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- [Narrator] You are
watching a master at work.

Bruce Lee, five feet, seven
and a half inches tall,

135 pounds of
martial art dynamite.

(thuds)

(screams)

(thuds)

(exotic music)

Hong Kong, in February of 1973,

is a bustling island

of modern industry

and commerce that plays against

a backdrop of culture

and tradition that's remained

largely unchanged
for over 1,000 years.

The biggest news coming

from within the city these days

is the rapid growth

of its motion picture industry.

Formerly an enterprise
of no consequence

to anyone but local
theater owners

the Hong Kong movie industry is

now attracting the attention

of the most powerful
film studios

in the world.

The reason for this sudden surge

in interest is the meteoric

rise to fame within the
city of a 32-year-old man

named Bruce Lee.

Lee's dynamic
on-screen presence,

coupled with an audience empathy

that cuts across all
cultural boundaries

have resulted in his films

shattering box office records.

Producers the world
over have come

to see in Lee the key

that will unlock the door

to the future of the industry.

They begin to flood
the young artist

with offers that even a
year ago would've been

impossible for him
to have imagined.

After years of battling
against cultural

and professional bigotry

economic and emotional hardship,

as well as the exhausting
effort required

to sustain the
integrity of his art

Lee's perseverance has finally

been rewarded.

He has become the
most sought after

motion picture
actor in the world.

With such power
now at his disposal

Lee could easily choose to rest

on his laurels and
play it safe by making

the kind of formula
pictures that

are now being offered
him on a daily basis.

But the very notion of formulas

and methods

hold no appeal whatsoever

for this young man.

Instead, Lee is
presently in the midst

of filming The Game of Death

what he terms a
multi-level film,

in which his personal philosophy

of martial art is
being presented

for the first time.

He's returning to this film

after a brief hiatus

having spent the fall
of the previous year

filming three sequences

the finale, it turns
out, of the film.

Lee performs the
work and assumes

the responsibility
of eight people

in the creation of this film.

He's the director, the producer,

the choreographer, the
author of the screenplay.

In addition to having a hand

in set design,
the cinematography

and the lighting of the film.

And, of course, he's
the leading actor.

Martial artists who
are not accustomed

to the camera must
be taught how to sell

a strike or a reaction

for optimal dramatic effect.

Again, this falls to
Lee to look after.

Take after take of
precision martial art

choreography is performed.

Lee will spend,
in some instances,

up to four days filming

what will turn out to be

only a five-minute
fight sequence.

Lee is most
demanding of himself.

In this shot,

involving his
handling a nunchaku

an ancient Oriental weapon

that was originally
used as a rice flail

Lee will shoot no
less than 10 takes

to capture one small sequence

that will appear on screen

for a mere 3.5 seconds.

He wants his films
to have the stamp

of realism and believability.

Filming of The Game
of Death is suspended

in October of 1972
when word reaches

the set that Warner
Brothers is now

interested in co-producing
his next film.

It will mark the first
time in the history

of East-West relations
that a Chinese

and American film studio

work together on
a motion picture.

Lee views the
co-production as a step

toward raising
global understanding

of Chinese culture

and of having Chinese
films accepted

into the international market.

- Did you look at
many Mandarin movies

before you started

playing in your first one?

- Yes, yes.

- What did you think of
them when you saw them?

- Quality wise, I
mean I have to admit

that it's not quite
up to the standard.

However, it is growing
and it is getting

higher and higher
and going toward

that standard that what
I would term quality.

- [Narrator] Lee and
his business partner,

Raymond Chow

fly to Los Angeles
in November of 1972

to complete negotiations

with Warner Brothers
for what will prove

to be Lee's last
and biggest film,

Enter the Dragon.

January to April of
1973, Lee gives over

to the filming of
Enter the Dragon.

Again, he will
oversee every aspect

of its production
and post-production.

By the time his
schedule allows him

to resume working
on additional ideas

for The Game of
Death, it's mid-July

of 1973, the final
week of his life.

July 20th, his last
day on Earth, he will

spend discussing script
ideas for the film.

On this fateful day,

Lee will, in
characteristic optimism

look ahead to
September 20th, 1973.

He will write in
his daytime diary

for this date

of his intention
to resume filming

The Game of Death.

These will prove to
be the last words

he will ever write.

Lee's passing hits the residents

of Hong Kong like a tidal wave.

Disbelief, shock, anger.

There was so much
more the young man

had to accomplish.

So much he had to live for.

And now, nothing.

Upon Lee's passing, so too

passes the movement
towards realism

in Eastern cinema
that he had pioneered.

Almost immediately,
action films will

revert to being
unbelievable and hokey.

Ironically, during
an audio dictation

that Lee makes only weeks prior

to his passing, he comments

on this very distinction
between his films

and those made by other,

less dedicated
production companies.

- [Man] I can tell
you that as more

Bruce Lee's films are shown

the audience will soon realize

not only in acting
ability but in physical

skill as well, they
will see the difference.

- [Narrator] Five years after
his passing, excerpts from

the film that Lee had
worked so feverishly on

during the final months

and hours of his
life, are edited into

a film featuring Lee's
title Game of Death.

But the film bears no comparison

to Lee's original
multi-level vision.

Without Lee's
choreography notes,

script outline and motif

the producers are
uncertain what to do

with the 100 minutes of footage

they have in their possession.

Moreover, they discover that Lee

was such a perfectionist that

of the 100 minutes
of footage they have

in hand, two-thirds
turn out to be

outtakes and retakes,

shots that Lee
himself had discarded

for sequences in the
film that he felt

were beneath his
standard of quality.

They deem only 11
minutes and seven seconds

of the footage to be worthy

of inclusion in their film.

The rest, approximately 21
minutes worth, they discard.

Inter-cutting actual
footage of Lee

into fight sequences
involving lookalikes

and even using cardboard cutouts

of Lee's head, the end result is

viewed by many as an exploitive

and grotesque joke

played on the great
artist's legacy.

By now, even Lee's
most zealous fans

are beginning to believe

that the original
footage is gone.

And that it will
never be possible

to see the footage Lee
shot in its entirety

nor to ever learn what

his original storyline
for the film was.

In the fall of 1994,
during research

conducted for a
multi-volume book series

based on Lee's
surviving writings,

Lee's original script

and choreography writings

for The Game of
Death are recovered.

The writings confirm

what had long been suspected

that Lee had indeed
shot considerably

more footage for
The Game of Death

than had been seen to date.

Another unexpected
surprise is discovered

in among his
choreography writings.

His hand-written storyline,

12 pages in length

and containing all
scene breakdowns

and select dialogue passages

the original storyline stands

in sharp contrast to
the one presented in

the film released
under the same name.

After the discovery
of Lee's script notes

a search to find the
missing footage is launched.

It will last some six years,

but then the miraculous happens.

The original 35 millimeter
film footage is located.

After having been separated

for over one
quarter of a century

Bruce Lee's original footage

and script notes are
finally reunited.

Over the course of this film,

you'll see this
footage as Bruce Lee

had intended for it to be shown,

and you'll also come to
understand the struggle

he had to undergo in order

to bring it to the big screen.

And perhaps along the way,

you'll come to know
the real Bruce Lee

the man behind the legend,

a little better as well.

(light instrumental music)

- 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 Kung Fu man
is trying to do that

to be soft, like
water, and flexible

and adapt himself
to the opponent.

- [Narrator] It is
February of 1965

in Los Angeles, California

where a 24-year-old Bruce Lee

is in the midst
of auditioning for

a TV series that
will never be made.

In 19 months, he will be known

to American audiences as Kato

from The Green Hornet.

In five years, he'll
discover a truth

that will forever alter

the course of
martial art history.

And in eight years,
he'll be the most

famous motion picture
actor in the world.

But that's all in the future.

Today, he's unknown.

- [Interviewer] And
you went to college

in the United States?

- Yes.

- [Interviewer] And
what did you study?

- Philosophy.

- [Narrator] Bruce Lee's
interest in philosophy, defined

by the Western ethos
as the love of wisdom

is a passion that will remain

with him throughout the
remainder of his life.

Lee has been teaching
Americans about

Chinese philosophy and
culture for six years,

lecturing in the
Pacific Northwest

on the subtleties
of Chinese thought.

His great passion,
however, is gung fu,

an ancient Chinese fighting art

unknown in the America of 1965.

Lee's scrapbook from
this period of his life

reveals brief
descriptions of many

of the arts and traditions

of the venerated
masters of gung fu.

America's only
knowledge of the martial

arts in 1965 are by
way of judo and jujitsu

two Japanese arts
that were taught

to her servicemen
during the Korean War.

Lee regards himself
as an ambassador

for Chinese martial art

teaching all who will
listen about the ways

of the Chinese masters.

- [Interviewer] Now, you
told me earlier today

that karate and jujitsu
are not the most

powerful or the best forms

of Oriental fighting.

What is the most powerful
or the best form?

- Well it's bad to say the best

but in my opinion I think
gung fu is pretty good.

- [Interviewer] Would you tell
us a little about gung fu?

- Gung fu is originate in China.

It is the ancestor of
karate and jujitsu.

It's more of a complete 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.

- [Interviewer] I see.

What's the difference between

a gung fu punch
and a karate punch?

- Well, a karate punch is
like an iron bar, whack.

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.

- [Interviewer] Okay.

- [Narrator] Lee has studied
a system of Chinese gung fu

for the past nine
years called wing chun

and is considered
one of the art's

most talented and
articulate exponents.

His teacher in this art has been

an elderly Hong
Kong Chinese master

by the name of Yip Man.

Despite his proficiency

in this style of gung fu

his study of philosophy
has caused him

to question.

And now, he begins to question

why most martial artists

Chinese and otherwise,

seem more concerned with

preserving tradition,
than with looking

more deeply into the matter

to penetrate through

to the ultimate
truth of martial art.

Moreover, Lee has
begun to develop

his own method of gung fu

which he describes
as non-classical

in nature, and which
takes as its core

the principles of
economy of motion,

simplicity and directness.

- All right, for instance,

you will read it in bulk

in a magazine and everything,

that when somebody grabs you

you will first do this and then

this and then and
then and then and then

thousands of steps before

you do a single thing.

Of course, these kinds of
magazines would teach you

to be feared by your enemies

and admired by your
friends and everything.

But in gung fu it always
involves a very fast motion.

Like, for instance, a
guy grabbing your hand

it's not the idea
to do so many steps.

Step right on his
instep, he'll let go.

This is what we
mean by simplicity.

Same thing in striking
and in everything.

It has to be based on
a very minimum motion

so that everything
would be directly

expressed one motion
and he's gone.

Doing it gracefully,
not go ahhh yelling

and jumping all over him,

but to go (shouts).

Excuse me.

- [Narrator] Both the
American and Chinese martial

art communities
resent his iconoclasm.

For such a young man to stand up

against thousands of years

of tradition and
venerated authority,

is considered a direct
threat to the status quo

and its entrenched power base.

- Prior to Bruce's
coming to this country

gung fu was alive in most,

all the Chinese communities

but there was nothing taught
to outsiders, basically,

and Bruce came along,

and with that basis of trying to

create equality amongst all
people regardless of race

he chose to let
anybody into his school

regardless of what
color or race they were.

As long as he knew that what was

in their heart was
good and positive

he took them in.

When he was down
in San Francisco,

where the Chinese community

was much more like
being in China

they took exception to it.

He had to fight
his way out of it.

- In Oakland, he
received a challenge

from the San Francisco Chinese

martial arts community.

And the challenge read that

Bruce, if he were to be defeated

in this challenge would
have to cease teaching

Caucasian or
non-Chinese students.

And the Chinese martial artist

came over from San Francisco

to Bruce's studio in Oakland

and a very formal
challenge took place.

I was present there.

In fact, I was eight months
pregnant with Brandon,

and James Lee was there.

This fight with this
Chinese martial artist

lasted about three minutes.

It consisted of
a lot of running,

where the Chinese martial artist

took off and started
running around the room,

and Bruce was pursuing him

before Bruce finally
got a hold of him

and took him down to the floor

and made him give up.

After the challenge ended

with the Chinese martial artist

being soundly defeated
and they all went away

Bruce won the right to
teach anyone he wanted to.

- [Narrator] By February
of 1967, Lee has three

schools operating in Seattle,

Oakland, and Los
Angeles that teach

his own interpretation
of gung fu

based on his own investigations

into the ultimate truth
of unarmed combat.

However, by now the young man is

openly critical
of the traditions

and limitations he
sees as inherent

in the martial arts

as they're currently being
practiced in America.

He believes they lack a
solid grounding in reality

consisting of
rehearsed self-defense

routines that are employed

and predictable in
patternized rhythms.

He notes that real combat

is spontaneous, not rehearsed

and is made up of
irregular or broken rhythm

that a martial artist
cannot anticipate

only respond to.

Even the championship
karate tournaments

of the era are
non-contact affairs

settled not on knockouts

but on an accumulation of points

awarded for blows that
never touch an opponent.

A victory is determined
by a team of judges

who conclude which combatant

would probably have hurt

the other combatant the most,

had contact been allowed.

Lee has no use for such
styles of pseudo-fighting

which he calls,
organized despair

and dry-land swimming.

Lee's criticism of the
arts can be attributed

in part to his
background in Hong Kong

which consisted not of
non-contact karate tournaments

but full-contact street fights

and challenge matches

fought on Hong Kong rooftops.

When not fighting
against proponents

of different styles
of gung fu on rooftops

Lee had also fought
frequently against

opponents who had been armed
with knives and chains.

In such real-world encounters,

referees and judges
were not necessary.

Rather than participating
in non-contact

karate tournaments

which he considers little more

than glorified games of tag

Lee instead devotes
himself to devising

a more scientific approach
to unarmed combat.

His research leads
him to the science

of Newtonian physics

and the techniques
and principles

of European fencing
and Western boxing

where efficiency, not tradition,

are the touchstones
of both disciplines.

Lee's research causes
him to understand

that the only litmus test

of a combative technique's worth

is whether or not
it can be landed

effectively on an opponent.

Anything that's ornamental

is discarded from his style.

He retains only those techniques

that he himself has
determined to be

practical in real
self-defense situations.

Lee is the first martial artist

in North America,
if not the world

to have his students
don boxing gloves

headgear and body protectors

and spar all out.

Nothing is rehearsed,

no punches are pulled

and full-contact, reality-based

martial art is the
order of the day.

(thudding)

In 1967, Lee
introduces the concept

of full-contact sparring

at the International
Karate Tournament

in Long Beach, California.

Defense is not emphasized

in his new reality-based method

as this would be
allowing one's opponent

to set the tone and
tempo in a real fight.

Instead, the focus
of Lee's new approach

to combat is on attack

or more precisely,

on intercepting the
opponent's attack

with an attack of one's own.

(thud)
(yells)

By midsummer of 1967

Lee has determined that
the defining attribute

of his new approach
to martial art

is the principle
of interception.

As the Cantonese term
for unarmed combat

is typically represented

by a character
indicating a fist,

Lee christens his new approach,

jeet kune do

the way of the
intercepting fist.

- Now 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,
anywhere you can.

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 sidekick

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.

- Ohhh, this time I intercept

your emotional tenseness.

You see, from your
thought to your fist,

how much time was lost.

- [Narrator] Before long,

word is out concerning Lee's art

and he begins to
attract the attention

of America's top martial artists

as well as many prestigious

Southern California
actors and athletes,

Steve McQueen, James Coburn

and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
among them.

- Bruce was an
iconoclast and a rebel

in that he thought that the
traditional martial arts

were way too bound by tradition.

People who were not really

that effective at martial arts

really were not
promoting martial arts

but their own
nationalistic brand

of martial arts

and their view of the world

more so than a realistic

martial art fighting system.

He wanted to get to the
pure essence of the art.

- [Narrator] Lee's
Los Angeles school,

located in the
heart of Chinatown

and without any advertising,

pulls in, not newcomers
to the martial arts

but seasoned black belts

all of whom now
look upon Lee's art

as revolutionary.

And upon his talent
as otherworldly.

- [Bruce] In the Sportsweek

of the Washington Star

printed in Washington, D.C.

On August 16, 1970, quote:

"Three of Bruce Lee's
pupils, Joe Lewis,

"Chuck Norris, and Mike Stone

"have between them
won every major

"karate tournament
in the United States.

"Joe Lewis was grand
national champion

"three successive years.

"Bruce Lee handles and
instructs these guys

"almost as a parent
would a young child.

"Which can be somewhat

"disconcerting to watch.

"It's like walking into a saloon

"in the old West

"and seeing the fastest
guy in the territory

"standing there with
notches all over his gun.

"Then in walks a pleasant
little fellow who says:

"'How many times do
I have to tell you

"'you are doing it all wrong?'

"And the other guy
listens intently."

Unquote.

- [Narrator] With the top
actors and martial artists

in America now
coming to his home

for private instruction

Lee is the toast of
the martial arts world.

However, by the end of 1969

Lee is growing concerned

that his students are
looking to his art

as containing a secret way,

special techniques that
alone are responsible

for success and
ability in combat.

To Lee, there is no such thing

as a magic system.

The only secret to
martial art success

being a willingness
to train hard enough

to cultivate one's
own innate abilities.

Taking matters
into his own hands

Lee now does something that's

unheard of in
martial arts circles.

In January of 1970

at the very height
of his popularity

and reputation in
the martial art world

he closes all three of his
jun fan gung fu schools.

- When Bruce closed the schools,

he felt he was
unburdening himself

of having to prove

through his students

that his system had merit.

He didn't want to get into that.

He wanted them to
evolve and teach,

but it was not a thing where

you have to teach what I taught.

You have to teach
what you learned,

and that's going to be more

than what he taught, hopefully

for those students

that understood
what he was doing.

- Now Lee's going to
teach me all this.

- I cannot teach you.

Only help you to
explore yourself,

nothing more.

- [Narrator] Lee now
trains only a handful

of students privately.

As his art is about
personal growth,

he feels he must come to know

each student thoroughly in order

to assist the
student in developing

the skills and
confidence required

to free him from the
chains of limitation

whether of physical or
psychological origin.

- What is your instinct?

- To pray!

- In this position,
your arms are useless.

- Yeah.

- Can you kick or stomp me?

- No.

- Then if you wish to survive,

what do you do?

- I don't know.

- Bite.

- Bite?

- Are we not animals?

(coughing)

You all right?

- I can't find much evidence

to the contrary, Lee.

Bite, huh?

- Biting is efficient
in close quarters

but don't make a plan of biting.

That is a very good
way to lose your teeth.

- There's so much to remember.

- If you try to
remember, you will lose.

Empty your mind.

Be formless

shapeless, like water.

Now, you put water into a cup

it becomes the cup.

Put it into a teapot,
it becomes the teapot.

Now, water can flow or creep

or drip or crash.

Be water, my friend.

- Yeah.

Why don't I just stand

in front of Paul and
recite that to him.

Maybe he'll faint or drown.

- When is it?

- Tomorrow.

- You are not ready.

- I know.

- Like everyone else,

you want to learn the way to win

but never to accept
the way to lose.

To accept defeat.

To learn to die is to
be liberated from it.

So when tomorrow comes,

you must free your
ambitious mind

and learn the art of dying.

- I remember he said,

for me if I were going to use,

let's say, judo style.

Imagine me trying to get my hips

underneath him to throw
him, for a hip throw.

You're going to try and do that

while I beat you (laughing)
while I beat you down?

You'll be trying to
do something else.

You know, he was
absolutely right.

- [Narrator] Lee is
his own best example

of the potency of his beliefs.

He's detected his own weaknesses

and limitations and
by the application

of intellect and
dint of hard work,

he alone has overcome them

raising his physical
ability to a level

that borders on the phenomenal.

He routinely performs

one-finger pushups on one hand

executes elevated V-sits

for extended periods of time.

He can cannonade an opponent

several feet back from a punch

he delivers from
only one inch away.

And his sidekicks
have so much power

that in the words
of one recipient:

"They feel like
being hit by a car."

He trains hard, six days a week

pushing to discover
the outer limits

of expression for
the human body.

He finds out

with disastrous consequences

on August 13, 1970.

As a result of an
improper warm-up

while lifting weights

Lee severely strains

the fourth sacral nerve
in his lower back.

It's an injury
that will continue

to plague him for the
remainder of his life.

The injury leaves Lee
virtually bedridden

for a period of six months.

His doctors tell him

he may never be
able to kick again.

- For Bruce to be
lying down in bed

24 hours a day for
approximately about six months

was an impossible thought.

You cannot contain
him like that.

But he did, because he knew
that if there were any future,

even to walk normally,

he would need to give
this time to heal.

So he spent a great
deal of time resting,

flat on his back,
for quite a long time

and then also, you know,

just sitting,
sitting in a chair.

But he was not one
to just waste time.

So he spent this amount of time

doing a lot of researching

of all of his vast
library of books

which were books on
the martial arts,

all combative arts,
all hand-to-hand arts

whether they be Western,

Eastern, modern, or ancient

all types of
philosophy, psychology,

especially in the
motivational field

now that he was injured

and his future was in jeopardy.

He felt he needed
to self-motivate
himself all the time.

- [Narrator] Unable to put
his energy to use physically,

Lee now channels it mentally.

The writings of the Buddha,

Alan Watts, Carl Rogers, Lao-tse

Frederick Perls, Daisetz Suzuki,

and Jiddu Krishnamurti

become his constant companions.

Of these authors,
Lee is particularly

taken by the thoughts
of Krishnamurti

who states that,

"truth cannot be organized
without invalidating it."

- You have to be a
light to yourself

not the light of a professor,

or an analyst

or a psychologist, or
the light of Jesus,

or the light of the good heart.

You have to be a
light to yourself

in a world that is
utterly becoming dark.

- I believe that
part of the concept

that he enjoyed so much about

Krishnamurti's philosophy

was one of self-reliance.

If you're looking for truth,

you must look inward,
rather than outward.

- [Narrator] Lee begins
to write about his

new insight and its
application to martial art.

His writings will fill
seven large volumes.

Slowly, Lee begins
to battle back.

Although the back
injury will prove to be

a permanent problem,
within six months

he has proven both the naysayers

and the medical community wrong.

Not only is he
able to kick again,

he becomes a better
martial artist

than he ever was before.

Lee's harrowing experience,

coupled with his new insight

served to underscore for him

the validity of his
belief that there

is no help but self-help,

including help in the
form of instruction

in the art of unarmed combat.

Even his own beloved creation,

jeet kune do, by far
the most scientific

of all martial
arts, is not exempt

from his solvent analysis.

Lee sees his error
in the fact that

he had been striving to create

the ultimate way or
style of martial art

to teach to his students.

First he thought he had it

with the Chinese
way of martial art.

Then, more recently,
in his newly-created

way of the intercepting fist.

But Lee has now
come to see that the

ultimate truth does
not reside in ways

or styles, but within the soul

of each individual.

- I do not believe
in styles anymore.

I mean, I do not
believe that there is

such thing as like a Chinese

way of fighting or

the Japanese way of fighting
or whatever way of fighting

because, unless human beings

have three arms and four legs

we will have a different
form of fighting.

But basically, we have only
two hands and two feet.

So styles tends to not only

separate man because they have

their own doctrines,
and then their

doctrines became
the gospel truth,

that you cannot
change, you know.

But, if you do not have styles

if you just say well here I am,

you know, as a human being,
how can I express myself

totally and completely?

- Then it's just
two people who are

being aware of
their own movements,

who are observing the
other person's movements

and being able to fit in
with that person's movements,

so that there's no set
pattern of movements.

No, well, when he does
this, then I do this.

It's just a total
freedom to react

to what the other person does.

In fact, Bruce
inscribes it perfectly

on the back of this medallion

where he wrote the words
that have become his motto,

and it says, "Using
no way as way

"having no limitation
as limitation."

Over the years this
phrase has been

somewhat misinterpreted.

People think of using

"no way as way" to mean

"anything I do is okay

"and anything I do is my way."

I don't think Bruce
really intended it

to mean that way.

He just meant not to be

boxed in by a certain way,

so that you never
get into a situation

where there's only one response.

You adapt to what the
situation calls for.

I think Bruce had
that down pretty well.

- When there is a way,

then there lies the limitation.

To me, okay, to me,

ultimately, martial art means

honestly expressing yourself.

Now it is very difficult to do.

I mean, it is easy for me to put

on a show and be
cocky and be flooded

with a cocky feeling

and then feel like
pretty cool and all that.

Or I can make all
kinds of phony things,

you see what I mean,

blinded by it, or I can show you

some really fancy movement.

But to express
one's self honestly,

not lying to one's self.

And to express myself honestly,

now that, my friend,
is very hard to do.

- That's the whole
key right there.

Do you know yourself?

Do you know your skills?

Do you know your weaknesses?

Are you able to adjust your life

to compensate for
whatever's happening

and take advantage of
whatever's happening

in terms of pluses and minuses?

That was his approach.

And he was an incredible
example of that

a walking model of that.

- [Narrator] In his critically
acclaimed performance

on the television
series, Longstreet,

Lee attempts to
teach his student,

played by James Franciscus

this higher purpose
of his martial art.

- Lee, I want you to teach me

what you did the other night.

- I already told
Miss Sparrow I can't.

- I'm willing to empty my cup

in order to taste your tea.

- Your open-mindedness is cool,

but it doesn't change anything.

I don't believe in system,

Mr. Longstreet, nor in method.

Without system, without method,

what's to teach?

- But you had to learn.

You weren't born
knowing how to take

apart three men in
a matter of seconds.

- True, but I found the cause

of my ignorance.

- Now help me find mine.

- [Narrator] Having
discovered the truth

of, "using no way as way

"having no limitation
as limitation"

Bruce Lee's mission now becomes

to communicate this
truth to the world.

The most effective
approach, he decides,

is not in private
one-on-one instruction

but in bringing this truth

to the big screen.

His quest: To create a new genre

of film that will
reveal the higher

purpose of martial art.

His challenge: To overcome

the prejudices of Hollywood.

(melodic instrumental music)

- Bruce, at that
point in his life,

had decided that he
was going to make

the film business
his career rather

than teaching martial
arts on a mass basis.

So he tried to pursue the idea

of getting roles in film and TV.

- Okay.

(thuds)

(shouting)

(glass shattering)

(shouting)

(thudding)

(crowd chattering)

- He had a great deal of trouble

securing really leading roles.

He had a number of
roles in small pictures.

But as far as really
promoting his career

as a leading man

he had a lot of difficulty

in America at that time.

- In the United States,

I think something
about the Oriental

I mean the true Oriental

should be shown.

- Hollywood sure as heck hasn't.

- You better believe it, man.

I mean, its always the pigtail

and bouncing around, chop chop,

you know, with the eye slanted

and all that.

- [Narrator] A screenplay
written by Lee,

entitled The Silent
Flute, which detailed

the personal quest
of self-discovery

of a young martial artist

is torpedoed by Hollywood.

- He was in a kind of
a poverty status then.

He was having a tough time,

and he would write in a letter

and tell me he was working

on a vehicle, and something like

The Silent Flute or
equivalent to that,

and then the letter
I got the next month

he would tell me that
that fell through,

because in one instance

he told me that
they just felt that

a young Asian couldn't carry

the lead in something like that.

- [Narrator] Undeterred,
the young man forges on.

He conceives an idea
for a television series

that will feature
martial art philosophy.

Originally to be
called The Warrior,

but later renamed Kung Fu.

- Even when he
conceived the idea

of the Kung Fu series

had many, many
planning discussions

with the eventual producers

of the Kung Fu series.

When it got right down to it,

they did not hire Bruce

to play the part of

the leading part in Kung Fu

instead, going for
a Caucasian man.

And the word was that Bruce

because he was Chinese,

was not considered a
bankable commodity.

- Let me ask you, however,

about the problems

that you face as a Chinese hero

in an American series.

Have people come up in
the industry and said:

"Well, we don't know
how the audiences

are going to take
a non-American"?

- Well, such a question
has been raised.

In fact, it is being discussed.

And that is why The Warrior is

probably is not going to be on.

- I see.

- You see, because unfortunately

such thing does
exist in this world,

you see, like I don't know

certain part of
the country, right?

Where, like, they think that,
business-wise, it's a risk.

I don't blame them,
and I don't blame them.

In the same way, it's
like in Hong Kong

if a foreigner came
and became a star.

If I were the

the man with the money,

I probably would
have my own worry

of whether or not the
acceptance would be there.

But that's all right,

because if you honestly
express yourself,

it doesn't matter.

- [Narrator] Lee now
realizes that Hollywood

only wants Asians
to play grossly

inaccurate stereotypes.

Despite his dire
economic circumstances,

he refuses to accept roles

that would portray
the Chinese race

as anything less than equal

to other cultures.

With a wife and now two
small children to support

Lee's dignity and
philosophical principles

come at a huge price.

With money rapidly running out,

he now realizes that he is

wasting his time with Hollywood.

- With that rejection in mind,

I guess you could
say that was an overt

expression of racism
in the film industry

in the early '70s.

And at that time, we
went to Hong Kong.

Bruce having decided that
if he couldn't make it

in the American film
industry through

the front door, he
would go to Hong Kong

and come back in
through the side door.

Which is precisely
what he was doing.

- [Narrator] At the time,
Chinese action films

were largely sword-play films

or as Bruce Lee so
aptly described them,

"simply one long, armed hassle."

- He would say he didn't invent

the gore in Mandarin films

but that the
violence in his films

were always with just cause.

- I hope that the
picture I am in

would either explain why

the violence was done

whether right or
wrong, or what not,

but unfortunately, pictures,

most of them, are done mainly

just for the sake of violence,

you know what I mean?

Like fighting for 30 minutes,

or getting stabbed 50 times.

- I'm fascinated.

Let me give you your
microphone back.

I'm fascinated
that you came back.

- [Bruce] I am a martial artist.

- [Narrator] He's
offered very little money

to star in his first film.

But then, money has never been

his sole objective.

The film is entitled,
The Big Boss,

and it will become
the highest-grossing

film in Southeast Asian history.

Lee follows up the unprecedented

success of his first film with

a second, Fist of Fury.

It proceeds to
smash the record set

by The Big Boss.

- Bruce didn't want
to be segmented,

in that he could only
do Chinese movies

or only do Chinese martial arts.

He didn't view himself
as only a Chinese man.

He viewed himself as

a citizen of the world
who had a mission

that really had nothing to do

with what his nationality was.

He wanted to bring

his views of martial
arts and of life

and of the culture
that he had experienced

in his short lifetime to

the audiences all
over the world.

- [Narrator] Lee does just
this with his next film,

The Way of the Dragon,

which he also directs.

In the film's climactic battle,

Lee takes on one-time
student Chuck Norris,

in a fight set in
the Roman Coliseum.

Lee's character, using classical

gung fu techniques,
is losing the fight

until he begins to
employ the formless

and adaptive approach
of jeet kune do.

(shouting)

(rapid thudding)

(shouting)

(thudding)

The Way of the Dragon
also affords Lee

the opportunity to include

deeper elements of his personal

philosophy of life.

After reluctantly
taking the life

of his adversary in the film,

Lee's character pauses

to make a symbolic
gesture of respect

to a fellow human being.

It was yet another
example of Bruce Lee

communicating to
his audience a piece

of his own personal
philosophy regarding

the brotherhood of all races.

- After the first two movies,

then Bruce progressed
into making

The Way of the Dragon,

which was his own creation.

Then Game of Death, of course

and then Enter the
Dragon came along.

And I think as you can see

there's a progression
in those films

where the fighting has even more

justification and
that there's more

material built
around the fighting

to explain, first of
all, the reason for it

and to also find
expression for the

philosophy underlying
the martial arts.

(fist whooshes)

- Do I bother you?

- Don't waste yourself.

- What's your style?

- My style?

You can call it
the art of fighting

without fighting.

- The art of fighting
without fighting?

Show me some of it.

- Later.

All right.

Don't you think
we need more room?

- Where else?

- That island, on a beach.

We can take this boat.

- Okay.

(water splashing)

Hey, what the hell
are you doing?

Hey, are you crazy?

(men laughing)

Pull me in!

- [Narrator] After
filming Enter the Dragon

Lee is now ready to
complete the film

that will embody his
greatest message,

a film Lee calls
The Game of Death.

(melodic instrumental music)

- I believe that this
background of research

and the building of a philosophy

of jeet kune do is what Bruce

intended to relate

through The Game of Death.

He had an idea

of how he wanted

to show the martial arts

to the viewing public,
these various steps

in finding your own way

in martial arts,

the different styles
and what styles mean

and more importantly,
what they don't mean.

That was Bruce's big message.

The style of no style,

and Game of Death was
going to be the platform

for these expressions.

- [Narrator] While we may
never know how the film

would've turned out,
had Bruce Lee lived,

we do know with
unimpeachable certainty,

the vision that he
had for the movie

during the time he was
filming its finale.

According to Lee's
12-page storyline,

he would play a
retired undefeated

martial arts
champion by the name

of Hie Tien, who
had been approached

by members of the
Korean underworld

to take part in a daring raid

on a five-story pagoda,

said to contain a
valuable treasure

on its uppermost level.

When he refuses to participate,

his sister and younger brother

are kidnapped,
leaving him no option

but to take part in the raid.

At a briefing at
the boss's home,

Hie Tien is introduced

to his accomplices in the raid,

all of them highly-trained
martial artists.

The boss screens a
reconnaissance film

of the temple area explaining

to the accomplices
that since guns

are prohibited in the village

the pagoda is guarded by
martial arts mercenaries.

One on each level of the pagoda.

Their instructions
are to fight their way

to the top of the pagoda
and retrieve the treasure.

Lee selected the Buddhist
temple of Pope Jusaw

as the setting for the film.

The temple's most
striking object,

the 33-meter-high Buddha statue

is clearly indicated in
Lee's storyline sketches.

Cast in one mold with
150 tons of bronze,

it's said to be the largest such

standing figure in all of Asia.

In front of the Buddha
is the five-story

wooden pagoda that Bruce Lee

had chosen as the backdrop

for the climactic
battles in the film.

- Thus, the idea
started from there.

He took some of the ideas
he had been gathering

about the levels of
martial arts combat

in the pagoda

and Kareem came out
and I believe that

the first scenes that they shot

were the fight scenes
between Bruce and Kareem.

- The first day's rushes
after we saw those,

we had to slow
everything down because

we were moving too fast.

It looked too jerky
on film, and we had to

slow it down so the
film could follow,

so the camera could follow us

and people could see things.

'Cause we were doing things
like we practiced it.

And in practice with Bruce,

we'd do several things
in a split second.

The audience would miss the

subtleties of what
he was trying to do

if we didn't slow it down.

- [Narrator] Of what were to be

his accomplices in the film

Lee wanted one to
be slightly devious

and antagonistic
toward his character.

This would create an
interesting dynamic

in the relationship
between the two men

not letting the
audience know whether

or not Lee's
partner was actually

with him or against him.

For the role of the
antagonistic accomplice

Lee chose James Tien, an actor

who had appeared with Lee in two

of his previous three
films in Hong Kong.

The second accomplice
was to be a strong

but simple-minded
martial artist.

These would be
character attributes

that would allow
for a different type

of dynamic to occur between

the accomplices as
they fought their

way up each level of the pagoda.

Lee ultimately settled on

Hong Kong stuntman, Chieh Yuan

to play the role
of this accomplice.

It would be the
first time these two

had worked together.

At the time of filming,
the rest of Lee's

accomplices had
not been decided.

Within the pagoda, Lee
and his accomplices

would have to battle
upwards past five levels,

each guarded by a martial artist

of a particular style.

The first level was to be
guarded by Whong In Sik,

who was to be portrayed as a

master of a kicking style.

Whong had worked with Lee before

appearing as one
of his opponents

in The Way of the Dragon.

(thudding)

Lee had chosen his real-life

senior-most student, Taky Kimura

to play the guardian
of the second floor.

According to Kimura,
Lee wanted him

to utilize praying
mantis gung fu

as well as some
elements of wing chun,

both arts that
emphasize infighting,

use of hands predominantly,

with kicks limited
to below the waist.

I think it was in October
of '71, 72, in that era.

He called me and said that he

wanted me to be in the
movies, in that movie.

Again I said, "Look, Bruce,

"I've got two left front feet.

"You know it and I know it.

"There's probably
1,000 people over

"in Hong Kong that can
do it better than I can.

"Just let me sit here

"and enjoy the fruits
of your success.

'Cause I said, "You know me,
I don't need to be in that."

He said, "No, I want you in it.

"I'm the technical director
and the co-producer.

He said, "Don't worry about it."

So, I reluctantly,
for fear that he'd

kick my butt if I said
no, at that point,

I said okay.

He'd already sent me
an airline ticket.

But really, I think at
this point in his life

I think he had transcended
all the gimmicks

that are usually
in these movies.

And I think that he
had gotten to that

plateau where you
could just simply do

the simple, you know,

normal things and yet
create that excitement

within that simplicity.

- [Narrator] Lee
selected another

of his real-life
students, Dan Inosanto

to be guardian of
the third floor.

As he was not only adept

in Lee's art of jeet kune do

but in addition, was also

an advanced
practitioner in the arts

of kempo karate and
Filipino escrima.

Lee opted to have
Inosanto employ

methods from both arts

which he believed would add

an exciting visual
element to the film

and serve to break up

the unarmed combat sequences.

Inosanto was also a
brilliant exponent

of the nunchaku,
allowing Lee to film

the first-ever nunchaku battle

between two opponents.

Grappling or
joint-locking would also

serve to add a fresh,
visual element to

the fight sequences.

For this reason, Lee settled
on Korean hapkido grand master

Ji Han Jae, who at
the time of filming

was a seventh-degree
black belt in the art.

Ji would be the guardian

of the fourth level
of the pagoda.

- Andrews Air Force Base.

I did teaching time.

Jhoon Rhee, TaeKwonDo
master Jhoon Rhee,

he held an international
karate championship.

I was there to do
a demonstration.

At that time Jhoon
Rhee introduced

me to Bruce Lee.

I showed him, he
looked at my technique

and he liked my technique.

That's why he came to the
Andrews Air Force Base.

He learned several techniques.

Then, he go back
to the Hong Kong.

He invited me.

- [Narrator] Lee
decided to have yet

another of his students,

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar,
play the role of the

guardian of the highest
floor of the pagoda.

He fights with an unknown style,

which symbolized the highest
level of martial art.

This unknown style was

the essence of jeet kune do.

- I was at the top of
the pagoda because,

you know, I was the
most effective fighter.

And I didn't have any style.

And I was also in
a place where my

strengths were

enhanced by the environment.

So it was dark in there.

I was supposed to
be light-sensitive.

My eyes were light-sensitive,

and that was a problem for me.

But other than that,
I was an incredible

human specimen, etcetera.

That was the whole
idea about it.

And he started
knocking out the panes

in the walls, so
more light came in.

I couldn't see.

And that's when he got his
advantage in the fight.

- [Narrator] The fact
that Lee's character

in The Game of Death
would be taking

on advocates of different styles

on each level of the temple

was significant in
a larger context

than might be initially evident.

For Lee was not just
taking on the various

exponents of particular styles,

but the very notion
of styles itself.

- I think it's evident
in The Game of Death

how he planned to fight a person

of a different style,
a very precise style,

on each floor of the pagoda.

And show how he could fit in

with anybody else's style

thus having no style of his own.

- [Narrator] In the
battle of the third floor,

Lee's character makes use
of a green bamboo whip.

The whip represents flexibility,

an attribute which Lee felt

a martial artist must
possess if he was

to be successful in combat.

Since combat, like life,
is not predictable,

Lee held that one must possess

a pliable adaptability

in order to change with change.

Lee has his character

dressed in a one-piece
yellow track suit

to symbolize no affiliation

with any known
martial arts style.

- I think the wearing
of the yellow track suit

was an expression
of how he felt about

the martial arts
that it need not,

you need not be dressed in

a traditional uniform in order
to be an effective fighter.

That yellow track suit is

something that's comfortable

it's flexible, you can
move without restriction.

So I think that was
why he chose that.

- [Narrator] With his
cast now firmly in place

Lee spends the next three months

of his life from August
to October of 1972

putting his martial
vision on celluloid.

- Bruce was a perfectionist
on a film set.

He always choreographed all

of his own fights in detail

writing them down,
every movement,

every single movement,
rehearsing them

endlessly with the stuntmen.

And having many many takes

so that it was
always just perfect.

Bruce was very aware of how

camera angles worked
in fight scenes.

I visited him on The
Game of Death set

on more than one occasion.

The children, Brandon
and Shannon, and I

were always welcome
on the film sets.

We enjoyed going there because

he was having a
lot of fun with it.

First of all, Kareem
was his good friend,

as was Dan Inosanto

and some of the other
martial artists as well,

were his good friends.

He had worked with them

many times in the past.

As you know, Kareem
was his student,

Dan was his student and
assistant instructor

and so he had a real
fun time working

with these fellows and
constructing the fight scenes.

- [Narrator] The results
are three carefully crafted

and meaningful sequences

that resonate on
many different levels

as well as the most graceful
and dynamic presentation

of the human form in
hand-to-hand combat

ever captured on film.

(melodic instrumental music)

What you're about to
see has never been

seen before in its entirety.

It's the footage
that Bruce Lee shot

for The Game of Death.

the takes he had indicated
as the ones to be selected

for inclusion in the film,

and the dialogue he had written.

The footage, like the
film, is incomplete.

Approximately two
minutes of footage

that represented the beginning

of the film's finale
have been lost

to the ravages of time.

In that missing footage,
Lee's two allies

James Tien and
Chieh Yuan, come up

the stairs ahead of
Lee and enter into

the third level of the pagoda,

the Hall of the Tiger.

There they meet
the escrima master,

whose habit is to
beat out a teasing

rhythm on his sticks prior
to killing his adversary.

Chieh Yuan sets out to
attack the escrima master

with a large heavy club

but is quickly disarmed.

The escrima master then casts

his sticks aside

and battles Chieh Yuan,

whom he proceeds to
render unconscious

with a series of
strikes and kicks

known in kempo karate circles as

the Dance of Death.

Now, it is James
Tien's turn to battle

with the escrima master.

It is at this point
that Bruce Lee's final,

never-before-seen footage

for The Game of Death begins.

(dramatic music)

(whooshing)

(shouting)

(sticks clacking)

(sticks whooshing)

(sticks clacking rapidly)

(sticks clacking rapidly)

(thuds)

(sticks whooshing)

(shouting)

(thuds)

(shouting)

(sticks clacking rapidly)

(shouting)

(groans)

- Do you speak any English?

- Of course I speak English.

- I hope you don't mind,
if we move our man,

so that the two of us will have

more room to groove.

- But have your men stay

as far away from the
stairway as possible.

(suspenseful music)

(grunts)

(sticks whooshing)

(sticks clacking)

- You know, baby,

this bamboo is longer,

more flexible, and
very much alive.

And when your flashy
routine cannot

keep up with the
speed and elusiveness

of this thing here,

all I can say is

that you will be
in deep trouble.

(sticks clacking)

- That, we will
have to find out.

(sticks whooshing)

(dramatic music)

(bamboo clacking)

(shouting)

(bamboo snapping)

(shouting)

- I'm telling you,

it's difficult to have
a rehearsed routine

to fit in with

broken rhythm.

(shouting)

(whooshing)

You see?

Rehearsed routines

lack the flexibility to adapt.

(grunting)

(whooshing)

(stick clacks)

(shouting)

(intense music)

(whooshing)

(whooshing)

(shouting)

Surprised?

(whooshing)

(shouting)

(whooshing)

(shouting)

(shouting)

(whooshing)

(intense music)

(whooshing)

(shouting)

(shouting)

(thuds)

(shouting)

(whooshing)

(thuds)

- How do you like that?

(thuds)

- How do you like that?

Uh-uh.

(shouting)

(whooshing)

(shouting)

(shouting)

(whooshing)

(shouting)

(whooshing)

(dramatic music)

(shouting)

(whooshing)

(loud thud)

(groaning)

(whooshing)

(thuds)

(shouting)

(rapid whooshing)

(shouting)

(thudding)

(shouting)

(grunting)

(shouting)

(thuds)

(hands slapping)

(stick clacks)

(intense music)

- As you gentlemen know,

red means danger.

Therefore, I advise
to you people

not to step into
this warning arena.

If you want to go on
living, stop here.

Go back downstairs.

Life is precious.

(shouting)

(thuds)

(laughs)

(shouting)

(thudding)

(shouting)

(thuds)

(shouting)

(thudding)

(grunting)

(shouting)

(shouting)

(thuds)

(shouting)

(thuds)

(shouting)

(thudding)

(whooshing)

(shouting)

(grunting)

(thuds)

(crashing)

(shouting)

(thudding)

(grunting)

(intense dramatic music)

(thuds)

(shouting)

(shouting)

(thuds)

(thudding)

(dramatic music)

(shouting)

(whooshing)

(shouting)

(thuds)

(thudding)

(thuds)

(thuds)

(thuds)

(shouting)

(thuds)

(shouting)

(shouting)

(thudding)

(shouting)

(thudding)

(shouting)

(thuds)

(shouting)

(intense dramatic music)

(shouting)

(thuds)

(shouting)

(groaning)

(shouting)

(thudding)

(shouting)

(debris clattering)

(thudding)

(grunting)

(thuds)

(grunting)

(thudding)

(yelling in foreign language)

(thudding)

(shouting)

(thudding)

(thuds)

(shouting)

(groaning)

(shouting)

(thuds)

(thuds)

(coughing)

(chair squeaking)

(shouting)

(thudding)

(shouting)

(thudding)

(grunting)

(whooshing)

- Little fellow,

you must have given
up the hope of living.

- Uh-uh, on the contrary,

I do not let the
word death bother me.

- Same here, baby.

- Then what are you waiting for?

(whooshing)

(shouting)

(thudding)

(thudding)

(shattering)

(dramatic music)

(thudding)

(thudding)

(shouting)

(thudding)

(grunts)

(shouting)

(thudding)

(shouting)

(thudding)

(shouting)

(thuds)

(thudding)

(thudding)

(crashing)

(intense dramatic music)

(thudding)

(shouting)

(thudding)

(shouting)

(thuds)

(thuds)

(thudding)

- This tough son-of-a-gun
is wearing me out.

(paper tearing)

(shouting)

(thuds)

(panting)

Why continue?

Just let me pass.

- You have forgotten that I, too

am not afraid of death.

(thudding)

(shouting)

(grunting)

(crashing thud)

(groaning)

(sighing)

(dramatic music)

(thuds)

(dramatic music)

(paper tearing)

- You know I've been categorized

as the keeper of the grave

up in Seattle and I
try to make it up there

at least once a month
oftentimes during

the month I might go up there

four or five times

depending on who comes in

from you know, other
parts of the world

or something like that.

I find that there are

many many people
that come up there,

they're not even
martial artists,

you would just normally expect

that the people
who come up there

are in martial arts

and they want to
try to have some

of that ability rub off on them.

I go up there and
I make it a point

to talk to people when
I see them up there.

And oftentimes they tell me,

"I'm not even into martial arts.

"But I just came to try

"to have some of that
inspiration of his

"come into my life,
because obviously

"I'm in a place where
I need something."

And personally, because of Bruce

I've been able to
help several young

people to find
themselves, to get out

of the drug scene
and things like that.

And I don't take
credit for that.

It's Bruce.

- I mean I get letters now,

27 years after he's been gone,

from people who
weren't even born

when he was alive.

They're telling me how

he has motivated them to be

a better person, to be,

to achieve their goals,

to be in better
physical condition,

to live their own life

from their own heart,
rather than just

following or emulating
somebody else.

It really does my heart good,

and I think that
Bruce would be smiling

down to know that
his work and his art

have continued to benefit

people all over the world.

- There were some lines that

express your philosophy.

I don't know if you remember
them or not, but you--

- I remember them.

- [Interviewer] Let's hear it.

- I said,

this is what it is, okay?

I said, "Empty your mind.

"Be formless.

"Shapeless, like water.

"Now, you put water into a cup,

"it becomes the cup.

"You put water into a bottle,

"it becomes the bottle.

"You put it in a teapot,

"it becomes the teapot.

"Now, water can flow
or it can crash.

"Be water, my friend."

(water babbling)

(dramatic music)