Enter the Dragon

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This article is about the movie. For the professional wrestling event, see DGUSA Enter The Dragon. For the snooker player with the same nickname, see Ding Junhui.
Enter the Dragon
Traditional Chinese 龍爭虎鬥
Simplified Chinese 龙争虎斗
Enter the Dragon
龍爭虎鬥
Enter the dragon.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Traditional 龍爭虎鬥
Simplified 龙争虎斗
Mandarin Lóng Zhēng Hǔ Dòu
Cantonese Lung4 Zang1 Fu2 Dau3
Directed by Robert Clouse
Produced by Raymond Chow
Fred Weintraub
Paul Heller
Written by Michael Allin
Bruce Lee
Starring Bruce Lee
John Saxon
Jim Kelly
Ahna Capri
Shih Kien
Robert Wall
Music by Lalo Schifrin
Cinematography Gilbert Hubbs
Editing by Yao Chung Chang
Kurt Hirschler
George Watters
Studio Golden Harvest
Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
Release date(s)
  • 26 July 1973 (1973-07-26) (Hong Kong)
  • 17 August 1973 (1973-08-17) (United States)
Running time 98 minutes[1]
Country Hong Kong
United States
Language English
Budget $850,000[2]
Box office HK$3,307,520.40 (Hong Kong)
US$25,000,000 (US est.)
US$200,000,000 (Worldwide, est.)[3]

Enter the Dragon is a 1973 Hollywood martial arts action film directed by Robert Clouse; starring Bruce Lee, Jim Kelly and John Saxon. This was Bruce Lee's final film appearance before his death on July 20, 1973. The film was released on July 26, 1973, six days after Lee's death, in Hong Kong.

In 2004, Enter the Dragon was deemed "culturally significant" in the United States and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.[4]

Enter the Dragon was the first Chinese martial arts film to have been produced by a major Hollywood studio – Warner Bros. and was produced in association with Golden Harvest and Lee's Concord Production Company. The film is largely set in Hong Kong.

Among the stuntmen for the film were members of the Seven Little Fortunes, including Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung. This was arguably instrumental in Chan and Hung's further association with Golden Harvest studios, which later launched their careers. The portly Hung is shown fighting Lee in the opening sequence of the movie and Chan shows up as a henchman when Lee is discovered inside Han's underground lair.

The finished version of the film was significantly different from the original screenplay drafts as Bruce Lee revised much of the script himself, and wrote and directed the film's opening Shaolin Monastery fight sequence. Lee wanted to use the film as a vehicle for expressing what he saw as the beauty of his Chinese culture, rather than it being just another action film.

Contents

Plot[edit]

Lee is a Shaolin martial artist from Hong Kong who possesses great philosophical insight into martial arts as well as physical prowess. He receives an invitation to a martial arts competition on an island organised by the mysterious Mr. Han. Lee learns from his Sifu (teacher) that Han was also once a Shaolin student, but had been expelled from their order for abusing their code of conduct.

A man named Braithwaite from British Intelligence approaches Lee and asks for his help in an undercover mission. Han is suspected to be involved in drug trafficking and prostitution. However, since Han's island is only partly in their jurisdiction, they are unable to conduct any formal investigations - Han will not allow firearms on the island, both to impede assassination attempts and to prevent the international authorities from gaining a justification to launch a raid. Han runs a martial arts school to protect his drug operations, as well as holding his tournament every three years to recruit international talent to expand his criminal business. Before leaving, Lee learns from his teacher that Han's bodyguard O'Hara had been involved in the death of his sister, Su Lin.

Lee arrives on Han's island and receives a warm reception. Joining him are other competitors including Roper, a down-on-his-luck white American playboy-gambler on the run from the mob, and Williams, an African-American activist on the run after defending himself against two racist white policemen in Los Angeles. Roper and Williams are revealed to be old friends who also have a betting scam going: one will under-perform until the other can get a bet on the outcome at good odds. Both win their first fight easily.

That night, the competitors are all offered girls of their choice by Han's assistant, Tania. Williams chooses several women, while Roper cunningly chooses Tania (as a mutual attraction is apparent between them). Lee asks for a girl he saw earlier in Han's entourage. Lee knows she is Mei Ling, an agent whom Braithwaite has placed on the island to gather intelligence. However, she is unable to give Lee much information as she has been unable to escape Han's strict observation. That night, leaving Mei Ling in the bedroom alone, Lee begins searching the island for evidence and finds a secret entrance to an underground base, where drugs are being manufactured and tested on unwitting prisoners. He runs into Han's guards but manages to take them down before they can identify him. He is seen by Williams, who is outside for some fresh air and practice.

The next day, Han warns the competitors about wandering out of their rooms at night. He punishes his guards for failure in their duties by leaving them to the hands of the sadistic Bolo, Han's chief bodyguard. Moments later, Lee is called to his first match and his opponent turns out to be O'Hara, who is clearly outclassed and eventually killed when he attacks Lee with broken bottles. Announcing that O'Hara's dishonorable attack has caused him to lose face very badly, Han ends the day's matches. Later, Han summons Williams and accuses him of attacking the guards the previous night. Williams denies this, claiming he wasn't the only one out at night. As the argument heats up, Han summons his henchman; Williams takes them out but Han himself seems too much for him and he beats him to death with his cast iron prosthetic left hand.

Han takes Roper on a tour of his underground base and invites him to be his representative for his heroin smuggling operations in the United States. Roper seems reluctant, but Han shows him the mutilated corpse of Williams, hinting that Roper will face the same fate if he refuses to cooperate. The same night, Lee breaks into the underground base and gathers sufficient evidence to warrant Han's arrest, but sets off an alarm while messaging Braithwaite. After a spectacular fight with dozens of Han's guards he is eventually lured into a trap and captured.

The next morning, Han asks Roper to fight Lee as a test of his loyalty. Roper refuses, so Han has him fight Bolo instead, but to his shock, Roper defeats him. The infuriated Han then orders his men to kill both Lee and Roper. Despite being hopelessly outnumbered, Lee and Roper manage to hold off the enemy until Mei Ling releases the captives in Han's underground prison, who join them in the fight and even the odds. Amidst the chaos, Han attempts to fight his way out, only to have Lee chase him to his museum, where Han retrieves a bladed replacement for his hand and commences battle. After realising he is outmatched in the museum, Han retreats into a room full of mirrors, which proves disorientating for Lee, until he smashes all the mirrors to foil Han's illusions and allow him to defeat Han, impaling him on his own spear. When Lee returns to Roper, he finds that most of Han's men have been defeated and rounded up, but in a bittersweet moment, Roper also finds Tania's lifeless body lying amongst the wreckage. Lee and Roper exchange a weary thumbs-up just as military helicopters arrive in response to the distress call.

Cast[edit]

Production[edit]

Jackie Chan's character gets his neck snapped by Bruce Lee

The scene in which Lee states that his style was the style of "Fighting Without Fighting" and then lures Parsons into boarding a dinghy is based upon a famous anecdote involving the 16th century samurai Tsukahara Bokuden.[10][11]

Jackie Chan appears as a guard during the underground lair battle scene and gets his neck snapped by Lee. He also performed several stunts for the film, including the scene where Lee's character quickly climbs a rooftop at night. However Yuen Wah was Lee's main stunt double for the film, most notably for the more acrobatic feats in the film, such as flipping over the abbot's arms at the beginning and the scene where Lee does a back-flip when O'Hara catches his leg during their fight.[12]

Music[edit]

Further information: Enter the Dragon (soundtrack)

Argentinian musician Lalo Schifrin composed the film's musical score. While Schifrin was widely-known at the time for his jazz scores, he also incorporated funk and traditional film score elements into the film's soundtrack.[13]

Reaction[edit]

Box office[edit]

In 1973, Enter the Dragon grossed an estimated $25,000,000 in North America,[14] and an estimated $90,000,000 worldwide,[14] on a tight budget of $850,000.[15]

In Hong Kong, the film grossed HK$3,307,536[14]—huge business for the time, but substantially less than Lee's Fist of Fury and Way of the Dragon. As of 1999, Enter the Dragon has grossed more than $200,000,000 worldwide.[16]

Critical response[edit]

The film was well received by critics and is regarded by many as one of the best films of 1973.[17][18][19] Critics have referred to Enter the Dragon as "a low-rent James Bond thriller",[20][21] a "remake of Doctor No" with elements of Fu Manchu.[22] It currently holds a 97% approval rating on the review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes, with 37 reviews counted and an average rating of 7.8/10.[23] In 2004, the film was deemed "culturally significant" by the Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.[24]

The film also ranks #474 on Empire magazine's 2008 list of The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time.[25]

Legacy[edit]

The film has been parodied and referenced in places such as the 1976 film The Pink Panther Strikes Again, the satirical publication The Onion,[26] the Japanese game-show Takeshi's Castle, and the 1977 John Landis comedy anthology film Kentucky Fried Movie (in its lengthy "A Fistful of Yen" sequence) and also in the film Balls of Fury. Several clips from the film are comically used during the theater scene in The Last Dragon.

In August 2007, the now defunct Warner Independent Pictures announced that television producer Kurt Sutter would be remaking the film as a noir-style thriller entitled Awaken the Dragon.[27]

The film was considered for two of the American Film Institute's 100 series lists. Lee's character was considered a possible candidate for AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes and Villains list.[28] The film itself was also a candidate for AFI's 100 Years...100 Thrills, a list of America's most heart-pounding movies.[29]

American Film Institute recognition

Home video releases[edit]

DVD[edit]

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Universe (Hong Kong)

  • Aspect ratio: Widescreen (2:35:1) letterboxed
  • Sound: Cantonese (Dolby Digital 5.1), Mandarin (Dolby Digital 5.1)
  • Subtitles: Traditional, Simplified Chinese, English, Japanese, Korean, Indonesian, Malaysian, Thai, Vietnamese
  • Supplements: Trailer, trailers for Way of the Dragon, The Big Boss, Game of Death, Legacy of Rage, star files
  • All regions, NTSC

Fortune Star – Bruce Lee Ultimate DVD Collection (Hong Kong)

  • Aspect ratio: Widescreen (2:35:1) anamorphic
  • Sound: Cantonese (DTS 5.1), Cantonese (Dolby Digital 5.1), Cantonese (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono), Mandarin (DTS 5.1), Mandarin (Dolby Digital 5.1)
  • Subtitles: Traditional, Simplified Chinese, English
  • Supplements: Original trailer, new trailer, still photos, slideshow of photos, celebrity interviews, unseen footage, Game of Death outtakes, Enter the Dragon alternate opening, 32-page booklet
  • Region 3, NTSC

Zoke Culture (China)

  • Aspect ratio: Widescreen (2:40:1) anamorphic
  • Sound: English (DTS 5.1), English (Dolby Digital 5.1), Cantonese (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo), Mandarin (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo)
  • Subtitles: Traditional, Simplified Chinese, English, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, Portuguese, Indonesian, French
  • Supplements: Audio commentary by producer Paul M. Heller and screenwriter Michael Allin, "Blood and Steel: Making of Enter the Dragon", "Bruce Lee: In His Own Words", Linda Lee Cadwell interview gallery, "original" 1973 making-of featurette, "Backyard Workout with Bruce Lee"
  • All regions, NTSC

Warner – 30th Anniversary Special Edition (America)

  • Aspect ratio: Widescreen (2:35:1) anamorphic
  • Sound: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
  • Subtitles: English, Spanish, French
  • Supplements: Disc 1: Audio commentary by producer Paul M. Heller and screenwriter Michael Allin, "Blood and Steel: Making of Enter the Dragon", "Bruce Lee: In His Own Words", Linda Lee Cadwell interview gallery, "Location: Hong Kong with Enter the Dragon" original 1973 documentary, "Backyard Workout With Bruce Lee" Disc 2: "Curse of the Dragon" feature-length documentary, "Bruce Lee: A Warrior's Journey" feature-length documentary, theatrical trailers, TV spots
  • Region 1, NTSC

Warner – 25th Anniversary Special Edition (America)

  • Aspect ratio: Widescreen (2:35:1) anamorphic
  • Sound: English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
  • Subtitles: English, Spanish, French
  • Supplements: Audio commentary by producer Paul M. Heller and screenwriter Michael Allin, Isolated music score, an all-new introduction and interview with Linda Lee Cadwell, "Location: Hong Kong with Enter the Dragon" original 1973 documentary, "Backyard Workout with Bruce", "Bruce Lee In His Own Words", theatrical trailers, TV spots, cast and crew biographies, "Significance of Belts in Martial Arts" notes, "Heir to the Throne" – Jackie Chan notes, retrospective of Hong Kong martial arts films notes and stills, behind-the-scenes notes, reel recommendations – 16 movies
  • Region 1, NTSC

Warner – Limited Edition (United Kingdom)

  • Aspect ratio: Widescreen (2:35:1) anamorphic
  • Sound: English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
  • Subtitles: English
  • Supplements: Audio commentary by producer Paul M. Heller and screenwriter Michael Allin, isolated music score, an all-new introduction and interview with Linda Lee Cadwell, "Location: Hong Kong with Enter the Dragon" original 1973 documentary, "Backyard Workout with Bruce", "Bruce Lee: In His Own Words", theatrical trailers, TV spots, cast and crew biographies, 10 exclusive Enter the Dragon postcards, 8 reproductions of original lobby cards, reproduction of the original press brochure
  • Region 2, PAL

Blu-ray[edit]

Kam & Ronson (Hong Kong)

  • Aspect ratio: Widescreen (2:35:1)
  • Sound: Cantonese (DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1), Cantonese (Dolby True HD 7.1), Mandarin (Dolby Digital EX 6.1), Thai (Dolby Digital EX 6.1)
  • Subtitles: Traditional Chinese, English, Thai
  • Supplements: "Alternate opening credits", trailer, photo gallery
  • Region A

Warner (North America and South America)

  • Aspect ratio: Widescreen (2:40:1)
  • Sound: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), French (Dolby Digital 1.0 Mono), Portuguese (Dolby Digital 1.0 Mono)
  • Subtitles: English, Spanish, French, Portuguese
  • Supplements: Audio commentary by producer Paul M. Heller and screenwriter Michael Allin, "Blood and Steel: Making of Enter the Dragon", "Bruce Lee: In His Own Words", Linda Lee Cadwell interview gallery, "Location: Hong Kong with Enter the Dragon" original 1973 documentary, "Backyard Workout with Bruce Lee", "Curse of the Dragon" feature-length documentary, "Bruce Lee: A Warrior's Journey" feature-length documentary, theatrical trailers, TV spots
  • All regions

References[edit]

  1. ^ "ENTER THE DRAGON (X)". British Board of Film Classification. 1973-10-23. Retrieved 2013-02-03. 
  2. ^ Enter the Dragon (1973) – Box office / business
  3. ^ Chase, Donald (1992-10-25). "Re-Enter the Dragon". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2010-09-21. 
  4. ^ "National Film Registry Titles of the U.S. Library of Congress (1989-2009)". AMC FilmSite.org. Retrieved May 21, 2010. 
  5. ^ Ryfle, Steve (January 10, 2010). "DVD set is devoted to '70s martial arts star Jim Kelly". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2011-01-28. 
  6. ^ "Car Accident Claims Ahna Capri". Inside Kung Fu. Retrieved 2011-01-10. 
  7. ^ "Lee's Dragon co-star dies at 96". BBC. 2009-06-05. Retrieved 2011-01-31. 
  8. ^ "Bob Wall Interview: "Pulling No Punches"". Black Belt. Retrieved 2010-12-02. 
  9. ^ "A King of Kung Fu Films Savors Work and Honors". The New York Times. 2010-07-02. Retrieved 2011-01-10. 
  10. ^ www.martialdirect.com/articles/bruceleept1.htm (2007-08-12). "Bruce Lee Said What?". 
  11. ^ www.nineblue.com/kids/news_details.aspx?user_id=31 (2007-08-12). "Bully Busters Art of Fighting without Fighting". 
  12. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJfH0uv5XRA&NR=1
  13. ^ Guarisco, Donald. "Lalo Schifrin: Enter the Dragon [Music from the Motion Picture] - Review". All Music Guide. Retrieved 17 November 2012. 
  14. ^ a b c "IMDB: Box office business". Retrieved 2007-08-26. 
  15. ^ Variety says the film earned $4.25 million in North American rentals in 1973. See "Big Rental Films of 1973", Variety, 9 January 1974 p 19
  16. ^ Stein, Joel (14 June 1999). "The Gladiator BRUCE LEE". Time. p. 3. Retrieved 29 August 2010. 
  17. ^ "The Greatest Films of 1973". AMC FilmSite.org. Retrieved May 21, 2010. 
  18. ^ "The Best Movies of 1973 by Rank". Films101.com. Retrieved May 21, 2010. 
  19. ^ "Most Popular Feature Films Released in 1973". IMDb. Retrieved May 22, 2010. 
  20. ^ Enter the Dragon, TV Guide Movie Review. TV Guide. Retrieved September 28, 2012.
  21. ^ The Fourth Virgin Film Guide by James Pallot and the editors of CineBooks, published by Virgin Books, 1995
  22. ^ Hong Kong Action Cinema by Bey Logan, published by Titan Books, 1995
  23. ^ "Enter the Dragon Movie Reviews, Pictures". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved May 21, 2010. 
  24. ^ "Enter the Dragon: Award Wins and Nominations". IMDb. Retrieved May 21, 2010. 
  25. ^ "Empire's The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time". Empire magazine. Retrieved May 21, 2010. 
  26. ^ Rumsfeld Hosts No-Holds-Barred Martial Arts Tournament At Remote Island Fortress | The Onion – America's Finest News Source
  27. ^ Fleming, Michael (2007=08-09). "Warners to remake 'Enter the Dragon'". Variety. Retrieved 2007-08-12. 
  28. ^ "The 50 Greatest Heroes and the 50 Greatest Villains of All Time: The 400 Nominated Characters". AFI.com. Retrieved July 30, 2011. 
  29. ^ "America's Most Heart-Pounding Movies: The 400 Nominated Films". AFI.com. Retrieved July 30, 2011. 

External links[edit]

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Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Enter the Dragon
Films directed by Robert Clouse
1970s
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