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Bruce Lee's The Big Boss (Appreciation Thread)


Fist of the Heavenly Sky

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The Jurong Drive-in Cinema was a popular night recreation place in the 1970s for the newly moved-in Jurong residents and people who drove from all over the island for the novelty of outdoor cinema.

On a record breaking night of the screening of Bruce Lee’s Big Boss, the police had to be called in to maintain order as many drivers had abandoned the long queue of vehicles entering the drive-in cinema to go on foot instead.

By the early 1980s however, the popularity of the drive-in cinema had waned. Several factors such as the emergence of more neighbourhood cinemas and heartland malls with cinemas and increasing video piracy contributed to its decline. The drive-in was also at the mercy of the weather elements, especially downpours.

“About half a million people visit the drive-in each year; a far cry from the traffic jams of 1971 when the drive-in first opened. Then, with the added attraction of Bruce Lee flexing his sinewy frame on screen, as many as 400 cars would crawl at snail’s pace through the entrance gates for each show.” (The Straits Times, 18 December 1983)

 

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Photos & TxT, taken from this article, Link- http://www.ghettosingapore.com/driving-cinema-magic-in-jurong/

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Fist of the Heavenly Sky
1 hour ago, DragonClaws said:

 

 

Did you mean to inlcude some txt in this post @Fist of the Heavenly Sky?, as I posted this exact same trialer this past Monday.

I wasn't aware of that. My bad. Any thoughts on the trailer, still?

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3 hours ago, Fist of the Heavenly Sky said:

Any thoughts on the trailer, still?

 

It's very much like the censored theatrical trialer, that was included on an old budget U.K VHS release, of the film. Only it looks and sounds a lot better, and hasnt been censored for violence. Fans are lucky there's even a this trailer, featuring a few brief missing scenes. Gotta love those old style H.K movie previews.

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Picture taken during the production of TBB, I'm not sure if its from the Thai shoot?, or taken at Golden Harvest studios?.

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Edited by DragonClaws
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Are there fans on the forum, who own the 20th Century Fox WideScreen TBB laserdisc?, I posted an image of it, earlier today, in this thread.

Edited by DragonClaws
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People often don't rate BL's acting, but I think he did a good job of playng Cheng Chiu-On, with the little he was given. Unlike in Hollywood, he wasnt given a finished script to learn, weeks in advance of production. With scene being written just moments before they were filmed, in some cases. I think he captures the slightly innocent/un-sophisticated character, that Cheng is, while still hiding that slight dark side/secret. Did he kill anyone in his previous fights in China?, given him a reason to skip the country?.

 

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Fist of the Heavenly Sky
12 minutes ago, DragonClaws said:

People often don't rate BL's acting, but I think he did a good job of playng Cheng Chiu-On, with the little he was given. Unlike in Hollywood, he wasnt given a finished script to learn, weeks in advance of production. With scene being written just moments before they were filmed, in some cases. I think he captures the slightly innocent/un-sophisticated character, that Cheng is, while still hiding that slight dark side/secret. Did he kill anyone in his previous fights in China?, given him a reason to skip the country?.

In a way, Cheng Chao-An is a semi-biographical portrayal of Bruce Lee himself, in that they both had to flee home to someplace else and had much of the same personality defects. Whether Cheng killed anyone back at home remains ambiguous, but his actions in TBB speaks for itself. It is also the only movie you get to see Bruce as an active sexual character, in that every single interaction of his with women always have that sexually charged atmosphere. Bruce gets knocked by some academics for not having any romantic encounters, but he did have one in the Thai cathouse prior to the final fight; it just so happened to be cut and consequently interfered with Cheng's character development.

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14 hours ago, Fist of the Heavenly Sky said:

Bruce gets knocked by some academics for not having any romantic encounters, but he did have one in the Thai cathouse prior to the final fight; it just so happened to be cut and consequently interfered with Cheng's character development.

 

He only made four complete films in his adult year's, as mentioned elswhere, thats not much to go on or even critique. You would be able to say similar things about many actors, if they had only made a very short number of films.

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Fist of the Heavenly Sky
5 hours ago, DragonClaws said:

 

He only made four complete films in his adult year's, as mentioned elswhere, thats not much to go on or even critique. You would be able to say similar things about many actors, if they had only made a very short number of films.

What other additional critique would you provide to Cheng Chao-An as a character?

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On 11/11/2018 at 6:25 PM, Fist of the Heavenly Sky said:

What other additional critique would you provide to Cheng Chao-An as a character?

 

I cant think of anymore at the moment, to be honest.

Do you think the film would have been improved, if BL's character went on the rampage much sooner than he does?.

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Fist of the Heavenly Sky
15 minutes ago, DragonClaws said:

 

I cant think of anymore at the moment, to be honest.

Do you think the film would have been improved, if BL's character went on the rampage much sooner than he does?.

Had Lo Wei directed from the start, we would've seen Cheng rampage sooner, yes. He also would've had a more candid approach to sexuality, and likely we would've seen a Last Tango in Paris type subplot between him and a local talent.

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26 minutes ago, Fist of the Heavenly Sky said:

Had Lo Wei directed from the start, we would've seen Cheng rampage sooner, yes. He also would've had a more candid approach to sexuality, and likely we would've seen a Last Tango in Paris type subplot between him and a local talent.

 

Apart from his character in Enter The Dragon, there's always a sense of build-up/tenson, with BL's on-screen characters. In ETD you know he's a bad-ass from the start, with the opening sequence. In all his other movies, you have to wait, before he finally shows his true colours. The Big Boss really builds on the tension, by only really having him let loose, in the final haf hour.

 

Love the foot sticking out of the man-shaped hole in the ice factory wall. Why did they use such a corny gimmick, in a more serious film. It would look more at home, in one of the Lucky Stars films.

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Writer Jeff Kuykendall gives his opinion's on this much loved, cult exploition, classic.

 

A Month at The Grindhouse

Link- http://www.midnightonly.com/2013/09/05/the-big-boss-1971/

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Jurong Drive-In opened on 14th August 1971 with the “The Big Boss” starring Bruce Lee and “Doctor in Trouble”. It was closed on 30th September 1985.

The drive-in has been demolished(date unknown?), and the site is now The Fairway Club, a family recreational club(members only?), offering activies such as golfing, paintball and swimming), also Jurong Heritage Trail.

Source - http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/56564

 

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