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Birth of the Dragon Cannoli Send a noteboard - 07/09/2017 03:01:34 AM

Birth of the Dragon is based on an event that supposedly happened involving Bruce Lee before he became famous. In the film, Wong Jack Man is a Shaolin monk who comes to San Francisco at a time when Bruce Lee is beginning to popularize Kung Fu in the American martial arts community. Wong is apparently legend to people in the know, as the American point of view character, McGee, has heard of him and recognizes him in an article about his arrival, even though he can't read the Chinese it is printed in. McGee is a student of Bruce Lee's Kung Fu school, and when Lee hears about Wong's arrival, he assumes it is in reaction to Lee's teaching the art to white people. McGee is star-struck by Wong, and becomes a sort of go-between carrying word of Lee to Wong and vice versa, as well as an audience surrogate in questioning them and observing the contrasts. And the contrasts and conflicts between the two martial artists are the subject of the film. Lee is flamboyant, cocky and provocative, talking trash to his students, his opponents and even the cannon fodder actors in his indie film, but there is a sincerity in his teaching as well, giving the impression that this is an affected persona that has become real. Wong is reserved and serious and all about the mental and spiritual aspects of Kung Fu, but not inflexibly so, or as xenophobic as the initial presentation of his character might seem. In fact, his conflict with Lee is not what Lee and others immediately assume upon his arrival, and his intentions toward Lee that eventually result in the fight to which the film is building are not what is obvious either. There is a personal and moral dimension to their fight, which makes the story much more engaging than merely an Oriental sports movie.

I enjoyed it, with the caveat that I know nothing about martial arts, the competitions or their histories or practices in the country. I know nothing about Bruce Lee, except that he was a martial arts movie star, who died filming his last movie, which was one of the more notorious attempts to fake its way around an unavailable actor. And he had son who I think also died making a martial arts movie? That's it. So for me, Lee & Wong were no more than characters for whom I had no prior investment or attachment. I can't say how good the martial arts were, but they were interestingly depicted. Lee's more brash and show-offy persona contrasted with his relatively simple costume, while the more austere Wong was often fighting or exercising in billowy costumes. In the one "real" fight in which he engages, his style is very minimalistic, while the swirling robes in his competitive fights give a more flowing & graceful impression that contrasts with his surroundings and opponents' color palette. Following the climactic fight, there is an act that plays as a sort of homage to martial arts type movies, as their mutual American student McGee, inspired by his mentors, seeks to rescue a friend from the headquarters of a Chinatown organized crime boss.

I liked the action, and Lee & Wong were both engaging in different ways, while the PoV white guy was not too annoying or stupid, nor too capable or impressive, and the "rivalry" for lack of a better word, between his two teachers for his loyalty was handled well, I thought.

Cannoli
“Tolerance is the virtue of the man without convictions.” GK Chesteron
Inde muagdhe Aes Sedai misain ye!
Deus Vult!
*MySmiley*
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Birth of the Dragon - 07/09/2017 03:01:34 AM 274 Views
Oh, I thought this was going to be about Game of Thrones! *NM* - 08/09/2017 10:29:03 PM 141 Views

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