I Watch Films: Bruce Lee Martial Arts Master

 

Bruce Lee: Martial Arts Master

A documentary about martial artist and action film star Bruce Lee. Lee was born in San Francisco, and raised in Hong Kong. Some interviews with a teacher and old friends give a little insight into his early days. For a while he concentrated on martial arts, learning techniques and developing his own style, with acting as a sideline. In America he had some success, training and working with a number of people in the TV and film business (who are interviewed). However he found he was being put into secondary roles, as a bit part, as the Asian martial artist.

Returning to Hong Kong he was able to make films that better reflected what he wanted to do, and made him a star. The success of these led to him being cast as the lead of a moderately large budget American martial arts film, Enter The Dragon. During post-production Lee collapsed and had seizures; a few weeks later he took some of his medication, went to sleep and could not be wakened. His death at the very moment of a smash hit cemented his legend.

Many of the people interviewed in this film paid tribute, in particular to his training. He developed equipment to help him, which he also introduced into his martial art schools.

This documentary investigates his martial arts more than most biographies, which concentrate on his film career. Yet at a lean 78 minutes, and spending a fair amount of time talking to American actors, that depth is not enormous. Perhaps something for the Bruce Lee completists.

Watch This: Some insights into a martial arts film legend
Don’t Watch This: A lot of people talking about a guy