Too Young To Die (Documentary)

[DragonClaws]

Watched this last night before going to bed, it recently screened on the U.K Sky Arts channel. While it was interesting to hear the thoughts of Bruce Thomas, Cynthia Rothrock, Benny Urquidez and Dan Inosanto. The documentary as a whole wasn't that good. Guess newer fans will get a lot more from it than I did. There were some factual errors, such as the claim Bruce Lee wrote The Big Boss. Showing movies clips but getting the title of the films wrong etc.

Anyone else here watched this one?.

 

[sym8]

I haven't seen this but I'm kinda getting fed up with the Bruce Lee documentary thing,there doesn't seem to be anything else to say about the great man that hasn't already been said.I think the only documentary that would peak my interest would be one that contained rare or unseen footage but that doesn't seem to be happening,I know there is stuff out there but collectors and the like don't seem to want to make it available so for me it's a little uninteresting when I hear about another Bruce Lee doc(especially when they are done badly)

[shukocarl]

On ‎09‎/‎04‎/‎2017 at 9:10 PM, sym8 said:

I haven't seen this but I'm kinda getting fed up with the Bruce Lee documentary thing,there doesn't seem to be anything else to say about the great man that hasn't already been said.I think the only documentary that would peak my interest would be one that contained rare or unseen footage but that doesn't seem to be happening,I know there is stuff out there but collectors and the like don't seem to want to make it available so for me it's a little uninteresting when I hear about another Bruce Lee doc(especially when they are done badly)

I totally agree.

 

[DragonClaws]

22 minutes ago, sym8 said:

I think the only documentary that would peak my interest would be one that contained rare or unseen footage but that doesn't seem to be happening,I know there is stuff out there but collectors and the like don't seem to want to make it available

Getting rare footage released featuring Bruce Lee is more complicated than it may seem. Not every collector or person who owns unseen footage is holding it back. Bob Wall for exmaple said he tried to get the Bruce Lee/Steven Mcqueen training footage released. Yet there was so much red tape and legal stuff to get through it stopped him.

This was the first docuemtnary I've watched in years and like other newer one, its aimed at the new BL fan. I think the Walt Missingham documentaries were the last interesting ones to be released. Warriors Journey would not have been so good if it didnt feature the G.O.D footage. Hope the doc would focus on that period in Lee life, when he was making the film. Instead it was anohter re-tread of his life with a few rare snippets inserted to sell it to fans.

[Fist of the Heavenly Sky]

1 hour ago, sym8 said:

I think the only documentary that would peak my interest would be one that contained rare or unseen footage but that doesn't seem to be happening,I know there is stuff out there but collectors and the like don't seem to want to make it available so for me it's a little uninteresting when I hear about another Bruce Lee doc(especially when they are done badly)

I'd wager that pretty much everyone here is on the same page. At this point I have no problem dismissing the people who still hold yet-unreleased footage of Bruce Lee as hoarding, unreliable jerkasses. Lee's filmography is getting close to becoming half-a-century old, and by this point the majority of Lee's old school fanbase are close to passing away. If the hoarders had any soul whatsoever, they'd release the footage for the sake of those who grew up appreciating the Little Dragon over the decades. The copyrights and legal boondoggle will never last more than a century anyway, so what's the point in aggravating and antagonizing the fanbase further?

For instance, I've been told by a pal of mine that there are yet more uncut material from Big Boss included in a limited, early 80's UK VHS release by Rank Video; he watched it as a rental when he was a kid back in that time. Said uncut material was presumably not even available in the 1979 London Showing (I might elaborate more on that in another post). The tape got recalled after the "Video Nasties" ban from the Thatcher Government but a good portion of the tapes still survived in video rental businesses for a while. Said pal has been trying to track down the owner of one of these businesses not long ago.

My point is that the uncut BB footage no doubt still survives, in one way or another, with at least several dozen people or more. I refuse to believe that after 46 years that it's so hard for at least one individual to come forth and disclose even part of the uncut material. And no, I don't think copyright should be an excuse because I don't think Miramax/Shout! or any other company except for Golden Harvest have a monopoly on footage that is, for all intents and purposes, public domain. I believe the same argument holds true to whatever unreleased Bruce Lee material exists out there.

[reason108]

4 hours ago, DragonClaws said:

Getting rare footage released featuring Bruce Lee is more complicated than it may seem. Not every collector or person who owns unseen footage is holding it back. Bob Wall for exmaple said he tried to get the Bruce Lee/Steven Mcqueen training footage released. Yet there was so much red tape and legal stuff to get through it stopped him.

This was the first docuemtnary I've watched in years and like other newer one, its aimed at the new BL fan. I think the Walt Missingham documentaries were the last interesting ones to be released. Warriors Journey would not have been so good if it didnt feature the G.O.D footage. Hope the doc would focus on that period in Lee life, when he was making the film. Instead it was anohter re-tread of his life with a few rare snippets inserted to sell it to fans.

 

 

Exactly! A total waste of time! That is why I prefer the Japanese version, which has a little re-enactment of Bruce`s life during that time. I would have preferred an in-depth look at the making of the film itself, with that 40 minutes of footage as the climax of the film. 

 

 

 

  

3 hours ago, lonesome space said:

I'd wager that pretty much everyone here is on the same page. At this point I have no problem dismissing the people who still hold yet-unreleased footage of Bruce Lee as hoarding, unreliable jerkasses. Lee's filmography is getting close to becoming half-a-century old, and by this point the majority of Lee's old school fanbase are close to passing away. If the hoarders had any soul whatsoever, they'd release the footage for the sake of those who grew up appreciating the Little Dragon over the decades. The copyrights and legal boondoggle will never last more than a century anyway, so what's the point in aggravating and antagonizing the fanbase further?

For instance, I've been told by a pal of mine that there are yet more uncut material from Big Boss included in a limited, early 80's UK VHS release by Rank Video; he watched it as a rental when he was a kid back in that time. Said uncut material was presumably not even available in the 1979 London Showing (I might elaborate more on that in another post). The tape got recalled after the "Video Nasties" ban from the Thatcher Government but a good portion of the tapes still survived in video rental businesses for a while. Said pal has been trying to track down the owner of one of these businesses not long ago.

My point is that the uncut BB footage no doubt still survives, in one way or another, with at least several dozen people or more. I refuse to believe that after 46 years that it's so hard for at least one individual to come forth and disclose even part of the uncut material. And no, I don't think copyright should be an excuse because I don't think Miramax/Shout! or any other company except for Golden Harvest have a monopoly on footage that is, for all intents and purposes, public domain. I believe the same argument holds true to whatever unreleased Bruce Lee material exists out there.

 

 

Well, Fortune Star acquired the Golden Harvest back catalog a long time ago, so, they own the rites to the BL films, TBB, FOF, WOTD and GOD. Warner Brothers owns the rights to ETD. 

But, the biggest obstacle is going to be the Lee Estate lawyers. The Estate won't let you release anything with BL`s image unless they say so. Not even Bruce`s own brother, Robert, can release family photos with Bruce in them without the Lee Estate being involved. 

[sym8]

18 hours ago, reason108 said:

 

 

Exactly! A total waste of time! That is why I prefer the Japanese version, which has a little re-enactment of Bruce`s life during that time. I would have preferred an in-depth look at the making of the film itself, with that 40 minutes of footage as the climax of the film. 

 

 

 

  

 

 

Well, Fortune Star acquired the Golden Harvest back catalog a long time ago, so, they own the rites to the BL films, TBB, FOF, WOTD and GOD. Warner Brothers owns the rights to ETD. 

But, the biggest obstacle is going to be the Lee Estate lawyers. The Estate won't let you release anything with BL`s image unless they say so. Not even Bruce`s own brother, Robert, can release family photos with Bruce in them without the Lee Estate being involved. 

With regards to the studios having unseen footage I think they have it but just can't be bothered to put it all together because apart from people like ourselves there just isn't a big enough market(and lets face it if it wasn't for people like Bey Logan I don't think we would have the Game of death stuff that we do have)and I don't really understand the Bruce Lee estate surely they could put something together with the unseen stuff they have and make a quality documentary.If I was Bob wall I'd just stick the Steve McQueen stuff on you tube so all his fans can see it.(and that goes for all the so called collectors)

[Phantom Dreamer]

Well, at least we're all fortunate enough to have Bruce Lee Tea to drink, in our Mazdas, on our trip to the liquor store for some Johnnie Walker, while we think about possible unseen footage from whatever.

[reason108]

8 hours ago, Phantom Dreamer said:

Well, at least we're all fortunate enough to have Bruce Lee Tea to drink, in our Mazdas, on our trip to the liquor store for some Johnnie Walker, while we think about possible unseen footage from whatever.

 

 

before a rousing game of table tennis