Bruce gave

on the TV show was very impressive.

He side kicked

five 1-inch pots and broke four.

In addition, he kicked

and broke a 1-inch pot dangling.

Now that takes tremendous amount of strength

and perfect timing.

But what impressed me more

was when I talked to him

on a long distance call.

He picked the most popular

Hong Kong-made action picture at that time

and asked a very blunt question.

He asked me whether that was the best we could do.

I had to say yes.

He then assured me

with sincerity and confidence

that he could do much better.

How could I doubt this man?

Raymond Chow offered Bruce Lee

a two-picture deal with Golden Harvest.

Bruce signed and flew to Thailand

to start work onThe Big Boss.

The Big Boss, released asFists of Fury

in the U.S.A.,

was made on a modest budget

under fairly appalling conditions

in the small village of Pak Chong in Thailand.

For the first time, Bruce Lee was in his element.

Here was not the aesthetic philosophizing

ofLongstreet.

Here were not the quick economical knock-downs

ofThe Green Hornet.

And most certainly, here was not the hard,

sharp economy of movement

that Bruce Lee had been teaching his students.

Here suddenly was a whole new style

of martial arts choreography.

Rich, red-blooded, extravagant,

and bursting with power and energy.

And the public loved it!

In Hong Kong, it broke

all previous box office records.

Bruce Lee was a star.

[ speaking in foreign language ]

Bruce Lee is incredible.

Well, Bruce Lee didn'’t like to waste any time.

He wouldn'’t beat about the bush.

He got very direct.

Is Bruce Lee your hero?

Yes.

Tell me what you like about him.

He always wins the bad guys

and he is a very quick mover.

A question of body movement,

the choreography, the timing--

in fact, the overcoming

of the limitations of the human body.

I mean, he'’s not an action man

like Eastwood or Bronson.

I suppose he'’s more like a Nureyev.

Both Bruce Lee and Raymond Chow

were delighted with the success ofThe Big Boss

and set about finalizing plans for the next film.

WithThe Big Boss a huge success,

Raymond Chow allocated a larger budget

to the next film

and agreed that Bruce would play

a larger role in producing it.

In the meantime,

Linda and the family moved to Hong Kong

and set up house in suburban Kowloon Tong.

This 11-room, 2-story villa

with its small Japanese-style garden

may not have turned heads in Hollywood,

but for crowded Hong Kong,

it was nothing short of a palace.

There was room for the family and friends to relax.

Bruce divided his time at home

between his study

and his exercise equipment,

which seemed to be everywhere.

The second film was called The Chinese Connection

in America, but was released in Hong Kong

and elsewhere asFist Of Fury.

This film took the cinematic expression

of rage and pure destructive fury to new limits.

It also put weapons in the hands of Bruce Lee for the first time

in the form of the deadly nunchakus,

two sticks joined by a thong or chain.

Not surprisingly,

Fist Of Fury again smashed box office records,

including the one Bruce Lee had so recently set.

Bruce was soon at work again

developing ideas for his next film.

He went location hunting all over Italy

and finally, he decided on Rome.

He brought over Bob Wall,

a top U.S. martial artist

and established champion

who would make a formidable opponent

in his new film Way of the Dragon.

From Korea, he added Tae Kwon Do expert

Hwang In-Shik.

As well as being the star,

Bruce Lee wrote and directed

Way of The Dragon.

[ speaking in foreign language ]

The result is another sell-out success

to the extent that in Hong Kong

the showing of the film had to be suspended at some theaters

while the police worked out ways

to handle the traffic jams and massive crowds.

Nora Miao, a dynamic young Hong Kong actress

co-stared with Bruce in all but the last of Bruce'’s films.

Here she discusses the recurring themes

of Bruce Lee'’s films.

When did you first start to know him?

Um, our families have known each other

ever since I was a little kid.

But then at that time, Bruce went to the States

and he was very young, too.

So I didn'’t get to meet him

until he came back to Hong Kong

for his first movies for Golden Harvest.

But surprisingly I didn'’t meet him in Hong Kong.

Really, where did you meet him?

I actually met him in Thailand,

where we were filming The Big Boss.

I see, talking about his movies,

a lot of people observe that

there are a lot of autobiographical elements

in Bruce Lee'’s movies.

Did you experience or did you find any incidents

that he tried to relate his experience through his movies?

Did you find any?

In a way, yes.

He always related his films

to his growing up in foreign country.

And he likes to play the part of a man

arriving in a strange land.

InThe Big Boss, he was alone in a new town

trying to succeed in a new job.

Even the country, Thailand, is strange.

He has no friends and does not know his potential enemies.

Now this is a good town

and it'’s very different to back home.

So be careful, don'’t get into fights, Chang.

Remember your promise.

You'’re on your own from now on.

Don'’t worry, uncle.

InFist of Fury he was a student returning home

to find everything had changed.

His teacher murdered and his school and race

insulted by a foreign-led rival school.

InWay of the Dragon, Bruce is a country boy

from a Hong Kong village who goes to Rome

to help in a Chinese restaurant.

The isolation of Bruce'’s character

is further underlined by the barrier of language.

Here, he can'’t make himself understood enough

to get something to eat.

[ bizarre groan ]

Mommy!

Bruce went to the States when he was very young.

And from what Bruce told me,

he felt that, being a foreigner,

he had to do his best in whatever he did.

And also, perhaps,

he was such a good martial artist, you know.

In times, people tend to pick fights with him.

InThe Big Boss, the pendant Bruce wears

is a reminder of a promise he has made to avoid violence.

In his films, Bruce never went looking for a fight.

Well, not initially, anyway.

Invariably, his character would resist

intolerable provocation

before violence was virtually forced on him.

Yeah, we'’re very thirsty, sweetheart.

We need to cool off, come on.

GIRL: Leave me alone, you'’re hurting me.

MAN: Come on, we'’d like to have a little bit of fun.

Don'’t meddle, no fighting.

Remember your promise.

GIRL: If you don'’t leave me alone,

I'’m going to call the police.

Please.

Then only when he was pushed beyond his ability to resist

did he become the attacker, the aggressor.

All right.

Hold it.

Now you get out of here, I'’m warning you.

You bastards can'’t push us around.

You want to fight?

I'’ll take you on.

Personally I think Bruce was a great actor,

a very good director and a very good filmmaker.

And his main ambition in life

is to introduce Chinese kung fu

and Chinese movies to the whole world.

And he wanted to show that the Chinese

could be just as good as anybody else.

In all of Bruce'’s films,

the enemy were always foreigners, non-Chinese.

Even when he was pounding

the life out of his compatriots,

it was made abundantly clear

that they were misguided pawns of a foreign boss.

InThe Big Boss,

he works in an ice factory run by Thais.

The Thai foreman and his gang

bully the Chinese workers into servility.

[ indistinct chatter ]

[ chatter ceases ]

Get to work! Inside!

To hell with you, man! You lousy pig!

Bastard.

It took the brutal and bloody murder

of his Chinese fellow workers to push Bruce over the edge.

InFist of Fury, the Japanese are the enemy.

[ indistinct ] delivers an insulting message to Bruce'’s school.

The characters read,

"The Chinese are the Sick Man of Asia."

Well, clear a space there.

My friends here promise to put up a good fight.

Must be someone. Who'’s your champion, huh?

Mm, so many here and not one of you with any courage.

What'’s the matter with the lot of you?

You afraid of us, huh?

[ laughing ]

Later in the film, a sign on a park gate is an insult

that cannot be ignored.

Hey, you. What do you want?

I will pass.

No, no, not allowed, I'’m afraid.

And that?

You'’re the wrong color, so beat.

Hey, you, come here.

You-- you were wanting to get in here?

No, no, no, no. Tell you what.

There'’s only one thing you need to do.

Pretend you'’re a dog and I'’ll take you in.

InWay Of The Dragon, which takes place in Rome,

the underworld is trying to extort money

from the Chinese restaurant where Bruce is working.

Almost every day, Italian thugs

go to the restaurant to harass the Chinese,

forcing them to agree to the payments they demand.

May I help you?

May you help me?

Sure.

Invariably, these foreigners'’ assaults on Bruce

and those who he championed

were not just personal or physical,

but strongly racial,

leaving Bruce no other alternative

but to demonstrate the effectiveness

of Chinese martial arts.

Movement number four, dragon seeks path.

Dragon whips his tail.

[ indistinct happy chatter ]

Bruce'’s screen personality as a hero

was undeniable and unshakable.

How much of that personality has been transferred

or injected into his real life?

I would say without a doubt,

the screen image of Bruce

was very much like the Bruce in real life.

He was so energetic that even when he was among friends,

his gestures were very physical.

And even when he was relaxing, he looked very restless.

Left, right, left, right, left.

One, two, left, right.

Hup two, three, four.

Left, right, left--

Hey, what'’s going on there?

Hup two, three, four.

One, two, three, four.

Left, right, left, right, left, right.

Hup two, three, four.

A-one, two, three, four.

Left, right, left, right, left, right, left, right.

One, two, three, four.

Bruce didn'’t drink,

so the parts he played didn'’t know how to drink either.

Well, Chang, how about a little drink?

You'’re quite a drinker.

You put it away like water.

MAN: That will make you feel better.

In his movies, his relationship with women

is usually shy and awkward,

often coy and invariably wholesome.

Mai, you'’ve grown very pretty.

Well, if I was 10 years younger, I'’d--

Chang, meet our younger sister, Chow Mai.

This is Chang, our cousin.

How are you? It'’s hot.

Chang. Let me go.

I must go.

I'’ll see you later.

While there are occasional hints of romantic feelings,

Bruce'’s leading ladies are usually treated more like

one of the boys.

Overt sexuality is only alluded to

when the encounter is with a prostitute,

and then only when Bruce'’s lack of sophistication

allows it to happen.

The foreigners here are quite friendly.

You'’ll see.

When people smile, you smile back.

It'’s only right.

While you'’re here, just don'’t be so uptight.

In the only bedroom scene Bruce ever filmed,

a prostitute first gets him drunk,

and even then he goes to sleep.

In his films, Bruce Lee was at his best as a fighter

rather than a lover.

But he was very concerned that he would be typecast

as a one-character performer.

InFist of Fury, he used the device

of disguising himself,

perhaps with the object

of demonstrating his dramatic range,

here as a news vendor.

You see what they'’re doing?

Forcing my hand.

But where can I find him in this place?

Sir, why not try

to get back to Jingwu school,

see if he'’s turned up there, huh?

Here as a telephone repairman.

Good afternoon there.

I'’m from the telephone company.

Oh.

What on earth took you so long?

We haven'’t got all day, you know.

Just got my orders minutes ago.

These vignettes were more comedic than convincing.

But later around the time

he was working on Game Of Death,

he was experimenting with a whole range

of new characters.

He makes a very believable blind swordsman,

his version of a character called Zatoichi,

who appeared in several Japanese films

popular in Asia at the time.

Tagashira!

[ combatants react ]

Surprisingly, these characters

were all developed from classical archetypes,

and most were associated with traditional weaponry,

contrary to his declared philosophy

of the martial arts.

It is not possible to say

how he would'’ve developed these characters,

but it is interesting to conjecture

what Bruce Lee would have made of roles

like the classic period Chinese swordsman

in films like Duel to the Death.

For some time, actor James Coburn,

writer Stirling Silliphant

and Bruce had been trying to put together

a project to be called Silent Flute.

Finally, 20th Century-Fox agreed to do it,

but on a tiny budget

and providing it could be shot in India.

Bruce and his colleagues spent weeks

location hunting there and in Nepal.

India, they decided, was a waste of time,

but it was in Nepal that pagodas like these

gave Bruce an inspiration forGame of Death.

Bruce never crystallized the plot,

but it went something like this:

there would be a great martial arts training center

based in a many-storied pagoda.

Each level would be guarded by a master

of a different martial art.

Bruce began to accumulate the people he wanted to use.

Dan Inosanto...

The Korean seventh-degree Hapkido master

Ji Han Jae.

He began doing screen tests.

This footage of the tests and outtakes

has never been publicly shown before.

In his still- incomplete concept forGame Of Death,

his ultimate objective would be to get to

whatever was at the top of the pagoda.

In the middle of this, producer Fred Weintraub

had finally convinced Warner Bros.

to co-produce a project

with the partnership of Raymond Chow

and Bruce Lee.

This was to be Enter The Dragon.

At last, Bruce Lee was to play the lead

in a Hollywood movie.

He applied all his energies to his performance

and worked closely with director Robert Clouse

in staging all the martial arts action in the film.

Bruce Lee first formally set out his methods

in this early book,

Chinese Kung Fu, published in 1963.

He also illustrated it with precise drawings

which highlighted every detail of the text.

The photographs were taken in the parking lot

next to Ruby Chow'’s.

Two martial art students demonstrate

how some of these moves work in action.

During his career,

Bruce had never failed to enlighten his peers

with his in-depth analysis of martial arts.

Well, gung fu is originated in China.

It is the ancestor of karate and jujitsu.

It'’s more of a compete system

and it'’s more fluid.

By that I mean it'’s more flowing.

There is continuity in movement

instead of one movement,

two movement and then stop.

The best example would be a glass of water.

Why? Because water is the softest substance in the world,

but yet it can penetrate the hardest rock or anything,

granite, you name it.

Water also is insubstantial.

By that I mean you cannot grasp hold of it.

You cannot punch it and hurt it.

So every gung fu man is trying to do that,

to be soft like water and flexible

and adapt itself to the opponent.

A karate punch is like an iron bar, wang!

A gung fu punch is like an iron chain

with an iron ball attached to the end,

and it go wang!

And it hurts inside.

Well, gung fu can be practiced

alone or with a partner.

Practicing alone may involve forms.

Some imitate a crane,

a monkey, a praying mantis.

This is a crane form.

Start off.

Many of the moves Bruce used in his films

were designed more for a dramatic effect

than as examples of Jeet Kune Do.

It is also true

that much was an accurate exposition of his art.

Here he deals with an attempted grab and throw,

followed unwisely by an attempt to sneak up behind.

A defense and counter to a clubbing attack

from the side.

A deadly two-handed knife attack

is foiled with the help of a jacket.

Nunchaku against a sword.

Even Bruce admits that this a very uneven contest

and would normally be avoided.

And it'’s not a situation which many students today

are likely to encounter.

When used effectively,

the wooden staff is an excellent weapon against knives.

A seemingly impossible situation,

an empty-handed defense against a sword.

Only with incredible speed

and almost psychic anticipation

could anyone survive.

Bruce was absolutely insistent

about physical fitness.

He said, "Training is one of the most

neglected phases of athletics.

Too much time is given

to the development of the skills

and too little to the development

of the individual for participation."

MAN: As I worked with him, I don'’t think anyone ever

trained as hard as Bruce did.

I don'’t think anyone in the world ever trained

as dedicated a trainer as Bruce was.

It is a popular belief that Bruce Lee

was born with an exceptional physique.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

As a child, he was rather frail.

Reportedly, he never ate well at home,

a habit which seemed to persist

even when he returned to the United States.

It was only through many years of constant exercise

and finally reappraising his dietary habits

that he built himself

into the superb physical specimen

he was to become.

Bruce'’s emphasis on physical fitness

opened up a new path for martial art students.

They followed his advice

of applying modern exercising techniques

to the field of martial arts.

They learned to appreciate Bruce'’s outlook.

"One may know all the fighting techniques

in the world, but if one is not fit

one does not stand a chance in a real fight."

His fame and following grew and grew.

Whole magazines were devoted to one aspect or another

of his life and career.

In the world of martial arts and action movies,

Bruce Lee was king.

This is noted Taiwanese actress Betty Ting Pei.

Her undeniable charms had been revealed

to good advantage in numerous film roles,

often as a seductress or femme fatale.

For some three months, her name had been romantically linked

with that of Bruce Lee,

as had many others in the past.

Whether there is any truth behind any of the stories

of these liaisons

remains a matter of speculation.

Certainly, though, it could not have been a disadvantage

for any ambitious young actress

to be linked with Bruce Lee.

On the afternoon of July 20th, 1973,

Bruce Lee went to the apartment of Betty Ting Pei.

They were to meet Raymond Chow later for dinner,

an appointment Bruce Lee was never to keep.

He was rushed to hospital in an ambulance.

Betty had phoned Raymond Chow at the restaurant saying

Bruce had laid down with a headache

and she couldn'’t rouse him.

Chow rushed to Betty'’s apartment.

Doctors were called, and finally an ambulance.

Bruce Lee was certified dead on arrival

at Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

Hong Kong was stunned.

And as the word spread, people read with shock

and disbelief.

The next day, thousands of people

jammed the streets

around the Kowloon Funeral Parlor.

Several hundred extra police were detailed

to try to control the crowd.

No one could believe that someone like Bruce Lee,

so young, so fit, could just die.

But Betty Ting Pei would say nothing.

Bruce was my very best friend,

but now he'’s gone.

Bruce trusted me a lot.

But at that time, I didn'’t want to

nor do I need to explain anything.

Because of our relationship, I'’ve been blamed unfairly.

His death came as a shock

and there has been a lot of pressure on me.

But I'’ll never let anything

spoil the relationship I had with Bruce.

At the funeral, Linda arrived with Raymond Chow.

Above a portrait of Bruce

is a banner in Chinese reading,

"A star sinks in a sea of art."

All around are draped thousands of tributes.

Relatives and close friends bow in respect.

Linda and the two children are draped in the traditional

white robes of mourning.

Members of the funeral party filed past the open coffin.

Few can hide their grief.

Linda and the children take a last look as they too leave.

The public controversy

about Bruce Lee'’s death was still raging,

but it was only at the Hong Kong airport,

about to board a plane

that was carrying Bruce'’s body to Seattle,

that Linda finally broke her silence.

It is my wish that the newspapers

and the people of Hong Kong

will stop speculating on the circumstances

surrounding my husband'’s death.

Although we do not have the final autopsy report,

I hold no suspicion of anything

other than natural death.

I myself do not hold any person

or people responsible for his death.

Fate has ways we cannot change.

The only thing of importance is that

Bruce is gone and will not return.

He lives on in our memories and through his films.

Please remember him for his genius, his art

and the magic he brought to every one of us.

For we who knew him very well,

his words and thoughts will remain with us forever

and influence the rest of our lives.

In Seattle awaits Linda'’s family

and more bereaved relatives and friends.

And a second funeral.

Beside the coffin was placed

a yin and yang symbol of Jeet Kune Do.

Among the many who came to pay their respects

were friends and coworkers like Dan Inosanto,

Jim Kelly, Robert Clouse

and other actors and producers.

Former students James Coburn and Steve McQueen

silently recalled their memories of their master.

Bruce'’s mother said her last goodbyes.

And finally, Linda and the children,

Brandon and Shannon.

Coburn, McQueen and the other pallbearers

throw their white gloves on the flower-decked casket.

And at last, it was over.

Or was it?

Back in Hong Kong, the inquest started,

and once again the public began to speculate wildly

on Betty Ting Pei'’s role

in relation to Bruce'’s untimely death.

At that time, there was a lot of talk,

scandalous rumors about us.

I was under a lot of pressure,

but I told myself,

silence is the best answer.

I treasured Bruce'’s friendship very much.

That'’s why I have put up with the gossip

without saying anything to anyone.

The experts argued over the results of the autopsy

until the court was satisfied

Bruce Lee had died of cerebral edema,

swelling of the brain caused by hyper sensitivity

to an ingredient of Equagesic,

the tablet he took to relieve his headache.

The verdict, death by misadventure.

Bruce has left us.

For movies, it was the fall of a star.

For his fans, they have lost their most respected idol,

but most important, his family lost their dearest one.

But for myself, I have lost a very dear friend.

The coroner'’s verdict

took some of the pressure off Betty Ting Pei.

She resumed her film career.

But her subsequent evasive public statements

about Bruce Lee'’s death did nothing to quell persistent

and popular rumors that Bruce had died

while they were making love.

Before long, she became a devout Buddhist

and took to long periods of fasting.

It was not until 10 years after the event

that Betty Ting Pei went on Hong Kong television

and for the first time denied that

she and Bruce had sexual relations

on the day of his death.

All she had done, she said,

was to let Bruce rest in her bed

and to give him the painkiller for his headache.

Letters continued to arrive

from Bruce'’s fans long after his death.

And there were others who saw it

as a great opportunity to be exploited.

Imitators on the screen appeared by the score.

But there was one last real Bruce Lee film.

He had shot many thousands of feet of film

forGame of Death.

After his death, an extensive worldwide search was done

to find someone who could possibly

double for Bruce in the missing scenes.

Many candidates were flown to Hong Kong for screen tests.

And from the film footage of these screen tests,

two look-alikes were finally selected

to enact the missing scenes.

To complete the film,

Raymond Chow brought back Robert Clouse,

the director who had worked with Bruce onEnter The Dragon.

On the first day of the recommencement of filming,

the entire cast and crew took part in a simple ceremony,

offering food and wine and burning incense

to the spirit of Bruce Lee.

[ indistinct speech ]

Well, how would you compare

Enter The Dragon with Game Of Death?

Right.

Enter The Dragonwas done about,

I guess, 6 or 7 years ago,

and, um, was, uh,

the, uh, last picture that Bruce made.

And then, of course, now Game Of Death.

It'’s a very large film.

Production is large.

Most of the leading actors are from United States.

Hugh O'’Brian, Gig Young,

Dean Jagger, Colleen Camp, so on.

It did really very well on the film.

It'’s interesting

because the film was about a third done

before Bruce died.

There'’s a good question in some people'’s mind

as to whether Bruce did die.

Of course, I'’ve always been

a fan of Bruce Lee'’s

as millions of people have throughout the world,

Russell, so I was actually very thrilled to be in

something which I consider

in many ways not historical,

but to capture the footage

that Bruce Lee had already shot

when he unfortunately died.

A traditional Chinese lion dance

has always been a powerful means

of bringing in good fortune

and dispelling evil spirits.

It'’s not so surprising

that the reworked plot of the prophetically titled

Game of Death found room for a chase scene

through just such a spell.

Not all the action would be kung fu.

Top Hollywood stuntmen were brought to Hong Kong

for these exciting scenes.

[ whistle blows ]MAN: You all right, Billy?

Yeah.All right. Love it.

[ applause ]

Is Billy okay?

Nice one, nice one.

There were many who thought it could never be done,

but in 1978, Game Of Death

was finally completed,

and fans all over the world could see at last

the final work of Bruce Lee.

How do you like that?

Today, his popularity has hardly diminished.

He'’s still a popular feature of movie

and martial arts magazines of many countries.

The Bruce Lee imitators have faded into obscurity,

but perhaps a new young star like Jackie Chan

can rise to the same heights,

a different kind of star with his own unique style.

Hold it! Get down!

[ gunshot ]

What'’s going on?

Look out!

But even a star like Jackie Chan

does not claim to be the new Bruce Lee.

There will never be a new Bruce Lee.

Bruce Lee has gone, but his spirit lives on.

This is Bruce Lee, the legend.

[ man reads onscreen text aloud ]