Bruce Lee, the legend of the film industry who died in July 1973, is about to celebrate the 80th anniversary of his life this year. This representative of Chinese kung fu films has created countless miracles in his short life and has become a generation of superstars with great symbolic significance in the history of world cinema. A biography of Bruce Lee written by the author of L'Officiel Hommes for many years, "If You're Going to Fight, Fight Me!" 》(Si tu cognes, je cogne !) We can see many of his unknown bits and pieces. Let's relive the glory days of Bruce Lee.
"There are always all sorts of incredible stories circulating about Bruce Lee. During the week, some said he was defeated in London, some said he was wounded in New York, or even killed in Hong Kong. This was Bruce Lee at the peak of his career..." In the 1970s, Bruce Lee was definitely one of the hottest figures in the international film industry. Even truck drivers in Memphis began to regard him as a "god-descending man" or a "savior from China", receiving praise like John Lennon. As Bruce Lee's biography recalls, during the period when he began filming Dragon Fight, "his pictures were everywhere" and "he was the Elvis Presley of martial arts".
When he returned to Hong Kong and ushered in a new era of "kung fu cinema", Bruce Lee was no longer just an actor, he became a representative, showing a genre of cinema that was full of national pride and could resonate globally. Whether it is in Hong Kong, or Rome, London, and San Francisco, this whirlwind of kung fu created by Bruce Lee and Jiahe Pictures has been blown. Since then, Bruce Lee has also become a trend icon, although sometimes contradictory, according to his wife Linda Lee, "He had a very handsome suit, but he often dressed very casually, and was called the 'least dressed Asian' by the media!" However, the beauty he exudes is irrefutable and full of masculinity. In the 1970s, a reader from Michigan wrote in the American martial arts magazine Black Belt: "The most beautiful thing after Marilyn Monroe's swaying waist is Bruce Lee's smile."
Bruce Lee was a philosopher (as a man who loved to read and insisted on getting up early, Bruce Lee read books in his study for hours every day), a brilliant samurai, a demanding coach, and a promising director. He was a thinker, a poet, and left many inspiring words (one of my favorites: "If you bend your spine, you will find that there are always people who want to climb up.") )。 Bruce Lee definitely belongs to his audience – that is, to all those who imitate his image, desires, dreams.
The taste of "star system"
"I know people talk a lot about his practice, but I always feel like I'm talking about a Bentley parked in a monastery." John Saxon once said this in a documentary about Bruce Lee. In fact, Bruce Lee is quite sensitive to spotlights and knows the system very well. Although he later complained, "Nowadays, when I go out to eat, I have to sit facing the wall and can only stare at my plate." I can't fill my stomach and sign an autograph!", but he still enjoys the fun of stardom. For example, when he decided to buy a property in Bel Air Hill in Los Angeles, Steve McQueen's manager introduced him to the house, and the star who starred in "The Great Escape" planned to help him pay for an initial payment of about $10,000. "I had to say no, or I would always feel indebted," said Bruce Lee and his friend and biographer Mitoshi Uyehara. In the late 1960s, Roman Polanski, Hollywood's most high-profile and talented director, invited him to Gstaad, Switzerland, to give him a private self-defense lesson. The two were introduced to each other by Sharon Tate (Polanski's then-wife, who was later brutally killed at home), who helped design the action of the martial arts scenes in the latter's Super Intelligence Agent McHan 4 (although there was no such thing as an action director at the time). In a letter to his wife about the trip to Switzerland, Bruce Lee wrote: "Everything that is organized by someone like Polanski is so astonishing. When I arrived at the airport, there was a limousine driver waiting for me... Getting drunk and skiing are the jobs of the super-rich. As well as trying to bring others to their beds. Still, he also notes that, heart-wrenchingly, "those 14- or 15-year-old girls are teasing old guys who are at least 50 years old," and "I find that ethics don't exist here." These girls are not their daughters, or perhaps prostitutes. He added.
Zou Wenhuai was frightened
Of course, Bruce Lee was not an angel either. "Since he was a child, he liked to be the first place." His brother Peter said. He was a dynamic, ambitious and grumpy man: "One day we were practicing sticks, and the weather was very wet," recalls Dan Inosanto, who played him in Game of Death. "The stick kept sliding down his hand, and in a fit of rage, he broke two in front of me." This is a far cry from the Zen image of him that was still imagined in the minds of people today. His mother, Grace, also told a story that happened in late 1970: "Bruce and I went out to dinner with a friend. After the meal, we found that our tyres had been punctured. Not far away, a stranger gave us a sneering expression. Bruce deliberately rushed up to him and yelled at him, 'Which bastard did this?' I felt like I heard a thunderclap. They confronted each other. Soon, we were surrounded by passers-by, and someone exclaimed, 'That's Bruce Lee from The Green Hornet!' Suddenly, the man began to tremble slightly, holding out his hand to express regret. That's the end of it. But I really felt like I was going to have a heart attack. Three years later, in early July 1973, a Hong Kong television host hastily revived the much-publicized dispute between Bruce Lee and Lo Wei, the director of Bruce Lee's first two famous works, "Big Brother Tangshan" and "Jingwumen." The big star who felt ridiculed threw him down on the couch with one punch (but afterwards, the host He Shouxin explained that this scene was actually the effect of the show). Either way, Bruce Lee doesn't need anyone or weapons to shut up his opponents, let alone a blessed old director!
25,000 fans took to the streets to send off
His funeral also showed his influence and place in people's hearts. On 25 July 1973, nearly 25,000 people gathered behind a barricade around kowloon funeral homes (1A Maple Street, Tai Kok Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong). Tears of grief, crowded crowds, suffocation in the air... Due to the large number of people gathered at the scene, the police had to deploy a large number of police forces to maintain order. Zou Wenhuai sent a camera crew to film the grief scenes of Phi Ma Dai Xiao, which later appeared in the 1976 film The Legend of Bruce Lee. When Hong Kong TVB TV station in the subsequent interview, in the actors who worked with Bruce Lee on "Raptors Across the River" and his close friends Xiao Qilin and Miao Kexiu, they could see their inner despair. Under the tremendous pressure of the media, the public, relatives and friends, Linda, the widow of Bruce Lee, who once collapsed, also showed great courage on the day of the funeral. After the Hong Kong funeral, Bruce Lee's body was transported to Seattle, USA, for burial. At the Seattle funeral on July 31, the atmosphere was even quieter. All participants were invited, and those who sent them off were asked to stay outside the gates of the Lakeview cemetery. Among those who supported Bruce Lee were his younger brother Robert, Dan Inosanto, and Steve McQueen in a jeans suit. "May you rest in peace," james Coburn whispered, his eyes hidden behind a large pair of sunglasses, his hands holding a corolla with the motif of "Cut Boxing," a martial arts system founded by Bruce Lee. At this moment, a legend dies and a myth is reborn. On that day, dragon nirvana became a phoenix.
Bruce Lee biography "If you want to fight, fight with me!" (Si tu cognes, je cogne!), by Jean-Pascal Grosso, published by See-Mag, 100 pages, about 17 euros, available see-mag.fr website.
Dragon Fight, directed by Robert Clouse, DVD and Blu-ray disc, produced by Warner
Who can be the next Bruce Lee?
In the view of Bruce Lee's daughter, Bruce Lee brought a positive image of China to the world, especially the Western world. His sudden death, the long absence of martial arts myths, made the Western world quickly accept him, he became a martial artist among the stars, a star among martial artists, and others can only be stars or martial artists - who can become the next Bruce Lee? The answer to this question may be: no one. As the boxing king Ali said, "Bruce Lee was a great man, he was ahead of his time." Bruce Lee, equal to film, martial arts, philosophy— and, legend. As the documentary "How Bruce Lee Changed the World" said: "He concentrated the whole of popular culture with the most powerful right fist of mankind, and we are still dizzy in his heavy punch."
Yellow jumpsuits, double-cut sticks, wheat complexion, sharp eyes, and the signature cry of martial arts—these elements come together to be the familiar and somewhat unfamiliar name: Bruce Lee.
If Bruce Lee were alive today, he would be an octogenarian. This movie child star and a teenager who loved to fight later made a name for himself in the American martial arts fighting industry, and he integrated philosophical thinking into martial arts, founded truncated boxing, and became famous in film festivals. "Pioneer of the World Martial Arts Revolution", "Pioneer of Kung Fu Films", "Anti-Colonialist", "King of Kung Fu", "The Most Recognized Asian", "Heroes and Idols of the 20th Century"... Under these names, Bruce Lee's short life full of struggle and drama has completed transcendence and approached eternity - before the term "globalization" appeared, he was already an unprecedented cultural star in Chinese history of "local production and global admiration"; and his strong sense of Chinese, self-confidence and open personality collided with the personal background of the fusion of Chinese and Western cultures, colliding and intertwining his legendary life. Only he deserves the phrase "has always been imitated, never surpassed".
Just found it just right
Kung Fu and film combined techniques
I made movies from birth
On November 27, 1940, at the East China Hospital in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, to facilitate registration, obstetrician Mary Glover gave a newborn baby boy an English name: Bruce Lee. What she didn't know at the time was that years later, the name would ring all over the world. The child's father, Lee Hoi-chun, a later famous Cantonese opera clown, came to the United States to escape the war; of course, the following year, the whole family, including the Chinese boy named Lee Chun-fwan, returned to Hong Kong.
Before the age of 19, the boy had been living in Hong Kong, and because of his family advantages, he "appeared" on the big screen when he was just 3 months old, and "starred" in "Golden Gate Girl" and became a child star in the movie; later, he proudly said: "I made movies as soon as I was born". At the age of 9, he participated in the film and television enlightenment work "Xiao Lu Xiang", which received the stage name given to him by screenwriter Yuan Buyun: Bruce Lee.
This "Son of the Dragon", who was born in the Year of the Dragon, has never been a worry-free character. At the age of 18, in order to stand out for others, he offended the Hong Kong underworld, and because of the frequent street fights, his parents decided to send him to the United States to avoid disputes. On April 29, 1959, carrying $100 from his father, he crossed the ocean to San Francisco. After years of studying, improving martial arts, opening martial arts and working hard at film festivals, Bruce Lee, who returned to Hong Kong to visit his relatives in 1970, had already participated in the TV series "The Green Hornet" in Hong Kong, and the warm welcome of the Hong Kong people surprised him, and the media rushed to interview, which was very different from the situation in the United States.
Classic movies, which have always been imitated, have never been surpassed
"Tangshan Big Brother" - In 1971, Bruce Lee joined the new company "Jiahe" and quickly completed his first kung fu film "Tangshan Big Brother", which tells the story of a Chinese youth in an ice factory in Bangkok who fights with the evil forces to the end, punishes evil and promotes good, this film is very different from the previous martial arts films, fist to flesh, deadly moves, so that the Hong Kong audience at the time was greatly amazed - the box office of 3.5 million Hong Kong dollars set a record, in Singapore, 2 yuan a movie ticket was speculated to more than 40 yuan on the black market; in the Philippines, The film was released for months in a row — Bruce Lee became a superstar.
Jingwumen, the second jingwumen released in March 1972, was even more significant – he featured the signature "Whistle". In order to enhance the ornamentation, Bruce Lee added a gimmick of strange screams in the film, which can not only show the anger and strength of the characters, but also increase his personality and representativeness. Although the voice actors at the time laughed at this sound, the effect after the release was unexpectedly good - this story tells the story of Chen Zhen avenging his master Huo Yuanjia, breaking into the Japanese Taoist hall to compete with a group of masters, and finally hand-bladed the enemy and fighting for the dignity of the country, breaking the Asian box office record, in which the scene in which Chen Zhen kicked and smashed the plaque of "Dogs and Chinese Are Not Allowed" became a film history classic, making a simple kung fu film "upgraded" to a national fable, and Bruce Lee also transformed into "Chinese is not a sick man is a strongman" The ironclad evidence established his image as an anti-colonial and anti-aggression national hero.
"Raptor Across the River" - Bruce Lee, who shined after "Jingwumen", began to form his own Concord Film Company, went to Rome, wrote and directed his own "Raptor Across the River", the story of a Hong Kong youth entrusted by relatives and friends to Italian Chinese restaurants to help the boss deal with underworld elements, becoming the first film in Hong Kong to break the 5 million yuan mark at the box office, while breaking the box office records of almost all Southeast Asian countries.
"Dragon Fight Tiger Fight" - In 1973, Bruce Lee's "Dragon Fight Tiger Fight" went to the next city: invested $850,000 in the United States, achieved a staggering box office of $90 million, and even beat many Hollywood blockbusters released at the same time, and Hollywood's new kung fu films were born, and the success of the film also made Bruce Lee's reputation resound in Hollywood - this film also had a person, who was still stringing shots and running dragon sets - Jackie Chan. In less than three years, bruce Lee starred in four and a half films, from the local image of the old soil to the heroic image with national feelings, accompanied by a high-pitched and fierce roar, a vigorous and rapid figure - his muscles are even, coordinated, well-defined, full of punches, kicks and legs, clean and clean, without delay.
An individual with the spirit of modern Hong Kong
But some have questioned that Bruce Lee may not have had any "acting skills": in addition to his frequent primitive whistles when fighting the enemy, a complex expression of indistinguishable from time to time appeared on his face, whether it was ecstasy or rage. As a result, his image in the film is more of a personal expression — an individual with a modern Hong Kong spirit than a symbol of a heavy sense of moral responsibility and historical heaviness. This modern atmosphere not only shortens the distance with the current audience, but also enhances the audience's sense of identification with the film and the sense of entertainment. Some people say that this is Bruce Lee's unique arrogant temperament as a "Chinese brand" - because of this temperament, Bruce Lee has profoundly influenced the subsequent tilt of Hong Kong films to the direction of entertainment, promoting the localization transformation process of Hong Kong films, and also determining that Jackie Chan, Jet Li and Zhen Zidan cannot catch up later.
Ze was a latecomer to Hong Kong films
"Dragons are not myths or gods. He is a man, a man worthy of your admiration, but no need to worship. Jackie Chan describes what he learned during his time with Bruce Lee. Jackie Chan was only one of Bruce Lee's influences, and many years later, he inherited bruce Lee's mantle and won the Oscar Lifetime Achievement Award; in addition to him, there were Hong Jinbao, Yuan Biao, Jet Li, Zhen Zidan... Bruce Lee's influence ze was a latecomer to Hong Kong cinema, driving the prosperity and revival of Hong Kong cinema. In addition to his far-reaching influence on martial arts kung fu films, Bruce Lee's silhouette is also made through his big fan: Stephen Chow, and has always appeared in Hong Kong movies: "Descendants of the Dragon", Chow Sing Chi plays a character named Zhou Xiaolong, who plays his father's Yuanhua who calls himself Bruce Lee's disciple, so Zhou Bruce calls Lee a master; the opening music of "Kung Fu" is copied from the soundtrack of "Jingwumen", and the goalkeeper of Chen Guokun's yellow background and black jersey in "Shaolin Football" is Bruce Lee's classic appearance in "Game of Death"; "King of a Thousand Kings 2000" In the middle, he imitated the classic steps of "Raptors Crossing the River", and "God Eater" imitated Bruce Lee's classic turning palm action... It is no exaggeration to say that Bruce Lee has always lived in Stephen Chow's films.
Bruce Lee in Hollywood movies
For the world film industry, the emergence of Bruce Lee - to change the stereotype of the world Chinese, many Western films have since been set as martial arts masters Chinese soybean milk. Especially after the Chinese action actors and martial arts instructors entered Hollywood, Bruce Lee's charm was also implanted in Hollywood movies: "The Matrix", "Thunderbolt Baby", "Kill Bill" and other films, Bruce Lee's action movie bones can be seen, "Kill Bill" director Quentin Tarantino means that the heroine Uma Thurman designed a set of black striped sportswear on a yellow background, paying tribute to Bruce Lee from the appearance. Bruce Lee has found the right way to combine kung fu and film, while also making martial arts a way of expression through film—in this sense, in the field of kung fu movies, there are no real characters after him who can really compete with it.
The best martial arts are expressions of self
"Truncation is not (just a) method of disability, but a great road, a frank road towards the true meaning of life." Bruce Lee once said. "I'm a martial artist first, then an actor."
In 1954, when Bruce Lee was 13 years old, he took Wing Chun's famous wing chun master Ip Man as his teacher, set up a wooden stake in his home, practiced it diligently every day, and later recalled his master, saying: "He was first and foremost a shrewd scholar, he knew my personality very well, he knew what I really needed. He even let me learn some new moves to hone my patience when I was kicking so hard. Since I had no physical strength at this time, I would not be anxious when I practiced... I am completely immersed in this unique wing chun world", in addition, he also practiced mantis boxing, Hong fist, Shaolin fist, poke foot, cut fist, white crane boxing, learned from each family, integrated their strengths, combined with his favorite Taoist culture, founded the cut boxing in 1967, which also laid the foundation for his later entry into the film world.
Boxing is not a school
Boxing is not a sect, but a direct way to end a fight – a straight line attack, defense is attack. It is a kind of all-round free fighting technique that integrates the essence of various martial arts in the world, which means to block the opponent's punch, or intercept the opponent's way of punching, it advocates a high degree of freedom and instinct in fighting, abandons traditional forms, and faithfully expresses itself. In Bruce Lee's view, the ultimate martial artist can express himself properly through kung fu; the best martial art is the expression of the self, not the implementation of violence.
The speed of the punch is unimaginable
On the screen, the "performance" of boxing is quite beautiful: Bruce Lee's punching requires only 6 frames of the entire action from out to the end, which is equivalent to using only 1/4 of a second; and the results of the modern American martial arts research institute show that Bruce Lee can punch his opponent from 0.9 meters out in 0.05 seconds, if the distance is increased to 1.5 meters, Bruce Lee can hit the opponent in 0.08 seconds, and his rapid side kick can advance 2.5 meters in three-quarters of a second. In Seattle in 1962, Bruce Lee knocked out a provocative Japanese karate black belt player with 15 punches and 1 leg in 11 seconds, and the Japanese martial artist Takeyuki Kimura commented that Bruce Lee's speed was simply lightning fast. "The ultimate meaning of truncated boxing is to hone human will and maximize human potential." He said.
"Martial Arts Ballet" in the Eyes of Americans
In the United States, he earned his money by teaching martial arts and opening martial arts gyms, and Danny Irusando, Chuck Norris, James Coburn, and director Roman Polanski all consulted him; Gina Carano, an American female mixed martial arts boxer, said: "If there is anything missing in my life, it is a man like Bruce Lee." "In the field of mixed martial arts, both world champions and famous coaches have a god-like reverence for him. Bruce Lee's movements have been hailed as "martial arts ballet" and "as beautiful as a cat", and in his view, martial arts are "the exquisite art of mind and body".
Bruce Lee's philosophy of martial arts
"There is no way to be the law, and there is no boundary to be bounded" is the program and essence of the boxing, at the same time, Bruce Lee thought more deeply about the meaning of "water" - during his studies under Ip Man, he once rowed out to sea, got angry with himself at the sea, and slammed his fist on the water, which he later said was his moment of epiphany - water, the most basic substance, is the essence of kung fu.
"Empty your mind and discard all forms, like invisible water. When you pour water into the cup, it becomes the shape of the cup, when you pour water into the bottle, it becomes the shape of the bottle, and when you pour water into the teapot, it becomes the shape of the teapot. Water can flow, penetrate, drip, and destroy everything. In his view, let the mind be as untethered as water, and the greatness of the changing moves can be enlightened in the water. This idea comes from his criticism and inheritance of laozi, Zen Buddhism, Zhou Yi and Nietzsche, Krishnamurti and other ideas, taking its essence and using it for his own purposes, "At the time of learning skills, he also grew himself in wisdom, and it was even more necessary to learn and understand the philosophy of Zen and knuckle." ”
On the shelves are Plato, Descartes...
"The father of Taekwondo in the United States" Li Junjiu once taught Bruce Lee, he said: "Martial arts is 99% philosophy plus 1% movement, and martial arts without philosophy are like street fighting." Bruce Lee was also an avid philosopher, and his bookshelf contained works by Western philosophers such as Plato, David Hume, Descartes, Thomas Aquinas, and others, as well as books on religion and psychology by Daisuke Suzuki, Carl Rogers, and others, which had something to do with the bravery and fierceness of his childhood: "I often ask myself, what about victory? Why do people value honor so much? What is honor? What kind of 'victory' is glorious?" In 1961, Bruce Lee was admitted to the University of Washington, majoring in drama and taking philosophy, "Martial arts and philosophy seem to be two extremes, but I think that the poor part of guoshu seems to have become increasingly obscure, and every action of guoshu has his own reason." I wanted to use the spirit of philosophy to integrate into the art of the country, so I insisted on reading philosophy" - this is the biggest difference between Bruce Lee and other kung fu stars.
He was ahead of his time
"I, Bruce Lee, will be America's highest-paid oriental superstar." In return, I will dedicate the most exciting performances and use my talents as an actor. Starting in 1970, I will be famous all over the world. From then until the end of 1980, I would make more than $10 million. Then I will live as I please, with inner harmony and happiness. ”
Bruce Lee's "rhapsody" was half realized, but he didn't have "1980" anymore — in May 1973, he fainted on set, had a near-death experience, and did not identify the cause. In July, he was ready to show his ambitions, returned to Hong Kong to continue filming the "Game of Death" suspended by "Dragon Fight tiger fight", on the evening of the 20th, he choreographed the follow-up shooting process, came to the actor Ding Pei's home, had a headache, died in bed, only 32 years and 8 months old. In 1978, Robert Kloster edited his image and shot the side face and back of The Korean kung fu star Tang Long as a stand-in to complete The Game of Death. And about his death, people still talk about it, drug allergies, strict requirements for the body, psychological stress at the peak of his career, lack of sleep, sudden epilepsy and even more horrific murder... "With the passage of time, heroes will die like ordinary people, and will slowly disappear into people's memories" - he is right to say the first half of the sentence - for nearly half a century, his talent and brilliance have become a myth that cannot be copied, an oriental legend.
The largest IP in the Chinese world
His image has become a huge IP, unabashedly imitated by posterity - looks, fists and feet, shouts and names: Li Xiaolong, Lü Xiaolong, Tang Long, Giant Dragon, Liang Xiaolong, Fat Dragon, Jackie Chan, and even in the Middle East and Africa, there are actors who learn him one move at a time. NBA athletes Abdul-Abdul-Jabbar, Howard, Michael Jackson and Madonna are all big fans of him. "Bruce Lee is an idol for many people. For someone like Bruce Lee, the greatest thing about it is that he inspired millions of young people to follow in his footsteps. They want to be martial artists; they want to be movie stars... He has had a wide and far-reaching impact on the world, and I think he will earn long-term appreciation and respect. He was outstanding. Arnold Schwarzenegger said. In addition to his four and a half films, Hollywood has also made many documentaries and biopics such as "Bruce Lee: The Lost Interview", "Bruce Lee: The Journey of the Warrior", "Bruce Lee - The Immortal Dragon", "Bruce Lee Biography" and many other documentaries and biopics to commemorate this generation of superstars.
Since the 1970s and 1980s, video games have gradually become popular, and producers have also targeted the big IP of Bruce Lee: characters based on Bruce Lee have sprung up in video games and manga: Street Fighter, Tekken, Mortal Kombat, Naruto, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles... Marvel's first Chinese hero movie "Shangqi" was also inspired by him; Bruce Lee Anniversary, Li Xiaolongtou like coin releases and other news are not uncommon, and even the American Special Forces enshrine portraits of Bruce Lee - movies, martial arts, fighting, philosophy, music, hip-hop, bodybuilding, comics, parkour... He has influenced him in many cultural fields.
He was named one of time magazine's "top ten stars that influenced American society" and "heroes and icons of the 20th century"—when the essence of some stars has surpassed that of stars, when they can influence an entire generation, then he becomes a phenomenon: we are talking about not one person. In Chinese society, he is a movie star and a national hero; in the Western world, he is a fighter and a "superhero" to some extent; in the eyes of others, he is a thinker and a popular symbol.