Original subtitles

Bruce Lee is dead

Linda Lee is taking him back to Seattle

She sits quietly, emotions drained away

thinking back of the past few horrific days

Bruce, at the top of the world,

has been taken away by death

Screaming newspaper headlines

tell the tragic story

Tears are shed all over the world

The day of his funeral service in Hongkong

25-Jul-73

In thousands, his admirers come to

the Kowloon Funeral House

They come for this Chinese hero

Linda arrives at 9:25am

The fans watch silently

They are moved by her courage

Linda comes, silent but courageous

She gives him a wreath, saying

"For Our Next Incarnation"

She puts on

Chinese mourning robes

and observes the dignified rituals

His colleagues in Golden Harvest

come to say goodbye

Bruce has been so popular in the trade

His movie and television friends

turn out in force

Here's George Lazenby

of 007 fame

who was to team up with Bruce

But they are rudely interrupted

Brian and Shannon, his children

bow before his portrait

then join their mother

in thanking the mourners

little realizing that their Daddy

is gone forever

Maybe it is better for them

The mourners keep on coming

Fans, students,

and Kung Fu Friends

Stars and motion picture workers

who have shared the tribulations

and honors with him

In somber mood, they are agreed

it is a great loss to Chinese arts

also the departure of a good friend

The crowds outside crane their necks

Some try to climb higher, higher

A last look at him,

they're after

After the services

The casket is moved in

Some insist it's worth $100,000

Others put it at $200,000

A trifle compared with

the man inside

for he's written

the golden page

The surge-forward for a last look

So calm, so composed, he lies there

Of course, he does not know

the universal grieve and agony

of his wife, children, friends

and admirers all over the world

Bruce Lee, once so full of life,

now quietly lies in the coffin

The vision of his lightning movements

is still vivid in front of every eye

Yet, he is definitely gone forever

having dispensed happiness and excitement

and now leaving behind immense sorrow

Brandon and Shannon do not actually

They take a last look

They don't really know that

Mother has shed all her tears

all seem so hopeless

All these people refuse to leave

Orderly they line up the streets

watching the family leave

This is his residence

in Kowloon

A very quiet neighborhood

Quieter now because of his absence

The garden is serene, beautiful

where he used to sit & meditate

Now the master of the house has gone

His family was called to US

Now they are leaving a altogether

This is his pet dog

He seems to know

the family is leaving

Tragedy has struck

and nothing is ever the same

This is his study, his retreat

Here's his name plate

His favorite audio-graphic set

And his exercising equipment

A hurried note from him

His favorite portrait

His belt, his pet dog

They are now

all masterless

Even the maid sheds a tear of sorrow

When she is doing the packing

Linda and her children arrive at

Hongkong's airport in a drizzle

Despite the rife

speculations

Linda who really understands him

and who really loves him

suffers in silence and alone

In a brief press conference

she breaks her silence, saying

Bruce has died of natural causes

She also appeals to all concerned

to see that

Bruce will rest in peace

His quiet other life

should no longer be disturbed

The plane is in full flight

And Linda keeps on thinking

The arrival in Seattle causes

another traumatic experience

Waiting for her is Bruce's mother,

Linda's saddened mother-in-law

Before they have time for a word

they're crying over each other's shoulder

Friends and relatives too

find it impossible to describe

even with thousands of words

their feelings in adequate words

When he was at Washington U

he met Linda on this very spot

The very day Linda returns to Seattle

she visits this corner

of the campus

There they meet for the first time

A blade of grass brings back those days

fleetingly warm but unforgettable

His mannerisms are deeply etched

in her loving mind

They are cherished by all of us too

We treasure everything that's his

a word, maybe, or, a photograph, yes!

This is Bruce's

first photograph

taken in San Francisco when 1 month old

Here he looks with feeling at the camera

A born actor, this baby is!

Father Lee Hoi-chuen, being a famous clown

Puts clown's mask on

1-year-old Bruce

all eyebrows and beards

Old Mr Lee knows all along

His son will be with the theater

When Bruce is a toddling of 5

he takes to the playing of swords

It seems to be

in his blood

When 6, Bruce already knows how to act

every bit a young Romeo

This is taken when he's filming "My son Ah Chang"

In 1940, Bruce is born to a family of art

His father Lee Hoi-chuen being a famous actor

Bruce makes his debut on the screen

when he is still in the cradle

At 6, Bruce Lee the actor

has cut a figure in Chinese moviedom

in "My son Ah Chang", Bruce gives us

preview of the

great things to come

- Chick! - What?

What are you doing?

I tell you, I'm the greatest

My master is Flying Knife

No one dare to touch him

I won't fear Glassed Boy

Where do you live now?

Great! Pat Yin treated me to dinner last night

And Tam Nam Heng will treat me to dinner tonight

Are you going out with them?

We're just friends. It's tea time now

Cool, tea time...

Bruce is devoted

to this Chinese costume

which he wears in "The Big Boss"

While the others

go for T-shirts

he clings to this very Chinese attire

It is taken when he is only 13

His friend has been keeping it

all the time

A very precious photo, indeed

He longs for

a motorcycle

the status symbol for teenagers

He wants to race one on the highway

But he remains a frustrated motorcyclist

There is simply not enough money for it

Later on, Bruce is able to afford

not only the best of motorcycles

but a personalized

Rolls Royce too

The old Mr Lee is also a master

of the martial art school of Tai Chi

When Bruce is merely a toddling of 8

he starts to learn Tai Chi from dad

Bruce always insists his father is

his first martial art teacher

Since that time,

Bruce has developed a burning interest in all schools

of martial arts going the round

Bruce Lee now is growing up

He is in the formative late teens

Tall, handsome and polished

He's at least as good as any movie star

if not more attractive

He had learned quanshu from Master Siu

Siu said Bruce came to him one day

Bruce treated him to tea

And said he'd teach Siu cha cha for learning Siu's quanshu

Siu took the deal

He taught him 12 Skills on first day

12 more for second day

By the end of the third day

Bruce had learned all 35 movements

This is a month's fare for others

Bruce not only learns fast

He also has his views

He wants to improve martial arts

But Mr Shiu never learned to dance

Bruce? He starts to better the movements

Here is the "Kung Li" style Bruce has learned

as demonstrated by Mr Shiu's students

He later learns the Wing Tsun style

Master Yap Man likes him

and assigns to study under

the famous Wong Shun-leung

Mr Wong is amazed by Bruce's diligence

But Bruce wants to learn it alone

Master Wong told us two things about Bruce Lee

We could not see...

what Bruce Lee did in the real time

But we can get an idea from the imitations

Sometimes Bruce would play a trick

He would guard the door

telling other students to go home

thus, having teacher to himself

Mr Wong says Bruce is not

without a few tricks when it comes

to getting what he wants

Once there was a friendly match

It was a three-round affair

Bruce finally won it for the school

with his lightning punches

That day was a turning point

If he gave up, he would have withdrawn

from martial arts altogether

There would not be his innovations

Since then, Bruce has been hard at it

He trains and trains

He aims to excel, not necessarily to win

Before Bruce moved to America

He asked Mr Shiu to teach him

a few more sets of movements

Mr Shiu agreed happily

First they drilled in public

As they were

well known already

too many people came to watch

They moved to

a remote church

where Bruce learned a lot more

Bruce leaves Hongkong for the States in 1958

to continue his studies in this school

He has only 100 dollars in his pocket

not enough to buy a plane ticket

He has to go by sea, third class

Once in the United States

Bruce finds out the hardships facing a Chinese

It dawns on him then

in addition to a good physique

one must be well educated

in order to succeed everywhere

He therefore works hard in school

and wins this award of merit

Bruce comes back

to Hongkong April, 1963

to be with his father and family

Nothing is as sweet as coming back home

to find out nothing really has changed

He majors in philosophy

in U of Washington

She is Bruce's college teacher

She says he is devoted

to cinematic arts

Here are two paintings by Bruce

They tell vividly his thinking

Things picked up after Bruce had

his own school to teach martial arts

Bruce's students are devoted to him

He teaches not only the best in kung fu

but also the way of life too

He further explains to them

the fundamental Chinese philosophies

In this beautiful church, Bruce and Linda

consecrate their love into solemn wedding

And this is the residence

where they start their life as a team

Brandon and Shannon are born here

Life is frugal, but very sweet

It isn't much of a house

But it is quiet and tasteful

By the little fireplace

this young couple

has the world to themselves

Tacky Kimura,

the best man, says

they struggled to make ends meet

The first baby is born

It's Brandon, barely 1, in Mother's arms

Before he knows how to act,

Father is teaching him to kick out

Bruce loves his children dearly

and he brings them up in his own way

Not the role of spanking father for him,

Bruce likes to play with them

and have a good time with them

Here we see the love between

a loving father and a dear son

In an international tournament in 1964

Bruce gave a demonstration

that shocked and convinced the world

Masters like

Chuck Norris here

learn a lot from Bruce Lee

The authoritative magazine Black Belt

rates Bruce at the top of the world

His hourly fee

of US$275

is also the highest in the US

Bruce now is more famous

Hollywood stars learn from him

His success in martial arts leads

to various roles in Hollywood movies

He appears masked in Green Hornet

But his mercurial nimbleness

wins praises all around

Here's Stirling Silliphant, writer of

Poseidon Adventure & producer of "Long Street"

He says Bruce

in "Long Street" received

better reviews than the star

Bruce had Hollywood's fastest reflexes

Bruce has appeared

in many films either as an actor

or action instructor

Jeanot Swarcz the director is struck by

his sharp acting & quick reflexes

Benson Fong of Charlie Chan fame

agrees with Bruce a Chinese has to

do more in order to succeed in the US

Bruce thinks it is time for a change

He returns to Hongkong for a new life

He is interested

in Chinese films

Since he comes from Chinese stock

Hongkong gives him a cold shoulder

But Mr Raymond Chow comes along

Knowing Bruce's potential, Mr Chow

signs him up and makes him the star

in the Golden harvest epic Big Boss

An international star is thus born

"The Big Boss" is just a start

In "The Big Boss", Bruce stuns the fans

with his lethal three kicks in succession

That makes action picture history

Now we shall project onto this screen

the famous three kicks in normal speed

and again in slow motion

to show the full range of his special talent

In slow motion, you can see

powerful, accurate and devastating

to his opponents

What a pity that the Bruce kicks

are now lost to us forever

His performance in "The Big Boss"

is the milestone in Chinese film history

Here in his fight against Han Ying-chieh

we notice his sure poise and balance

whether he's standing on the ground

or high jumping into the air

No wonder people says,

Bruce Lee is a real kungfu actor

His success is not by luck

Things change with "The Big Boss"

When he comes back this time

he is warmly greeted everywhere

at the airport, in the street, everywhere

He is besieged by producers with offers

This is in sharp contrast with

his leaner days, looking for a producer

Bruce must feel very happy about the change

He may also find it rather amusing

Its unprecedented box office in Hongkong

becomes a world conversation piece

Bruce knows he has found his place

Thus he moves into Hong Kong

and settles into this Kowloon house

where the Lees

lead a happy life

Bruce spends most time

in his study

Brandon and Shannon know one thing:

When Dad is preparing

for his film

they better leave him alone

by playing themselves downstairs

Bruce reads a great deal

He also practices a great deal

At crack of dawn he is already up

jogging around Kowloon Tong for an hour

Bruce really works hard

to stay where he is, that is,

at the top of the world

"Fist of Fury" is his second masterpiece

Bruce Lee thrills the action fans

with his unending kicks & section club

in the film "Fist of Fury"

He outshines himself with the kicks

and the novel weapon of section club

creates a legend of its own

Here we show him in action

in both normal and slow motion

The conclusion: Bruce Lee is

positively the wonder of wonders

I tell you, Chinese are not sick men

"We Chinese are not Asia's sick men!"

With this slogan, Bruce epitomizes

the pent-up feelings of 800,000,000 Chinese

He becomes their hero

Bruce Lee is the symbol in taking on

all those who have

mistreated the Chinese

The Chinese are now on their foot

Here we introduce a fight

between Bruce and Bob Baker,

one of his best student

We easily see that Baker's movements

are replicas of Bruce Lee's

But not quite!

In forcefulness, in exactness

Bruce is still far ahead

Baker is said

to have spent seven years

in studying kung fu

with Bruce

It helps to tell how good Bruce is

True to form, it creates

another Hongkong box office record

It also wins Golden Horse Award

The Golden Horse Award spurs him on

He decides to direct a picture himself

He forms a five-man committee

spending 3 hours daily on scripts

The group has come up with many scripts

Here we introduce how Bruce

works out the scenes for one script

Look at the drafts he makes

and listen to his talk about the story

This is the way he attacks his work

I want to find out what martial art is

So I have to leave

Why? Because your parents don't like me

Now nothing is important to me

Then he speaks again

Bye, I have to go. Thanks

What you see on screen now is called "A long way"

I told you

There's a line between 2 sets of footage

We can see he is walking

We want to find someone to sing the theme song

It is called "What is martial art"

He walks and sings

I've divided into four parts

You have to sing in order

When the first film clip comes,

the song stops

And hero stops, too

He asks the first teacher

What is martial art

The master says it builds the body and the country

And we pan down

A big belly is seen

He is very unhealthy

When hero looks at this man's belly,

the footage stops

But the middle part is still running

The song resumes

We did it four times in the same way

When last film clip comes,

hero asks that master again

What is martial art

When the master tells him,

we do something for the master's voice

Hero looks disgusting

We stop. When it runs again,

the song is done

Fade out, still on the same road

It suddenly stops and it changes

A man is thrown out of a shop

He comes forward

And sees some men surrounding a middle aged man

"Enter the Dragon" is his debut

as a motion picture director

Working 18 hours a day

but with supreme confidence, he triumphs

Another box office record is born

Bruce does not repeat himself

In the martial art movements

A cudgel in his hands

becomes a spectacular piece of art

His fans are agreed:

He is perfect in all fields of martial arts

His section club, first seen in "Fist of Fury"

becomes the rage of the day

Here he demonstrates further

how to handle the section club

Even when he wields two of them

he's still keeping an unhurried pace

They may attack altogether

Or just one of them stabs

Even the connecting chain

is useful

And when the foe expects the club

his flailing kicks do the work instead

Such polished technique

of his makes us wonder just when

or, if ever, we are going to have

another master of his caliber

Bruce's paramount purpose in life is

"Stand with fellow Chinese"

If he had accepted parts in movies

showing Chinese as

a second rate race,

he could have made his fortune long ago

But he refused such parts

He was once down to $50 altogether

Bruce is proud of being a Chinese

and the Chinese dignity

In one film, he calls himself Tang Lung

and repeats it at every turn

He further emphasizes the importance

Since Tang means China

and Lung is China's symbol, dragon

Tang Lung actually is none other than Chinese

Tang Lung sets out to right wrongs

for his fellow Chinese

This underscores his Chinese character

Bruce's opponent here is Chuck Norris

Seven times world karate champion

They are a perfect match at the summit

each blessed with lightning motions

The moviegoers could never have it so good

As we refresh our memories here

with that bout of decade in Rome

we sadly realize that there could never be

a repetition of such a fine piece of art

Bruce's school of Jaet Kune Do

teaches the fighter to keep

a cold head during the fight

In this demonstration of his

He shows when the foe is very strong

and after you fail in one way

you must change your tactics

move around him nimbly

wear him out as much as possible

then a series of lightning attacks

until he is floored

Bruce Lee terms it all-out attack

with heart and body in coordination

Bruce does not succeed for no reason

He had his days of hardship

But he never gives in

He even designs his own equipment

Used in his personal gym

They all go for maximum effect

This gymnasium

takes 8 months to build

It suits his purposes to perfection

Bruce has obtained the best equipment

He may not be the last to own a private gym

But he is the first kung fu artist to do so

After "The Way of the Dragon"

Bruce begins to prepare

"Game of Death"

He understands fully the need for

new movements in action pictures

That is the key to success

in his library at home

he has the documentary films of all US contests

These are run over and over again

Bruce gets inspiration from the films

These help in his fight choreographing

He even views children's bouts

This rich legacy

of his is another proof

of the seriousness

with which Bruce

approaches his work

Some of the fight scenes in the films

are quite close to his Wing Tsun style

He calls Mr Wong

over to study

Bruce considers martial art

as a major branch of science

He has a private office

in Golden Harvest Studio

There, he thinks and plans

He has completed plans for a new epic

"The Game of Death"

In "The Game of Death",

Bruce gets the top people

in world martial arts

Danny Innocentos from the Philippines, Ji Han Jae of Korea,

and Kareem Abdul Jabbar, the skyscraper cager

and many other outstanding fighters

Unfortunately, Bruce dies before

"The Game of Death" is completed

Just what is to be done about it?

People are waiting for an answer

With his unprecedented success

there come the fat offers & sweet talk

He is wooed vigorously all around

Now Bruce has seen through it all

He has learned his lesson

Thus, he decides

to work for himself

His Concord Co. Is to make in 1974-75

a costume period film

and a Cantonese dialect film "Sai Fong"

Bruce has developed,

after the action ones,

an interest in costume dramas

He feels one should not limit oneself

must branch out into untried fields

One should not be contented with the present

Therefore, in 1972 he prepares

a number of historical roles for himself

Act as Hsueh Kang, Cheng Yao-ching, etc

the folklore heroes he admires

Bruce Lee is independent in his own

but he is also good in impersonations

Look at his posing as the blind swordsman

You may say this is Zatoichi himself

Producers the world over

are watching "Enter the Dragon" with interest

Fred Weintraub of Warner Brothers

says Bruce had it in him

to get to the top of the world

Producer Paul Heller praises

Bruce for his brilliance as an actor

and is warmth as a human being

Robert Clouse, the director, describes

Bruce Lee as a perfectionist

Exacting but completely committed

His enthusiasm toward life & work

made hard jobs mere walkovers

Here we have a few scenes

from "Enter the Dragon"

People who have worked with Bruce

agree it is all a pleasure

You can see yourselves that

it's so easy to get along with him

He puts all he has

into work

demonstrating his skills too

He makes work

look so easy

He is here making

"Enter the Dragon"

As usual, Bruce gives it all

his efforts, skills and blessings

He comes on time

every day

even on his off days

says what he thinks he must say

about the script, camera angle, etc

Bruce has left us with a rich legacy

of perseverance,

work attitudes and excellence

Bruce mixes again with the world's best

in "Enter the Dragon"

He is second to none... in acting,

in fighting, in charisma, in machismo

He has found his full range in the film

It will soon

be exhibited

What's your reaction? Happy? Sad?

Robert Clouse, the director,

finds there is more

to martial arts

You've gone beyond

mere technique

So use your soul to bring it to perfection

Quick, what is the highest technique?

To have no technique

What do you do when facing an enemy?

I do not see the enemy

Why is that?

The word "l" is but an abstraction

Continue to speak

Combat may be just a game

It must be played seriously

A true martial artist

should not be confined by styles

He must rise above them

When the opponent contracts, I expand

and when he expands

I must let my defense flow with it

Defense and attack must be as one

If the advantage is clearly mine

I don't hit

"it" hits by itself

Yes, the enemy is but an image

Under which he hides himself

Destroying the image will ruin the enemy

The "it" you refer to

is a weapon misused by many

For centuries

even with the advent of firearms

Bruce never loses sight of the philosophy

of Jaet Kwun Do,

his school of martial art

Thus, through the mouth of a high priest

he expounds his belief in "Enter the Dragon"

It explains in a simple way

Jaet Kwun Do has now lost its master

Is there any successor around?

Linda is surrounded by silence

She is rich in memories

A second funeral service is held

this time in Seattle

Bruce lies in a new coffin

The old one's damaged en route

Flowers display the Tai Chi emblem

trademark of Bruce's martial art

Mr Ted Ashley of Warner Brothers

Bruce's good friends are there too

like Steve McQueen, James Coburn

Old Mrs Lee takes a last look

She is nearly fainting

Linda calls the children over

for another look at Daddy

But they still do not understand

why their world famous father

no longer speaks to them

Now, people will no longer see him

McQueen, Coburn, other pallbearers

solemnly convey the coffin onto hearse

for that trip to the cemetery

All those in the service

throw their gloves on the coffin

Their friendship lasts

The final farewell is thus over

Here's the parting of ways

Bruce has left us forever

Bruce Lee leaves us when so young

but he has already left a lot to us

Rest in peace, Bruce Lee