Chinese Chieh Chuan Kung Fu aka Legend of Bruce Le

[Killer Meteor]

Bruce Lee: A Dragon Story is surprisingly on the nose about Betty Ting Pei, Lo Wei, MRS Lo Wei, Raymond Chow, and Run Run Shaw. Heck, even the original director of The Big Boss gets a look in. It has precious little martial arts scenes, and is mostly a sleazy tabloid cash in on the Lee/Ting Pei love affair.

Bruce Lee: Superstar (AKA Young Bruce Lee AKA Legend Of Bruce Lee AKA Super Dragon AKA Chinese Chieh Chuan Kung Fu!) instead focuses on fictional childhood friendships. Bruce's death isn't shown but this may be due to editing by the export distributors.

Both films show Bruce fixated with another woman (Betty Ting in Dragon Story, a childhood sweetheart in Superstar). Poor Linda Lee barely gets a look in.

Dragon Story is probably the only Bruce-bio that doesn't seem to revere its subject. Bruce comes across as an miserable unfaithful sod who somehow has everything given to him ona platter. Note that this film uses the same cheesy Mandarin ballard as does Shaw's Bruce Lee And I.

[The Dragon]

Bruce Lee: A Dragon Story is surprisingly on the nose about Betty Ting Pei, Lo Wei, MRS Lo Wei, Raymond Chow, and Run Run Shaw. Heck, even the original director of The Big Boss gets a look in. It has precious little martial arts scenes, and is mostly a sleazy tabloid cash in on the Lee/Ting Pei love affair.

Bruce Lee: Superstar (AKA Young Bruce Lee AKA Legend Of Bruce Lee AKA Super Dragon AKA Chinese Chieh Chuan Kung Fu!) instead focuses on fictional childhood friendships. Bruce's death isn't shown but this may be due to editing by the export distributors.

Both films show Bruce fixated with another woman (Betty Ting in Dragon Story, a childhood sweetheart in Superstar). Poor Linda Lee barely gets a look in.

Dragon Story is probably the only Bruce-bio that doesn't seem to revere its subject. Bruce comes across as an miserable unfaithful sod who somehow has everything given to him ona platter. Note that this film uses the same cheesy Mandarin ballard as does Shaw's Bruce Lee And I.

That's because the song "Locks, for my love" (or something along those lines), is a song that was "Lee's & Betty's favorite"- and a direct reference to the hairstyle he sported in WOTD; he adopted her hairstyle, and it's visibly on display in that film.

Linda knew this, and didn't find it cute at all.

[Killer Meteor]

That's because the song "Locks, for my love" (or something along those lines), is a song that was "Lee's & Betty's favorite"- and a direct reference to the hairstyle he sported in WOTD; he adopted her hairstyle, and it's visibly on display in that film.

Linda knew this, and didn't find it cute at all.

Man, that's just...weird!

[The Dragon]

Man, that's just...weird!

And, true!

[Killer Meteor]

Just watching TRUE GAME OF DEATH and lo and behold, that damn song is in it, performed by a singer, who is the film's Betty Ting, whilst Bruce sits with Linda in a night club!

I really do feel sorry for Linda Lee. As annoying as DRAGON: THE BRUCE LEE STORY was, I can't blame her for presenting her fantasy, it sure was kinder then what everyone else put on film!

[Killer Meteor]

In some versions it's supposedly footage from 'Desperate Chase'(aka Blood of the Dragon).

In the print I saw it was some unknown crime/basher.

In the US version, it's two long fight sequences. One is from Golden Harvest's The Chase, the other from Wang Yu's King Of Boxers. You can see these clips on Youtube.

I've noticed the US tv spot from Dragons Die Hard (the US version of Bruce Lee A Dragon Story) uses footage of James Nam from another film, definetly a better one!

[DrNgor]

On 9/21/2011 at 10:24 AM, Killer Meteor said:

Bruce Lee: A Dragon Story is surprisingly on the nose about Betty Ting Pei, Lo Wei, MRS Lo Wei, Raymond Chow, and Run Run Shaw. Heck, even the original director of The Big Boss gets a look in. It has precious little martial arts scenes, and is mostly a sleazy tabloid cash in on the Lee/Ting Pei love affair.

Question: As much as a hit piece Bruce Lee: A Dragon Story is, how much does it get right?

Has anyone read enough on the subject to tell which one is more factual (relatively speaking): Bruce Lee: A Dragon Story or Bruce Lee and I?

[Killer Meteor]

Once it leaves the fantasy land that is a samurai-infested USA (filmed in Taiwan), Dragon Story's mid-section is for the most part pretty much a blow-by-blow account of Bruce's experiences in Hong Kong, with all the major players, up to when he meets Betty. It then goesoff on a tangent. The remainder of the film is then fairly similar to Bruce Lee and I, in that Betty seems to have to be resuced by Bruce from gangsters and herself frequently.

 

I have no idea if there is any truth to Bruce getting Betty pregnant, or indeed Betty's gangster problems. Of course, she ended up marrying Charles Heung, so I guess she had a happy ending?

After all the lawsuits surrounding Dragon Story,  later Bruce-bios tend to replace the characters with fictional named versions, or white-wash everything.

At the risk of sounding like a pig, the mysterious Tang Pei in Dragon Story (http://hkmdb.com/db/people/view.mhtml?id=33204&display_set=eng)  is far more sexy than the real thing!

Also, what Chinese name was Bruce Li using in his early movies on-screen? He is credited in English as Li Xiao Long, which basically looks to me like a Mandarin variation on Lee Siu-lung?

 

 

 

Edited March 13, 2021 by Killer Meteor

[DrNgor]

3 hours ago, Killer Meteor said:

Also, what Chinese name was Bruce Li using in his early movies on-screen? He is credited in English as Li Xiao Long, which basically looks to me like a Mandarin variation on Lee Siu-lung?

 

He was credited as "Li Xiao Long" as well, albeit using a different surname instead of Li Xiaolong/Lei Siu-Lung that Bruce used (李小龍)

See this print from New Game of Death:

 The Xiaolong continues to be the name. The difference is in the character "Li". The character used is "黎", which is "Lí" in Mandarin and "Lai" in Cantonese.

So Bruce Li was "Li Xiaolong" or "Lai Siu-Lung".

On the other hand, Bruce Le (呂小龍) was "Lü Xiaolong", or "Lui Siu-Lung." 

Edited March 13, 2021 by DrNgor

[Killer Meteor]

Here's an entertaining review of the film from Dr Freex, one of my favourite (and sadly long MIA) reviewers - http://www.stomptokyo.com/badmoviereport/IRO/IRO002-young-bruce-lee.html

 

 

[DrNgor]

5 minutes ago, Killer Meteor said:

Dr Freex, one of my favourite (and sadly long MIA) reviewers

He still occasionally reviews at his blog.

Also, I updated the post above with better prints and info.

[Killer Meteor]

28 minutes ago, DrNgor said:

He was credited as "Li Xiao Long" as well, albeit using a different surname instead of Li Xiaolong/Lei Siu-Lung that Bruce used (李小龍)

See this print from New Game of Death:

 The Xiaolong continues to be the name. The difference is in the character "Li". The character used is "黎", which is "Lí" in Mandarin and "Lai" in Cantonese.

So Bruce Li was "Li Xiaolong" or "Lai Siu-Lung".

Thanks for that!

Interestingly, some English language HK newspapers from the early 70s referred to Bruce LEE as Bruce LI.

[saltysam]

I like all these early Ho Chung Tao biopics- none can hold a candle to the Man,The Myth though. My problem is i get confused which is which even though i own them

[Killer Meteor]

27 minutes ago, DrNgor said:

He still occasionally reviews at his blog.

 

Thank you so much!

[Killer Meteor]

6 minutes ago, saltysam said:

I like all these early Ho Chung Tao biopics- none can hold a candle to the Man,The Myth though. My problem is i get confused which is which even though i own them

It doesn't help that the titles were shared.

1974  - Super Dragon (HK English title) AKA The Bruce Lee Story (International Title AKA Dragons Die Hard (US title) AKA Bruce Lee A Dragon Story (80s video re-title)

1975 - Chinese Cheih Chuan Kung Fu (HK English title) AKA SuperDragon (US title) AKA Young Bruce Lee (Goodtimes Video) AKA Legend of Bruce Lee (Tai Seng)

1976 - Bruce Lee We Miss You AKA Dragon Dies Hard

1980 - Bruce King of Kung Fu (with Bruce Le) AKA Young Bruce Lee (Tai Seng) and Legend of Bruce Lee (Goodtimes!)

 

Edited March 13, 2021 by Killer Meteor

[saltysam]

So the german DVD i have, Bruce Lee Superstar,which one of those is that one?

[Killer Meteor]

4 minutes ago, saltysam said:

So the german DVD i have, Bruce Lee Superstar,which one of those is that one?

Yes, that's Chinese Chieh Chuan Kung Fu.

[DrNgor]

3 minutes ago, saltysam said:

So the german DVD i have, Bruce Lee Superstar,which one of those is that one?

Chinese Chieh Chuan Kung Fu (1976)

[saltysam]

He's a Legend,He's a Hero aka is The Dragon Lives?

[Killer Meteor]

59 minutes ago, saltysam said:

He's a Legend,He's a Hero aka is The Dragon Lives?

That's right.

 

And Dragon Lives Again is the one where Bruce is in Hell with Clint Eastwood, Emmanuelle and Popeye!

[saltysam]

21 minutes ago, Killer Meteor said:

That's right.

 

And Dragon Lives Again is the one where Bruce is in Hell with Clint Eastwood, Emmanuelle and Popeye!

Love that movie. Makes me weep i only have the crappy VV DVD and a fake widescreen boot. The film has been restored by Agfa but no sign of a release on the horizon.

[DragonClaws]

On 3/13/2021 at 7:45 AM, DrNgor said:

Question: As much as a hit piece Bruce Lee: A Dragon Story is, how much does it get right?

Has anyone read enough on the subject to tell which one is more factual (relatively speaking): Bruce Lee: A Dragon Story or Bruce Lee and I?

 

I'd say in some respects Bruce Lee: A Dragons Story is closer to his life story than the Hollywood version Dragon The BL Story. Not that the latter gets everything wrong. Bruce Lee & I is the only bio-pic I've never purchased or viewed. Never gone out of my way to import a copy, I don't think it was ever released in the U.K, even on VHS?.

[ShawAngela]

8 minutes ago, DragonClaws said:

Bruce Lee & I is the only bio-pic I've never purchased or viewed. Never gone out of my way to import a copy, I don't think it was ever released in the U.K, even on VHS?.

I don't know in the UK, but It was released on French language VHS, and also on a  Japanese dvd release.

I just took a lookon hte imdb page, and it seems that you are right and that it has never been released in the UK : there are countries such as Portugal, Denmark, Brazil, France, Germany, Japan and a few others, but no UK mentioned...

[DrNgor]

Here's my formal review of it:

 

[Cognoscente]