Circle of Iron (1978)

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, but he goes along the path to seek ... See full summary »

Director:

Richard Moore

Writers:

Stirling Silliphant (screenplay), Stanley Mann (screenplay),

Stars:

David Carradine, Jeff Cooper, Christopher Lee

1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited 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

Storyline

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, but he goes along the path to seek Zetan anyway. Along the way, he meets strange tests and challenges by enemies and allies - often having difficulty determining which is which.

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Plot Keywords:

martial artist | quest | martial arts | buddhist | desert | 

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Taglines:

The Challenge Of A Lifetime...

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Fantasy

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 July 1978 (France)

Also Known As:

The Silent Flute

Filming Locations:

Bet Shean, Israel

Box Office

Budget:

$4,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sandy Howard/Richard St. Johns Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to a recent biography of Bruce Lee the film was intended to be shot in 1969 with Lee playing the 4 roles of The Blind Man, Monkeyman, Death and Changsha, and the lead role of Cord was offered to Steve McQueen. McQueen however turned down the role after remarking that he wasn't prepared to make Lee a star, and instead it was offered to James Coburn. Disagreements over location shooting (Lee preferred India) led the film to be abandoned until after his death when the rights were acquired by David Carradine. Originally karate champion Joe Lewis was offered the role of Cord but declined as he was unwilling to work with Carradine. Jeff Cooper, a friend of Carradine's, finally took the part and Lewis ended up supervising the re-shooting of some of the fight scenes.

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Goofs

During the fight between Changsha and the Black Giant David Carradine's wig falls off after a high kick.

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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.

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Connections

Referenced in Kung Fu Panda (2008)

User Reviews

The more you see it, the deeper it gets

I loved this movie. I loved just about everything about it. It has the perfect mix of philosophy, humor and martial arts. It's not, as far as I'm concerned, a martial arts movie.

It's an attempt to explain Eastern teachings to Western audiences. Whether it succeeds or not, depends on your attention span and how carefully you're watching. This is NOT a movie to watch while doing other things.

My favorite scene in the movie is Eli Wallach, who plays the man in oil. He's sitting in a cauldron in the middle of the desert, punishing himself for his own lust. Too funny.

I highly recommend this movie for anyone looking for something deep and different.