So there was 'Lee Lives Within':QuentinGrindFilmFest

[Guest W Hong]

I first found out about a movie called "Lee Lives Within" while reading the LA Times movie listings at around 1981 or 1982. I think that this strange sounding movie was shown in Pacific's Tower or Cameo Theatre in Downtown LA back then.

I kind of remember asking a few years ago on some forums, including this one, if anybody had info, or at least heard of "LLW". I don't think that any of the replies said that they've heard of it or had info. I even tried the IMDB.com to find out if "LLW" actually existed, if it was a newspaper misprint or whatever, but the search results didn't help. So I thought that hardly anybody has even heard of that movie, until I got the new Beverly cinema schedule. From March 2007 to May 1, 2007 there will be a "Quentin Tarantino Presents The L.A. Grindhouse festival 2007" at the Beverly Cinema. The Festival schedule includes:

4/29/07-5/1/07: "Bruce Lee" double feature of-

"The Real Bruce Lee" and "Lee Lives Within"

"The Mack"(maybe not a kung fu movie but starring Richard Pryor) showing w/ "The Chinese Mack"

4 other kung fu double features:

"Chinese Hercules"('73)(Bolo)/"Black Dragon"(RonVan Clief)

"Fearless Fighters"('71)/"SuperManChu"('73)

"Dragon's Vengeance"('72)/"Kung Fu:The Punch of Death"('73)

"Return of the Tiger"('79,Bruce Li,Angela Mao)/"Stoner"('74)(Angela Mao)

All of the movies in this festival sound like they were mostly shown in drive-in theatres back in the '60's and '70's. Most of this fest's movies also look like it shows sexy women in some way(not that I'm bothered by that). "Rolling Thunder"('77) was a movie that I first found out about when i saw it on LA TV at around the late '70's- mid '80's. It doesn't seem like it's been shown on TV or released on VHS or DVD ever since for some reason! Based on what I remember, "RT" was a very good Tommy Lee Jones movie(even though hardly anybody has probably heard of it). You should definitely see "RT" if you get the chance. And yes, this Fest is probably supposed to promote Quentin's movie, "Grindhouse", which comes out next month. I know that it probably doesn't matter for her role in "GH", but Ms. McGowan still seems like a bad actress on "Charmed" IMO.

[Guest killer meteor]

I wonder if Tarentino will arrange DVD releases with the prints - be cool to see. We need decent DVDs for several of these films

[Linn1]

have rights that are already spoken for. Now the rights holders could get with him about it though.

[Guest Squid Lips]

Yeah this is right down the street from my house so am really happy about seeing these.

[Linn1]

exactly what this is. I have no doubt it's a retitle. Could it be The Warrior Within?

[Guest Squid Lips]

I don't know either, but I'll find out when it screens as I will be going to THE REAL BRUCE LEE which I saw in the late seventies in Oakland at the Lux Theater. It'll be nice to see the wide print again! I'll probably catch Hercules on Wednesday.

[Guest VonHumboldtFleischer]

I have no idea what "LEE LIVES WITHIN" is. The rest are a curious bunch of movies, really

THE CHINESE MACK (aka THE CHINESE GODFATHER) Average Chan Wei Man movie (is there any other kind?) with Betty Ting Pei.

THE MACK

A mean pimp hand and sweet accordion machine-gun action, but not much fun if you don't like Blaxploitation.

THE REAL BRUCE LEE

About as historically accurate as "Braveheart".

CHINESE HERCULES

I usually like bashers, but this one is a bore. There's also something unbearably annoying about the way Chan Wei Man's stringy hair clings to his sweaty forehead, and it takes Bolo about forty minutes to start crushing people and flexing his man-bosoms.

BLACK DRAGON

Never seen it.

FEARLESS FIGHTERS

The version I have has a huge caption burned in advertising some stupid Divx-to-DVD converter running all the way through, so that spoiled this for me. Seems like a fun film to see at the cinema, though.

SUPERMANCHU

Golden Harvest Chang Yi movie. Not bad. I have this under the title MASTER OF KUNG FU. Again, it would be a hoot to see this on a big screen.

DRAGON'S VENGEANCE

Barry Chan! I'd almost sit through a stuttery, incoherent introduction by Tarantino to see a clean print of this.

KUNG FU: THE PUNCH OF DEATH

aka PRODIGAL BOXER. Nobody seems to like this film very much. Perhaps I misremember it, but I thought it had some good fights.

RETURN OF THE TIGER

Never seen it.

STONER

Again, not a popular choice, but I like this one. Unlike DEATH DIMENSION and THE MAN FROM HONG KONG, we actually get to see George Lazenby do some fighting in this one.

Tommy Lee Jones only has a small part in ROLLING THUNDER - he's in it at the start and again at the end. The star is William Devane, who gives a brilliant performance as a haunted Vietnam vet. I'm pretty sure this is available on VHS, as I remember renting it about four times from the mobile video library in the old country, and I have the Australian VHS here now.

[Guest killer meteor]

I really like Prodigal Boxer. Chinese Hercules is an OK basher, Fearless Fighters is a bit of a mess but I've only seen the re-edited US version

i recall reading somewhere Tarentino really liked Fist Of Fury II. Be great if he could find it - does he have an acutal film collection?

[Linn1]

i recall reading somewhere Tarentino really liked Fist Of Fury II. Be great if he could find it - does he have an acutal film collection?

Supposedly the largest quality genre collection in the US. I know he has film hunters looking for stuff for him constantly. I'm pretty sure he's got a print of Fist of Fury 2. Also Fistfull of Talons, Snake In Monkey's Shadow (uncut), a few Zatoichi's, etc. BTW, all the films being shown are from his personal prints.

[Guest killer meteor]

What happened to the Rolling Thunder label? That seems the ideal label for this titles

[Guest Atomic Mystery Monster]

Supposedly the largest quality genre collection in the US. I know he has film hunters looking for stuff for him constantly. I'm pretty sure he's got a print of Fist of Fury 2. Also Fistfull of Talons, Snake In Monkey's Shadow (uncut), a few Zatoichi's, etc. BTW, all the films being shown are from his personal prints

I once heard a story about Tarantino hiring a Chinese private investigator to find a copy/owners of "some obscure martial arts movie" and how he was eventually able to get a print (and the rights) for himself. I'd always assumed it was just an urban legend, but your note about him having a team of film hunters makes me wonder if there's grain of truth to it after all.

[Guest killer meteor]

Be the perfect niche for Dragon Dynasty. Now if only I was as rich as Tarentino...

[Guest W Hong]

It looks like Mr. BruceLong, in the other thread, had the news about Quentin's Film Fest before my post. Mr. BL's info also means that he, Quentin, and I are some of the few people who've even heard of LLW. It also seems that this guy is a pretty serious fan of kung fu movies based on the info:

4/29-4/30 – The Real Bruce Lee, directed by Larry Dolgin and Jim Markovic; Lee Lives Within, directed by Tam Kai.

Linn1 said:

I've been wondering,

exactly what this is. I have no doubt it's a retitle. Could it be The Warrior Within?

If you're talking about the chuck Norris documentary called TWW, then it looks like LLW is not a retitle of that docu. That's based on the info in the IMDB.com. I just met a Vietnamese guy(who is a Bruce Lee fan) who thought the same thing as you, Linn1, about TWW.

However, I will try hard to make it to the double feature which is showing LLW. I wonder if this shows that Tarantino is finally re-opening the Sing Lee/King Hing Theatre pretty soon. And if that wasn't enough, there is also news about the Linda Lea theatre. The website, "www.cinematreasures.org", recently said that the LLTheatre will re-open this year. The website also said that there will be some kind of "kung fu double feature" on weekend matinees, believe it or not.

[Guest VonHumboldtFleischer]

Mr. BL's info also means that he, Quentin, and I are some of the few people who've even heard of LLW.

This would be more impressive if you actually knew what it was.

[Guest iron flag]

...How was it? Crowded? I missed the first night but I'll be going to the others for sure! The only other time I saw a KF movie in LA was a midnight screening of MotFG at the Nuart and it was half empty. I'm assuming since QT is involved with this there may be more people going.

[Guest W Hong]

VonHumboldtFleischer

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Mr. BL's info also means that he, Quentin, and I are some of the few people who've even heard of LLW.

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This would be more impressive if you actually knew what it was.

Here's what else I know. After checking the back issues in the Downtown Central Library about a year ago, the LA Times said that LLW was rated R. I think it was the View section of the LA Times where the Pacific theatre listings for 5/29/81 showed LLW being rated R. LLW may or may not have also been shown at Pacific's World Theatre(in Hollywood) at around the same time.

I know that it's for the Shaw forum, but if it would interest you, I'll try to get info about "Five Element Ninjas". I'll somehow check if it was shown at the Kim Sing Theatre at around 1982. IIRC, the LA Times said "Five Venoms" was shown at the Kim Sing at around early 1979.

[Linn1]

it's Warrior Within retitled. You're not the only one that dug through old newspapers and took notes, nice to know there's a few of us left. Heck, who do you think helped them with some questions to put that stuff up on IMDB for the film fest? They didn't know the titles themselves! That said, until someone sees the film, the question will still be a question. I honestly hope it's not WW, as that's a pretty crappy film.

[Guest greenbamboo]

Anyone seen this 'Lee Lives Within'? What is it about? I'm a big Bruce Lee fan and i've never heard of it.

[Guest W Hong]

Anyone seen this 'Lee Lives Within'? What is it about? I'm a big Bruce Lee fan and i've never heard of it.

No, I haven't seen "LLW" and nobody(except for Quentin(?) and early '80's audiences of LA's Pacific theatres) seems to know what it's about. Mr. BruceLong, in the other thread, probably knows more about LLW because of his topic. So I'd suggest asking Mr. BL in a PM or a reply. He said that LLW was directed by a Chinese guy.

As I've said, I will try hard to somehow make it to that showing of LLW which will be at the end of Tarantino's Fest at the Beverly Cinema. It does sound like LLW is just another Bruce imitator movie, or could be Chuck Norris' "Warrior Within". I'll find out if I go, or if somebody else on the forum will be there.

[Guest VonHumboldtFleischer]

the LA Times said that LLW was rated R.

LLW was directed by a Chinese guy.

Well that narrows it down, then.

[Guest dbmaster514]

There is a listing for LLW on www.allmovie.com so it must be a different film from TWW.

The link is below

www.allmovie.com/cg/avg.d...l=1:390939

[Linn1]

Retitles are often given completely new credits and titles. As a matter of fact, simply doing a little digging on that site turns up quite a few multible listings for titles of films already listed. To say nothing of other mistakes. Simply because a database has the title listed only tells us that someone found the title in a newspaper or knew of it, not that they actually ever saw it. The Tam Kai citation could simply be from a poster or hearsay. Considering the films have kinda alike titles, that the releases of Warrior Within featured Bruce Lee on the posters as much as Chuck Noris, it's a good educated guess. I don't doubt considering there's tons of films that haven't been seen on video, that it could be a unknown film. But having been in this situation many times over the years, I'm not holding my breath.

[Guest iron flag]

Wednesday & Thursday:

Fearless Fighters @ 7:30

Super Manchu @ 9:15

Here's a link for the theater:

www.newbevcinema.com/calendar.cfm

[Guest iron flag]

I went last night, pretty good turnout. I'd guess 99% non KF movie fans (easy to tell,they were laughing their asses off at the bad dubbing and excessive use of the word "bastard"). I dont think the Fearless Fighter print looked as good as the DVD. Supermanchu was a Golden Harvest flick starring Chang Yi out to get revenge and another guy who smoked a lot and used coins as weapons. Fun little flick (no great fights to speak of) The print was very faded, kind of looked pink.QT didn't show up btw. Both movies recieved applause.Trailers for MotFG and 7 Blows of the Dragon got a good reaction from the crowd as well.

[Guest greenbamboo]

Hi ironflag,

Did you speak to anyone who had seen the 'Lee Lives Within' film? Thanks.