Jim Coburn and Bruce Lee

[Alan C]

This is a portion of a longer essay/review that I wrote on Marcos Ocaña-Rizo's book 'The Silent Flute', released summer of 2019.

'The Silent Flute' is a near perfect snapshot of a time period when Bruce Lee was on the fringe of achieving his Hollywood dream and pioneering a new cinematic language that would successfully marry two of his three passions: acting and martial arts ( the third was cha-cha dancing). The heart of Ocaña-Rizo's approximate 320 page tome lies in its ability to break the fourth wall and provide a window into the creative process of three talented individuals, who, through a unique connection, created something that, ultimately, may have been too prescient for its time. Parallel to this, its also a candid look at the budding friendship of three men at distinctly different stages of their lives ( personally and professionally), and how Hollywood's social scale, ultimately, disrupted their relationship: Coburn and Silliphant initially approached Lee to learn the ways of unarmed combat - an arena in which they perceived him to be the absolute authority, physically and philosophically. However, in their pursuit to make the picture, the dynamic of that relationship shifted. In the world of cinema, Coburn was an established movie star, Silliphant, an award winning screenwriter and Lee, an unproven commodity. The deviation in hierarchy was not lost on Bruce, and that his students position with the film studio superseded his talent was a realm he was uncomfortable in. During a location scouting trip to India, Lee lived in the shadow of Coburn's celebrity among the star struck locals, and often felt powerless in the decision making process. The experience left him disappointed in Silliphant, resentful of Coburn and ultimately less connected to the script. It was a bitterness he would never be able to shake, even after his enormous success in Hong Kong. In this regard, 'The Silent Flute' is a chronicle of the dissolution of a friendship. 

Lee counted on Coburn's clout in Tinseltown, and in a very real way, needed that weight to serve as his anchor to allow him to do his thing. Along with his natural screen charisma, and Nureyev like physical precision and grace as a martial athlete, Bruce's asset to the production lay in his ability to create intricate character studies through the stylistic, balletic movement he pioneered for screen combat. His approach to screen violence was an intricate meditation on the reflections of the human psyche told through triumphs of the flesh and spirit. Coburn, realized early on that he could easily be chewed up on screen by Lee's expertise in this arena, and almost as a precautionary measure against this, only signed on under the condition that he direct the picture. As the story evolved, it's understandable why Coburn abandoned his directorial aspirations, discerning that a seasoned filmmaker was needed to successfully translate the deeper themes to the big screen, not a novice director who would mistake passion for skill. This set up an interesting dynamic between the two, culminating with Lee blaming Coburn for 'blowing the deal' and expressing regret at ever partnering with him. Even in the ensuing years, when Coburn visited HK, Bruce was more interested in showing off his colossal success in Southeast Asia and reveling in the fact that an A-Lister like Coburn was pursuing him ( which gave him an unprecedented level of stardom amongst the press), than he was in discussing any future collaboration on SF.

 

[DragonClaws]

On 4/20/2020 at 11:31 PM, Alan C said:

This is a portion of a longer essay/review that I wrote on Marcos Ocaña-Rizo's book 'The Silent Flute', released summer of 2019.

 

Money is very tight at the moment, but this is one publication I need to track down in the future.

 

Along with a copy of @teako170 Fu Sheng biography and @ShaOW!linDude's first Night Dragon book.

 

[DragonClaws]

 

Quote

Sean Macaulay revisits the time when we first saw James Coburn in the flesh. He reflects on the life of the legendary Hollywood movie star from his successes, tough times and the lavish lifestyle he lived as an iconic Sixties Tough Guy up until his death in 2002

Get to know James Coburn, the ultimate Sixties tough guy

By James Macaulay

 

Link- https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/james-coburn-the-ultimate-sixties-tough-guy

 

James Coburn & director Sam Peckinpah on the set of Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid(1973).

Image source- https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070518/mediaindex?ref_=tt_mv_close

[Guest Marcos]

Correction: The Silent Flute book has 570 pages, not 320.

[Alan C]

8 hours ago, Guest Marcos said:

Correction: The Silent Flute book has 570 pages, not 320.

To clarify: 320 pages of English text.