Circle of Iron (1978)

User Rating:

5.5/10   

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 | Finland:K-16 | Norway:18 | USA:R | Norway:15 (DVD rating)

Filming Locations:

Bet Shean, Israel

Company:

Sandy Howard/Richard St. Johns Productions

Trivia:

David Carradine was originally offered the part of the main character Cord, but preferred the multiple roles intended for Bruce Lee.

Quotes:

The Blind Man: It's hard to kill a horse with a flute.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Kung Fu Panda (2008)

The contrast of brutality and Zen gracefulness

This movie served as my introduction to mysticism and eastern thought during a most auspicious time in my life--adolescence. Even as horrible as the production values were and with all the sub-par acting, I can think of no other film that has has a greater impact on the course of my life. Bruce Lee had an understanding of life and nature that few have ever glimpsed. If it didn't sound so irreverent I would call him the poster child for Richard Bach's book, Johnathan Livingston Seagull. But on to the movie..

Based on an idea Bruce Lee had before his death, Circle of Iron aimed at expressing his Zen philosophy through a an extremely raw martial arts forum. The central character, Cord, is a seeker on a quest for the book of all knowledge. He experiences the trials and tribulations spelled out in other reviews and eventually finds what he's looking for--only it's nothing that he ever imagined it would be. This is not a movie for those who are easily distracted or require an inundation of action and effects to keep them absorbed. But if one is patient, it gives the viewer a chance to identify with a part of themselves that perhaps started on such a journey at one time, before being sidetracked by daily routine and less intrinsic pursuits.

There is an arresting contrast between the brutality of the fight scenes and the sensitivity of the philosophical dialog. David Carradine plays multiple roles in the film, of which the primary one was to be played by Lee before he died--a blind man with a long wooden flute which serves doubly as a weapon of defense.

If you're feeling like you're lost in the desert of worldly things, it may be of benefit to track this one down..