Enter the Dragon Information

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Enter the Dragon is a 1973 Hong Kong martial arts action film directed by Robert Clouse; starring Bruce Lee, Jim Kelly and John Saxon. This was Bruce Lee's final film appearance before his death on July 20, 1973. The film was released on July 26, 1973, six days after Lee's death, in Hong Kong.

In 2004, Enter the Dragon was deemed "culturally significant" in the United States and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.

Enter the Dragon was the first Chinese martial arts film to have been produced by a major Hollywood studio " Warner Bros. and was produced in association with Golden Harvest and Lee's Concord Production Company. The film is largely set in Hong Kong.

Among the stuntmen for the film were members of the Seven Little Fortunes, including Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung. This was arguably instrumental in Chan and Hung's further association with Golden Harvest studios, which later launched their careers. The portly Hung is shown fighting Lee in the opening sequence of the movie and Chan shows up as a henchman when Lee is discovered inside Han's underground lair.

The finished version of the film was significantly different from the original screenplay drafts as Bruce Lee revised much of the script himself, including having written and directed the film's opening Shaolin Monastery fight sequence. Lee wanted to use the film as a vehicle for expressing what he saw as the beauty of his Chinese culture, rather than it being just another action film.

Plot

Lee is a Shaolin martial artist from Hong Kong who receives an invitation to a martial arts competition on an island organised by Mr. Han. Lee learns from his Sifu (teacher) that Han was also once a Shaolin student, but had been expelled from their order for abusing their code of conduct.

A man named Braithwaite from British Intelligence approaches Lee and asks for his help in an undercover mission. Han is suspected to be involved in drug trafficking and prostitution. Han runs a martial arts school to protect his drug operations. Before leaving, Lee learns from his teacher that Han's bodyguard O'Hara had been involved in the death of his sister, Su Lin, years ago.

Lee arrives on Han's island and receives a warm reception. Joining him are other competitors including Roper and Williams. Both win their first fight easily.

That night, the competitors are all offered girls by Han's assistant, Tania. Lee asks Mei Ling, an agent of Braithwaite. That night,Lee begins searching the island for evidence and finds an underground base where drugs are being manufactured. He runs into Han's guards but manages to take them down.

The next day, Han punishes his guards using the sadistic Bolo. Lee is called to his first match with O'Hara and eventually killed when he attacks Lee with broken bottles. Later, Han summons Williams and beats him to death.

Han takes Roper on a tour of his underground base and invites him to be his agent for his heroin smuggling operations in the United States. The same night, Lee breaks into the underground base. After a spectacular fight with dozens of Han's guards, he is eventually lured into a trap and captured.

The next morning, Han asks Roper to fight Lee as a test of his loyalty. Roper refuses, so Han has him fight Bolo instead, but to his shock, Roper defeats him. The infuriated Han then orders his men to kill both Lee and Roper who manage to hold off the enemy. Mei Ling releases the captives who join them in the fight and even the odds. Amidst the chaos, Lee chase Han to his museum of mirrors and kills him. When Lee returns, he finds that most of Han's men have been defeated. Lee and Roper exchange a weary thumbs-up just as military helicopters arrive in response to the distress call.

Cast

• Bruce Lee as Lee
• John Saxon as Roper
• Jim Kelly as Williams
• Ahna Capri as Tania
• Shih Kien as Han
• Robert Wall as O'Hara
• Angela Mao as Su Lin
• Betty Chung as Mei Ling
• Geoffrey Weeks as Braithwaite
• Bolo Yeung as Bolo
• Peter Archer as Parsons
• Ho Lee Yan as Old Man
• Marlene Clark as Secretary
• Allan Kent as Golfer
• William Keller as L.A. Cop
• Mickey Caruso as L.A. Cop
• Pat E. Johnson as Hood
• Darnell Garcia as Hood

• Mike Bissell as Hood
• Jackie Chan as Han's henchman
• Roy Chiao as Shaolin Abbott
• Paul Heller
• Sammo Hung as Shaolin fighter
• Lam Ching Ying
• Tony Liu as Tournament fighter
• Yuen Biao as Tournament fighter
• Yuen Wah as Tournament fighter
• Hidy Ochiai
• Steve Sanders
• Wei Tung as Lao
• Donnie Williams
• Tadashi Yamashita
• Punching Chute
• Mars as Guard
• Sammo Hung as Tong
• Mang Hoi as Ship's mate

Production

The scene in which Lee states that his style was the style of "Fighting Without Fighting" and then lures Parsons into boarding a dinghy is based upon a famous anecdote involving the 16th century samurai Tsukahara Bokuden.

Jackie Chan appears as a guard during the underground lair battle scene and gets his neck snapped by Lee. He also performed several stunts for the film, including the scene where Lee's character quickly climbs a rooftop at night. However Yuen Wah was Lee's main stunt double for the film, most notably for the more acrobatic feats in the film, such as flipping over the abbot's arms at the beginning and the scene where Lee does a back-flip when O'Hara catches his leg during their fight.

Music

Argentinian musician Lalo Schifrin composed the film's musical score. While Schifrin was widely-known at the time for his jazz scores, he also incorporated funk and traditional film score elements into the film's soundtrack.

Reaction

Box office

In 1973, Enter the Dragon grossed an estimated $25,000,000 in North America, and an estimated $90,000,000 worldwide, on a tight budget of $850,000.

In Hong Kong, the film grossed HK$3,307,536"?huge business for the time, but substantially less than Lee's Fist of Fury and Way of the Dragon. As of 1999, Enter the Dragon has grossed more than $200,000,000 worldwide.

Critical response

The film was well received by critics and is regarded by many as one of the best films of 1973. Critics have referred to Enter the Dragon as "a low-rent James Bond thriller", a "remake of Doctor No" with elements of Fu Manchu. It currently holds a 97% approval rating on the review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes, with 37 reviews counted and an average rating of 7.8/10. In 2004, the film was deemed "culturally significant" by the Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.

The film also ranks #474 on Empire magazine's 2008 list of The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time.

Legacy

The film has been parodied and referenced in places such as the 1976 film The Pink Panther Strikes Again, the satirical publication The Onion, the Japanese game-show Takeshi's Castle, and the 1977 John Landis comedy anthology film Kentucky Fried Movie (in its lengthy "A Fistful of Yen" sequence) and also in the film Balls of Fury. Several clips from the film are comically used during the theater scene in The Last Dragon.

In August 2007, the now defunct Warner Independent Pictures announced that television producer Kurt Sutter would be remaking the film as a noir-style thriller entitled Awaken the Dragon.

The film was considered for two of the American Film Institute's 100 series lists. Lee's character was considered a possible candidate for AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes and Villains list. The film itself was also a candidate for AFI's 100 Years...100 Thrills, a list of America's most heart-pounding movies.

American Film Institute recognition

• AFI's 100 Years...100 Thrills " Nominated
• AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes and Villains:
  • Lee " Nominated Hero

Home video releases

DVD

Universe (Hong Kong)

• Aspect ratio: Widescreen (2:35:1) letterboxed
• Sound: Cantonese (Dolby Digital 5.1), Mandarin (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Subtitles: Traditional, Simplified Chinese, English, Japanese, Korean, Indonesian, Malaysian, Thai, Vietnamese
• Supplements: Trailer, trailers for Way of the Dragon, The Big Boss, Game of Death, Legacy of Rage, star files
• All regions, NTSC

Fortune Star " Bruce Lee Ultimate DVD Collection (Hong Kong)

• Aspect ratio: Widescreen (2:35:1) anamorphic
• Sound: Cantonese (DTS 5.1), Cantonese (Dolby Digital 5.1), Cantonese (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono), Mandarin (DTS 5.1), Mandarin (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Subtitles: Traditional, Simplified Chinese, English
• Supplements: Original trailer, new trailer, still photos, slideshow of photos, celebrity interviews, unseen footage, Game of Death outtakes, Enter the Dragon alternate opening, 32-page booklet
• Region 3, NTSC

Zoke Culture (China)

• Aspect ratio: Widescreen (2:40:1) anamorphic
• Sound: English (DTS 5.1), English (Dolby Digital 5.1), Cantonese (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo), Mandarin (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo)
• Subtitles: Traditional, Simplified Chinese, English, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, Portuguese, Indonesian, French
• Supplements: Audio commentary by producer Paul M. Heller and screenwriter Michael Allin, "Blood and Steel: Making of Enter the Dragon", "Bruce Lee: In His Own Words", Linda Lee Cadwell interview gallery, "original" 1973 making-of featurette, "Backyard Workout with Bruce Lee"
• All regions, NTSC

Warner " 30th Anniversary Special Edition (America)

• Aspect ratio: Widescreen (2:35:1) anamorphic
• Sound: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
• Subtitles: English, Spanish, French
• Supplements: Disc 1: Audio commentary by producer Paul M. Heller and screenwriter Michael Allin, "Blood and Steel: Making of Enter the Dragon", "Bruce Lee: In His Own Words", Linda Lee Cadwell interview gallery, "Location: Hong Kong with Enter the Dragon" original 1973 documentary, "Backyard Workout With Bruce Lee" Disc 2: "Curse of the Dragon" feature-length documentary, "Bruce Lee: A Warrior's Journey" feature-length documentary, theatrical trailers, TV spots
• Region 1, NTSC

Warner " 25th Anniversary Special Edition (America)

• Aspect ratio: Widescreen (2:35:1) anamorphic
• Sound: English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Subtitles: English, Spanish, French
• Supplements: Audio commentary by producer Paul M. Heller and screenwriter Michael Allin, Isolated music score, an all-new introduction and interview with Linda Lee Cadwell, "Location: Hong Kong with Enter the Dragon" original 1973 documentary, "Backyard Workout with Bruce", "Bruce Lee In His Own Words", theatrical trailers, TV spots, cast and crew biographies, "Significance of Belts in Martial Arts" notes, "Heir to the Throne" " Jackie Chan notes, retrospective of Hong Kong martial arts films notes and stills, behind-the-scenes notes, reel recommendations " 16 movies
• Region 1, NTSC

Warner " Limited Edition (United Kingdom)

• Aspect ratio: Widescreen (2:35:1) anamorphic
• Sound: English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Subtitles: English
• Supplements: Audio commentary by producer Paul M. Heller and screenwriter Michael Allin, isolated music score, an all-new introduction and interview with Linda Lee Cadwell, "Location: Hong Kong with Enter the Dragon" original 1973 documentary, "Backyard Workout with Bruce", "Bruce Lee: In His Own Words", theatrical trailers, TV spots, cast and crew biographies, 10 exclusive Enter the Dragon postcards, 8 reproductions of original lobby cards, reproduction of the original press brochure
• Region 2, PAL

Blu-ray

Kam & Ronson (Hong Kong)

• Aspect ratio: Widescreen (2:35:1)
• Sound: Cantonese (DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1), Cantonese (Dolby True HD 7.1), Mandarin (Dolby Digital EX 6.1), Thai (Dolby Digital EX 6.1)
• Subtitles: Traditional Chinese, English, Thai
• Supplements: "Alternate opening credits", trailer, photo gallery
• Region A

Warner (North America and South America)

• Aspect ratio: Widescreen (2:40:1)
• Sound: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), French (Dolby Digital 1.0 Mono), Portuguese (Dolby Digital 1.0 Mono)
• Subtitles: English, Spanish, French, Portuguese
• Supplements: Audio commentary by producer Paul M. Heller and screenwriter Michael Allin, "Blood and Steel: Making of Enter the Dragon", "Bruce Lee: In His Own Words", Linda Lee Cadwell interview gallery, "Location: Hong Kong with Enter the Dragon" original 1973 documentary, "Backyard Workout with Bruce Lee", "Curse of the Dragon" feature-length documentary, "Bruce Lee: A Warrior's Journey" feature-length documentary, theatrical trailers, TV spots
• All regions