Bruce Lee died in 1973 after just four major movies: The Big Boss, Fist of Fury, The Way of the Dragon and Enter the Dragon. Yes, he was acting since his teens and also appeared on The Green Hornet and had worked in Hollywood, but he became a cultural force through those movies. The world of movies - more than that, pop culture, martial arts, cultural identity - were all shaped by a man who died at the age of 32.
Just when the world had started to love Bruce Lee he was gone.
What happens when the demand exists and there's no supply?
You invent a supply to fill that vacuum.
Brucesploitation is that strangest of film genres, an entire genre based around one person, Actors like Ho Chung-tao and Moon Kyung-seok became Bruce Li and Dragon Lee, titles were so close to Bruce Lee movie titles and even footage of the star's funeral was used within the films which start at being life stories but can also be sequels to his films or even pure fantasy strangeness where Bruce Lee can fight Popeye and Emanuelle in the afterlife.
Directed by David Gregory - along with contributions by Carl Daft, Frank Djeng, Vivian Wong and Michael Worth - Enter the Clones of Bruce is a movie that will reward those that know nothing of this fantastic strain of movie drugs as well as those that have partaken deep from its peculiar and potent flower.
Gregory has already looked into the life of Al Adamson in Blood & Flesh: The Reel Life & Ghastly Death of Al Adamson and the making of The Island of Dr. Moreau with Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley's The Island of Dr. Moreau. What I love about this film, like his others, is that it never gets too academic and never laughs at its subject. Actually, it celebrates that Bruce Lee changed the way Asian men were seen in Hollywood and why his films were so essential while making the case that these rip-offs were perhaps just as necessary as part of the healing process of coming to accept the death of the martial arts legend.
The true joy of this film is in hearing from the performers and hearing how it made them feel to become stars while living in the shadow of the man they were impersonating. Like Bruce Le, who was in Shaw Brothers' Infra-Man before changing his name from Ho Chung-tao and appearing in movies like The Big Boss Part II, Return of Bruce, My Name Called Bruce and many more including a cameo in Pieces. Or Dragon Lee, who was once Moon Kyung-seok, who was the star of The Real Bruce Lee, Kung Fu Fever and Dragon Lee vs. The Five Brothers. Or Bruce Li, who was in Goodbye Bruce Lee: His Last Game of Death and Bruce Lee: The Man, The Myth.
There's also plenty of insight in here from martial arts film experts Mike Leeder, Christophe Lemaire, Michael Worth, Christophe Champclaux and Stephen Nogues. There's also director Lee Tso Nam, Golden Harvest producer Andre Morgan, Jean-Marie Pallardy, Uwe Schier and Aquarius Releasing's Terry Levene.
Perhaps one of the most insightful voices is Valerie Sou, professor of Asian studies at San Francisco State University, who explains why Lee meant so much to Asians not just in America but all over the world, as well as his cultural relevance to African-American audiences.
Even better, the film has so many of the great martial arts actors of all time, including David Chiang (The 36th Chamber of Shaolin), Lee Chiu (The 8 Diagram Pole Fighter), Mars (Enter the Dragon), Phillip Ko (Heart of Dragon), Lo Meng (The Kid With the Golden Arm), Roy Horan (Game of Death II and the father of martial arts actress Celina Jade), Bruce Liang (The Dragon Lives Again), Caryn White (He's a Legend, He's a Hero), Eric Tsang (The Dragon Lives Again), Lo Meng (Five Deadly Venoms), Casanova Wong (Warriors Two), David Yeung (son of Bolo), Angela Mao (I lost my mind when she showed up and got emotional; obviously she was in Enter the Dragon but her films are so inspirational. She even thanks the audience for watching her films, a charming thing to do); "Black Dragon" Ron Van Clief (Fist of Fear, Touch of Death), Wang Dao, Shan Charang, Japanese actor Yasuaki Kurata (Bruce Lo) and perhaps the greatest cinematographer of fighting ever - as well as a Bruce Lee comedy clone in The Fat Dragon - Sammo Hung.
The other amazing moment happens when this film gets not just Joseph Lai but also Godfrey Ho to speak on the traditions of creating product in a demand vacuum. I couldn't be more pleased with this movie!
Enter the Clones of Bruce does what every good movie about movies should do. It makes you want to watch all of the films in this. I love the stranger examples, like Fist of Fear, Touch of Death and The Dragon Lives Again, but I think Bruce Li in New Guinea might out do them!
Severin also plans on a box set of Bruceploitation films that will include Challenge of the Tiger, The Real Bruce Lee, Dragon Lives Again, Bruce's Fingers, Enter the Game of Death, Ninja Strikes Back, Clones of Bruce Lee (a movie that combines Dragon Lee, Bruce Lai, Bruce Le and Bruce Thai) and The Death of Bruce Lee. I'll be first in line to buy it.
If you'd like to get a head start on the movies in this genre, I've put together a Letterboxd list of the movies that the film mentions. Watch them all, scream loud at the camera and remember, "An intelligent mind is one which is constantly learning." Or watching movies.
Just when the world had started to love Bruce Lee he was gone.
What happens when the demand exists and there's no supply?
You invent a supply to fill that vacuum.
Brucesploitation is that strangest of film genres, an entire genre based around one person, Actors like Ho Chung-tao and Moon Kyung-seok became Bruce Li and Dragon Lee, titles were so close to Bruce Lee movie titles and even footage of the star's funeral was used within the films which start at being life stories but can also be sequels to his films or even pure fantasy strangeness where Bruce Lee can fight Popeye and Emanuelle in the afterlife.
Directed by David Gregory - along with contributions by Carl Daft, Frank Djeng, Vivian Wong and Michael Worth - Enter the Clones of Bruce is a movie that will reward those that know nothing of this fantastic strain of movie drugs as well as those that have partaken deep from its peculiar and potent flower.
Gregory has already looked into the life of Al Adamson in Blood & Flesh: The Reel Life & Ghastly Death of Al Adamson and the making of The Island of Dr. Moreau with Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley's The Island of Dr. Moreau. What I love about this film, like his others, is that it never gets too academic and never laughs at its subject. Actually, it celebrates that Bruce Lee changed the way Asian men were seen in Hollywood and why his films were so essential while making the case that these rip-offs were perhaps just as necessary as part of the healing process of coming to accept the death of the martial arts legend.
The true joy of this film is in hearing from the performers and hearing how it made them feel to become stars while living in the shadow of the man they were impersonating. Like Bruce Le, who was in Shaw Brothers' Infra-Man before changing his name from Ho Chung-tao and appearing in movies like The Big Boss Part II, Return of Bruce, My Name Called Bruce and many more including a cameo in Pieces. Or Dragon Lee, who was once Moon Kyung-seok, who was the star of The Real Bruce Lee, Kung Fu Fever and Dragon Lee vs. The Five Brothers. Or Bruce Li, who was in Goodbye Bruce Lee: His Last Game of Death and Bruce Lee: The Man, The Myth.
There's also plenty of insight in here from martial arts film experts Mike Leeder, Christophe Lemaire, Michael Worth, Christophe Champclaux and Stephen Nogues. There's also director Lee Tso Nam, Golden Harvest producer Andre Morgan, Jean-Marie Pallardy, Uwe Schier and Aquarius Releasing's Terry Levene.
Perhaps one of the most insightful voices is Valerie Sou, professor of Asian studies at San Francisco State University, who explains why Lee meant so much to Asians not just in America but all over the world, as well as his cultural relevance to African-American audiences.
Even better, the film has so many of the great martial arts actors of all time, including David Chiang (The 36th Chamber of Shaolin), Lee Chiu (The 8 Diagram Pole Fighter), Mars (Enter the Dragon), Phillip Ko (Heart of Dragon), Lo Meng (The Kid With the Golden Arm), Roy Horan (Game of Death II and the father of martial arts actress Celina Jade), Bruce Liang (The Dragon Lives Again), Caryn White (He's a Legend, He's a Hero), Eric Tsang (The Dragon Lives Again), Lo Meng (Five Deadly Venoms), Casanova Wong (Warriors Two), David Yeung (son of Bolo), Angela Mao (I lost my mind when she showed up and got emotional; obviously she was in Enter the Dragon but her films are so inspirational. She even thanks the audience for watching her films, a charming thing to do); "Black Dragon" Ron Van Clief (Fist of Fear, Touch of Death), Wang Dao, Shan Charang, Japanese actor Yasuaki Kurata (Bruce Lo) and perhaps the greatest cinematographer of fighting ever - as well as a Bruce Lee comedy clone in The Fat Dragon - Sammo Hung.
The other amazing moment happens when this film gets not just Joseph Lai but also Godfrey Ho to speak on the traditions of creating product in a demand vacuum. I couldn't be more pleased with this movie!
Enter the Clones of Bruce does what every good movie about movies should do. It makes you want to watch all of the films in this. I love the stranger examples, like Fist of Fear, Touch of Death and The Dragon Lives Again, but I think Bruce Li in New Guinea might out do them!
Severin also plans on a box set of Bruceploitation films that will include Challenge of the Tiger, The Real Bruce Lee, Dragon Lives Again, Bruce's Fingers, Enter the Game of Death, Ninja Strikes Back, Clones of Bruce Lee (a movie that combines Dragon Lee, Bruce Lai, Bruce Le and Bruce Thai) and The Death of Bruce Lee. I'll be first in line to buy it.
If you'd like to get a head start on the movies in this genre, I've put together a Letterboxd list of the movies that the film mentions. Watch them all, scream loud at the camera and remember, "An intelligent mind is one which is constantly learning." Or watching movies.
