Circle of Iron (1978)

Director:

Richard Moore

Writers:

Stirling Silliphant (screenplay) and
Stanley Mann (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

25 July 1978 (France)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Fantasy

Tagline:

The Challenge Of A Lifetime...

Plot:

A young martial artist, Cord the Seeker, competes for and loses the right to go on a quest for the Book of All Knowlege held by a wizard named Zetan...

Plot Keywords:

Blood | Caveman | Chop Socky | Sex | Fight To The Death

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

David Carradine	...	The Blind Man / Monkeyman / Death / Changsha
Jeff Cooper	...	Cord
Christopher Lee	...	Zetan
Roddy McDowall	...	White Robe
Eli Wallach	...	Man-in-Oil
Anthony De Longis	...	Morthond (as Anthony de Longis)
Earl Maynard	...	Black Giant
Erica Creer	...	Tara
Michael M. Vendrell	...	Martial Artist (as Michael Vendrell)
Leo Whang	...	Martial Artist
Donnie Williams	...	Martial Artist
Robert Gardner	...	Martial Artist
Tom Ascensio	...	Martial Artist

Also Known As:

The Silent Flute

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Canada:G (Quebec) | UK:15 | Australia:MA | Finland:K-16 | Norway:18 | USA:R | Norway:15 (DVD rating)

Filming Locations:

Bet Shean, Israel

Company:

Sandy Howard/Richard St. Johns Productions

Trivia:

Bruce Lee and 'James Coburn' wrote the original story with the intention of starring in the movie themselves.

Quotes:

Chang-sha: Have you eaten? Where's your drink? Your hand is empty.
Cord: Peace.
Chang-sha: [laughs] Don't wish it on me. The whole world is in commotion and you wish me peace! I don't know what peace is, I don't want it. Don't you listen to the desert? Even when there's no wind the sand sings.
Cord: My name is Cord.
Chang-sha: Ha! You see? Cord!
[laughs]
Chang-sha: Play a Cord, strike a Cord? Even your name is a noise! What do you want, Cord? You want us to play on you? My wives can make your skin sing.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Dusk to Dawn Drive-In Trash-o-Rama Show Vol. 1 (1996) (V)

In a mythical land a lone warrior attempts to pass many challenges and tests to discover the secret of "The Book"

Perhaps I allowed my elevated expectations for this movie, written by James Coburn and Bruce Lee, who catered to the talents of David (Kung Fu") Carradine, to influence my "3" rating of this poorly acted, badly written and barely directed movie. It probably deserved less. This is the sort of effort that you hope was the result of too much recreational drug use, and not a total lack of talent by the participants.

Jeff Cooper, an unconvincing wild man, seems totally miscast and clueless as the outsider who attempts to be the next seeker chosen to attempt to win the "Book", presumably a font of wisdom and knowledge, that is held on a distant island. Carradine has several roles with cryptic comments and, by today's standards, weak martial arts displays. Many of the fight scenes are filmed with close-up, double head shots and quick cuts to hide the lack of realism or believability. Christopher Lee, at least, was in the same movie as Carradine in tone and pace. Cooper's every expression and gesture just didn't belong. The naive and simpleminded "surprise" ending drags this movie down from the possible heights of mediocrity to a disappointing end.