Member greenbamboo Posted April 2, 2008 Member Share Posted April 2, 2008 Without BL, Golden Harvest would have folded. Imagine all those great films that wouldn't have got made. Big Boss saved Chow and his company and his further films made Chow a very rich man. BL films were world wide hits. Your normal kung fu films were bought for peanuts re distribution rights. Kung Fu Monthly made Felix Dennis a fortune. That mag was dedicated to BL and ran for many years with the odd article on other stars. But Bruce was the man who sold millions. His popularity can't be compared. Only Jackie Chan can keep somewhere near him in worldwide popularity. Even non kung fu fans comment," i like Bruce cuz you can tell what he did on the screen was REAL. It wasn't fake, he could really do it." Nuff Said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member kingofkungfu2002 Posted April 2, 2008 Member Share Posted April 2, 2008 This could go on forever Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member venoms5 Posted April 2, 2008 Member Share Posted April 2, 2008 I can only second what Chinatownkid. Besides, even if he was well known over here, and he wasn't, everyone has to start somewhere. But he was well known here. He already had martial arts schools open as was training stars of Hollywood before he ever went back to HK to do those movies. The people in HK knew that, too. One of the reasons Raymond Chow wanted him to do movies for him and he almost didn't get him had he not said no to Shaw's binding contract resulting in Chow giving Lee what he wanted. He picked up a lot of things his stint in the US considering Hollywood no longer followed the actor contracts controlled by the studios. Actors by then in America had more clout when it came to how much they got paid and what movies they did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Chinatown Kid Posted April 2, 2008 Member Share Posted April 2, 2008 What your saying is true venom that he might have been known by the people in Hollywood, but he was not that well known by the American public and not that famous. Your also right that the people in HK liked the fact that Bruce did have some minor success in Hollywood before he came over, but I think they were alot more impressed when they saw his abilties in the films he made starting with the Big Boss on and that is what made him big, not his little bit of clout he had in the US. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member The Dragon Posted April 2, 2008 Member Share Posted April 2, 2008 Look, the man made action on the screen look real for the first time in the history of HK cinema. No one did what he brought to the screen before, however, everyone copied him, and tried to capitalize on his formula... It didn't work. Not until Lau Kar Liang came onboard with Spiritual Boxer. That film ushered in the comedy/kung fu angle which audiences took to after being swamped with "Lee-like" films. Even WOTD was an attempt at comedy for the Asian audience, and more fare as such likely would have followed because Lee didn't believe in systematics... He was even innovative enough to create a way to have MA in a modern setting, without the usage of guns. How about that? Jackie Chan became more successful the further away from Bruce Like material he went, and that's what's important. If you want a steak, you don't go to a diner, you go to a five star steakhouse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member The Dragon Posted April 2, 2008 Member Share Posted April 2, 2008 This could go on forever Yep... You like that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member The Dragon Posted April 2, 2008 Member Share Posted April 2, 2008 Man, sometimes I wonder if these people calling Bruce's choreo "boring" or "dull" actually, you know, paid attention to the action in Bruce's films. His choreo was way ahead of it's time. No one else utilized realistic fight strategy in their choreo the way Bruce did. I agree PK. Just look at the last fight sequence Bruce filmed before his death... The scene at the opening of Enter The Dragon. What you see there is not simply Bruce's final battle with the now legendary Sammo Hung, however, the very first UFC, Ultimate Fight, Freestyle,, MA sequence, ever, 30YRS ago!! ...and it takes place at Shaolin Temple. People talk about his ability to "close the gap", was and still way ahead of the game... He put distance in the gap, separating himself from the rest. PEACE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member vonhumboldtfleisher Posted April 3, 2008 Member Share Posted April 3, 2008 I always wonder if these people who call Bruce's choreography 'realistic' are watching the same four lousy movies I've watched. Those trampoline-assisted, leaping-through-the-air-with-one-leg-extended flying kick jousts are 'realistic'? And how 'realistic' is it when he's doubled by more talented performers like Yuen Wah? And I don't know how 'freestyle' a fight can be when Sammo Hung's basically been told to slow everything down and try to look as hopelessly incompetent as possible so as to make that narcissistic poser look good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member vonhumboldtfleisher Posted April 3, 2008 Member Share Posted April 3, 2008 Without BL, Golden Harvest would have folded. Imagine all those great films that wouldn't have got made. I love how Bruce Lee fans just make up history as they go along. GH had barely been in operation for a year when The Big Boss was released. The same year they released THE COMET STRIKES and ANGRY RIVER, neither of which were flops, and LADY WHIRLWIND, which was a smash hit. Let's at least try to stick to the facts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member venoms5 Posted April 3, 2008 Member Share Posted April 3, 2008 I love how Bruce Lee fans just make up history as they go along. GH had barely been in operation for a year when The Big Boss was released. The same year they released THE COMET STRIKES and ANGRY RIVER, neither of which were flops, and LADY WHIRLWIND, which was a smash hit. Let's at least try to stick to the facts. Actually, GH was struggling to get hits. Bruce did keep them from going bankrupt. LADY WHIRLWIND grossed under $500,000 dollars and COMET STRIKES didn't fare much better. Ditto for HAPKIDO. Shaw's were destroying them till BIG BOSS came out then GH was finally some competition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member vonhumboldtfleisher Posted April 3, 2008 Member Share Posted April 3, 2008 Yeah, .4 million HK dollars according to HKCinemagic. Not exactly a 'smash hit', even if that's more than twice what it would have cost to make. And I was wrong about LADY WHIRLWIND's release date too - it came out in 72, not 71. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member kingofkungfu2002 Posted April 3, 2008 Member Share Posted April 3, 2008 And how 'realistic' is it when he's doubled by more talented performers like Yuen Wah? Everyone gets doubled, it doesn't make them less talented. Yuen Wah is of course a better acrobat, but not a martial artist..there's a big difference Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member theportlykicker Posted April 4, 2008 Member Share Posted April 4, 2008 Everyone gets doubled, it doesn't make them less talented. Yuen Wah is of course a better acrobat, but not a martial artist..there's a big difference Exactly! I always wonder if these people who call Bruce's choreography 'realistic' are watching the same four lousy movies I've watched. Those trampoline-assisted, leaping-through-the-air-with-one-leg-extended flying kick jousts are 'realistic'? I doubt those moves were Bruce's ideas in the first place. If you look at the two films that Bruce had complete control over, Way of the Dragon and Game of Death, there's none of that. That stuff was more than likely imposed on Bruce by Lo Wei, Han Yin Chieh, and Robert Clouse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member The Dragon Posted April 5, 2008 Member Share Posted April 5, 2008 The opening fight between Bruce and Sammo in Enter The Dragon is too often overlooked as a great fight scene, short, economical, and simpistic. Jeet Kune Do at work! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member ironfistedmonk Posted April 5, 2008 Member Share Posted April 5, 2008 Tough crowd in here, I'm no fan boy but the contribution and impact Bruce had on the kung fu movie scene worldwide can not be taken lightly, therefore he can never be over-rated IMO Fist of Fury is one of my all time favourite movies, superb story and Bruce totally dominates the screen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member silver hermit Posted April 6, 2008 Member Share Posted April 6, 2008 bruce lee is not over rated this thread proves it. now bruce li thats over rated Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member vonhumboldtfleisher Posted April 8, 2008 Member Share Posted April 8, 2008 The only thing that this thread has actually proved is that nobody can come up with an even remotely persuasive alternative to Bruce Lee for the title of Most Overrated Kung Fu Actor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Bus Posted April 8, 2008 Member Share Posted April 8, 2008 i think what turns some people off of bruce lee is the godesque belief people have about him.. that he's the baddest man that ever lived, he'd kick everybodies' ass, and that he's the best movie martial artist of all time.... i really don't like this thread though... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Chinatown Kid Posted April 8, 2008 Member Share Posted April 8, 2008 I don't think anyone is trying to say Bruce was a god or unbeatable, he had he flaws and weaknesses just like everybody else. I just respect and admire the man for his skills and charisma and he will always be one of the best to me in this genre. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member vonhumboldtfleisher Posted April 8, 2008 Member Share Posted April 8, 2008 I don't think anyone is trying to say Bruce was a god or unbeatable, He's been compared to Jesus at least once on this forum (maybe that's why some people he died, like Christ, at 33), and check out these gems from The Center forum: From what I recall, Bruce Lee's fights were not choreographed. They just shot his fights directly(which seems a bit shocking considering some of them), and then slowed them down some, so people could see right what he was doing This guy is my favourite, though: Bruce Lee was the pinacle [nice spelling, there] of human evolution... Also, it is said pound for pound he was probably the strongest man alive. Not overrated? Sheesh. I'm not trying to spoil anyone's fun here, and I'm as tired of this argument as anyone is - I've been having it since I was about thirteen - but you just can't let this kind of gross exaggeration go without correcting it from time to time. An occasional cold splash of reality comes in handy now and again. And again, there are no alternative candidates. Jet Li's reputation among KF fans has dwindled considerably since he started making drek like ROMEO MUST DIE. Hwang Jang Lee is a great kicker and a good actor, and although he has made some lousy films, nobody ever compares him to Jesus or calls him the 'pinacle' of human evolution. The winner, hands down, of the title of Most Overrated Kung Fu Actor is, and has to be, Bruce Lee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Chinatown Kid Posted April 8, 2008 Member Share Posted April 8, 2008 I understand your point Von and agree some people take it to an extreme, but everybody doesn't do that including me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member The Dragon Posted April 8, 2008 Member Share Posted April 8, 2008 He's been compared to Jesus at least once on this forum (maybe that's why some people he died, like Christ, at 33)... Lol. ...I'm not trying to spoil anyone's fun here, and I'm as tired of this argument as anyone is - I've been having it since I was about thirteen ... You're still 13, aren't you? Hwang Jang Lee is a great kicker and a good actor, and although he has made some lousy films, nobody ever compares him to Jesus or calls him the 'pinacle' of human evolution. No, but TibetanWhiteCrane's avatar looks like an Oriental Jesus... OR, Son of Svengoolie. Rare clip: Bruce VS. Von... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member TibetanWhiteCrane Posted April 9, 2008 Member Share Posted April 9, 2008 LOL...! Yes, admittedly old grandmaster Lee was rocking the JC look in Tower of Death! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member will91XingYu Posted April 9, 2008 Member Share Posted April 9, 2008 Bruce Lee is awesome, get used to it, why diss the man when he is an awesome martial artists and revolutionised hong kong cinema! The guy may have been a buit of a dick of screen but the guy is a screen legend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Markgway Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 Most overrated? Wang Yu. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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