![]() Where Lee is often cast as a selfless individual, The Last Dragon centers on a young martial arts student who is completely unsure of his self-worth. Thus, 1985’s The Last Dragon came into being, paying direct homage to what Bruce Lee stood for.įar from the originality of Lee’s original oeuvre, The Last Dragon is a film that blends genres as some scenes play out just like an ‘80s MTV music video. That is, until Motown founder Berry Gordy, who signed artists such as the Jackson Five and Stevie Wonder, decided to put his name on a Kung-Fu movie that would marry two of Gordy’s greatest inspirations: his love for Kung-Fu and music. ![]() But all of these simulacra were just copies of what could never be done again. Many attempts were made to recapture and capitalize on the Western’s new obsession with the martial arts of the Orient. Carl Douglas’ kitschy tune “Kung Fu Fighting” topped the charts in 1974. Television shows such as David Carradine’s Kung Fu lasted into the mid-seventies. Leaving such a huge cultural footprint in the wake of Lee’s death, pop culture attempted to recreate the original. To us he has achieved legendary status and to us he is his own master. Lee glows with an aura of his own self-empowerment in each shot. ![]() Looking back on the film forty-four years later, Enter the Dragon is not only Lee’s most appealing Kung-Fu classic, but also a retrospective on the man himself. Although Lee reaffirmed himself as martial arts icon long before Enter the Dragon, it is within the nearly two-hour runtime that we witness peak Lee, a man who was destined to do much more with his life before his tragic death in the same year of the film’s release. “Sometimes it is hard to live the way of the wise.” –Leroy Green, The Last Dragon (1985)īruce Lee’s final film, 1973’s Enter the Dragon, is a case study in dying to one’s self. It hits all by itself.” –Lee, Enter the Dragon (1973) And when there is an opportunity, I do not hit. A good martial artist does not become tense, but ready. “A good fight should be like a small play, but played seriously. 12 at the Richardson Drafthouse after a screening of The Last Dragon. Fans dressed as Johnny Yu, Sho'nuff and Bruce Leroy pose with Taimak on Sunday, Nov.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |