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The Way of the Dragon

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"Return of the Dragon" redirects here. Not to be confused with the Sisqó albumReturn of Dragon.

The Way of the Dragon
Hong Kong film poster
Traditional ChineseMãnhLongQuá giang
Simplified ChineseMãnh long quá giang
Literal meaningFerociousDragonCrosses the River[a]
Hanyu PinyinMěng Lóng Guòjiāng
JyutpingMaang5 Lung5 Gwo3 Gong1
Directed byBruce Lee
Written byBruce Lee
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyTadashi Nishimoto
(as Ho Lang-shan)
Edited byPeter Cheung
Music byJoseph Koo
Production
company
Distributed byGolden Harvest
Release date
  • 30 December 1972(1972-12-30)
Running time
100 minutes
CountryHong Kong
LanguagesMandarin
Cantonese
English
BudgetUS$130,000[2]
Box officeUS$130 million[3]

The Way of the Dragon[4](Chinese:Mãnh long quá giang,originally released in the United States asReturn of the Dragon) is a 1972Hong Kong martial artsaction comedy filmco-produced and directed byBruce Lee,who also stars in the lead role. This is Lee's only complete directorial film and the last one released during his lifetime. The film co-starsNora Miao,Robert Wall,Wei Ping-ouandChuck Norris(playing his debut screen role).

The Way of the Dragonwas released in Hong Kong on 30 December 1972, and in the United States in August 1974. The film went on to gross an estimatedUS$130 millionworldwide (equivalent to over$700 millionadjusted for inflation), against a tight budget of $130,000, earning a thousand times its budget. It was the highest-grossingHong Kong filmup until Lee's next filmEnter the Dragon(1973).

The film is primarily set in arestaurantinRome.The owners are being harassed by a localcrime Boss,and request help from a relative inHong Kong.The help arrives in the form of a youngmartial artist.The conflict between the restaurant staff and the gangsters soon escalates.

Plot

InRome,Chen Ching-hua and her uncle Wang experience trouble with their restaurant from a crime Boss who wants their property. When Chen refuses to give it up, the Boss sends gangsters there to scare away the customers. Appealing to an uncle inHong Kong,Chen receives help in the form of a young martial artist Tang Lung. On his first arrival, Tang is disoriented by his new surroundings and appears to be a country bumpkin. Disappointed, Chen asks what help he can be, but Tang confidently assures her that he is capable enough. At the restaurant, Tang learns that the staff have begun to learnkarate,much to the annoyance of Quen, an employee who favorskung fu.Tang advises Quen to be open-minded and make use of anything that works.

Before long, the gangsters appear at the restaurant and threaten the customers away while Tang is using the bathroom. Upset by Tang's poor timing, the staff question his skill and the usefulness of his style. When the gangsters later return, the staff engage the thugs in a fight, only to be beaten. However, Tang single-handedly defeats them, causing the staff to decide to train under him. Uncle Wang warns them that the gangsters will seek revenge, but Tang vows to protect the restaurant. Chen and Tang grow closer and she takes him on a tour of Rome, though Tang is unimpressed by the city. Ho, the crime Boss 's subordinate, returns with armed men and takes the restaurant staff hostage. Ho gives Tang a ticket to Hong Kong and tells him to go back. However, when his men escort Tang outside, Tang fights back and defeats the thugs with his twonunchakus,followed by the help of the restaurant staff.

Tang warns Ho not to return and the thugs leave the restaurant. The staff celebrate their victory, but the gang Boss threatens to have Tang killed unless he leaves byChinese New Year.Uncle Wang urges Chen to convince Tang to leave. When Tang refuses to abandon the restaurant, an assassin tries to kill him from a nearby rooftop with a sniper rifle. Already fidgety from nearby fireworks, Tang survives the attempt. He then tracks down and defeats the assassin after tricking him into wasting his ammunition. When he returns to the apartment, he finds that Chen is gone. Assuming that Ho has kidnapped her, Tang goes to the Boss ' headquarters with the restaurant staff, defeating his men. Tang issues a final warning to the Boss to leave the restaurant alone. The staff again celebrate, but a telegram for Tang cuts this short when they learn that he has been summoned back to Hong Kong. Tang assures them that he will not leave until the situation is resolved. Ho hires two martial artists to challenge Tang – Japanese and European karate masters who initially refuse to work together.

Ho also recruits a world-class martial artist named Colt and leads some of the restaurant staff to an isolated spot under the pretence of a truce, where the two martial artists ambush them. These initially defeat the staff until Tang intervenes and leaves the staff to finish the last one. Ho lures Tang away to fight Colt at theColosseum.Left behind, Uncle Wang knifes the two remaining members of the staff as he wants to sell the restaurant to the crime Boss and return to Hong Kong as a rich man. In a decisive ten-minute battle, Tang disables Colt and kills him with reluctance after Colt refuses an opportunity for mercy. Tang then places Colt'sgiandblack beltatop his dead body as a gesture of respect, before discovering Ho and chasing after him out of the Colosseum. As Tang and Ho return to the ambush site, the mob Boss arrives and shoots both Ho and Uncle Wang. Led by Chen, the police arrest the Boss as he tries to kill Tang. With the matter finally resolved, Tang returns to Hong Kong, where Quen tells Chen that Tang is a loner who will never settle down.

Cast

Production

Bruce Lee formed his own production company,Concord Production Inc.,withGolden HarvestfounderRaymond Chow,andThe Way of the Dragonwas the company's first film.[7]As well as acting as its producer, Lee also wrote the script, directed the film and played percussion on the soundtrack.[8]

The film was originally intended as only for the Asian market,[9]but was ultimately "responsible for maintaining the momentum of martial arts films in America".[10]What makes it particularly memorable is the treatment of the fight in theColosseum,with Chuck Norris making his film debut there. Lee filmed it "in long takes, framing it so that you could see their entire bodies. He used dramatic lighting, making both of them look larger-than-life."[11]

Box office

Prior to release, the film's initial tight budget of US$130,000 was already covered by pre-sales inTaiwanalone.[2]Upon release, the film earnedHK$5,307,350.50 at the Hong Kong box office, beating previous records set by Lee's own films,The Big BossandFist of Fury,and making it the highest-grossing film of 1972 in Hong Kong.[12]The Way of the Dragonwent on to grossHK$5.4 million,making it thehighest-grossing film ever in Hong Kongup until then.[13]

In the United States and Canada, the film received a wide release in August 1974, topping theNorth Americanbox office charts. InNew York Cityalone, the film opened with earnings of more thanUS$1,000,000(equivalent to $6,200,000 in 2023) in its first five days.[14]AtChicago'sOriental Theater,the film drew long queues before opening, setting an all-time theater record with 4,000 tickets sold within several hours of its opening.[15]The film grossed$250,000(equivalent to $1,500,000 in 2023) within two weeks of release at the Oriental Theater.[16]

At two other Chicago theaters inBlackneighbourhoods, the film earned$185,000(equivalent to $1,140,000 in 2023) in its opening week. At a number of theaters, the film drew loud cheers from Black audiences like aprizefight,particularly during the climactic fight where audiences cheered on Lee as he fought Chuck Norris.[17]Within a month of its release, the film earned nearly$4,000,000(equivalent to $25,000,000 in 2023) in the United States.[18]The film earned$5,200,000(equivalent to $32,000,000 in 2023) in USdistributor rentalsduring its initial run.[19]With later re-releases, the film went on to gross a total box office revenue of$85 millionin the United States.[20]

In France, it became the eighthhighest-grossing filmof 1974 (belowEnter the Dragonat #5 and aboveFist of Furyat #12), with 4,002,004 ticket sales.[21]In Spain, the film sold 2,345,259 tickets.[22]In Germany, it was the 13th highest-grossing film of 1975, with1.5 millionticket sales.[23]In Japan, the film earned¥772 millionindistribution rentals,[24]becoming the ninthhighest-grossing filmof 1975.[25]In South Korea, the film sold 182,530 tickets in the capital city ofSeoul.[26]The film was also a commercial success in India when it released there in 1979. In oneBombaytheater alone, New Excelsior, the film earned an estimated₹1.204 millionin its first eight weeks.[27]

Against the film's final budget of $130,000, the film initially grossedUS$50,000,000(equivalent to $340,000,000 in 2023) worldwide,[28]before increasing its gross to$85 million[29]and then$100,000,000(equivalent to $620,000,000 in 2023) by 1974.[30]It eventually grossed an estimated total of$130 million[3](equivalent to approximately$870 millionadjusted for inflation), earning 1,000 times its budget. It was the highest-grossing Hong Kong film up until Lee's next film,Enter the Dragon(1973).

Reception and legacy

Rotten Tomatoesreported a 92% favourable critics' response, commenting on Lee's work that it shows "a surprising change of pace from his usual hard-hitting action fare because it favors humor as much as it does kung-fu".[31]Upon release,Roger Ebertinitially gave a mixed review in theChicago Sun-Times,saying he found the plot simplistic and its conventions unbelievable but commented that "this sort of stuff is magnificently silly, and Lee, to give him credit, never tried to rise above it."[15]Retrospective reviews have since been positive, with the film's comedy elements compared favourably toCharlie Chaplin[32]andJackie Chan,[33]while the final fight between Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris is considered one of the greatestfight scenesof all time.[34]

At the11th Golden Horse Awards,it was judged a runner-upBest Feature Filmand was recognised forBest Film Editing.Later on, it ranked #95 inEmpiremagazine's list "The 100 Best Films of World Cinema" in 2010.[35]According to Gene Freese, the final fight between Lee and Norris is considered "by many to be the greatest movie fight ever" filmed. It has been listed as one of the greatest fight scenes of all time in a number of publications.[34]

In 1978, following Lee's death, anexploitation sequelwas released titledWay of the Dragon 2,starringBruce LeandBolo Yeung.

During the fight scene between Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris, Lee demonstrated and popularized a technique that would later be called the oblique kick.[36]This technique is frequently used by several modernmixed martial arts(MMA) fighters, most notably theUFCpound-for-poundchampionJon Jones,[36]who cited Lee as an inspiration.[37]

See also

Notes

  1. ^The title puns on Lee's native name Siu-Lung ( tiểu long, "little dragon" ), while "crossing the river" is an idiom meaning "to leaveChina."[1]

References

  1. ^Derbyshire, John."The Virtual Attic — The Way of the Dragon".John Derbyshire's Home Page.Archivedfrom the original on 17 January 2024.Retrieved5 January2024.
  2. ^abThomas, Bruce (1994).Bruce Lee, Fighting Spirit: A Biography.Frog Books. pp.147-8.ISBN9781883319250.At $130,000, the budget was slightly higher than his previous films but production costs were covered by pre-sales to Taiwan.
  3. ^abKrizanovich, Karen (2015).Infographic Guide To The Movies.Hachette UK.pp. 18–9.ISBN978-1-84403-762-9.Archivedfrom the original on 11 February 2024.Retrieved8 June2020.
  4. ^"The Way of the Dragon".The Criterion Collection.The Criterion Collection.Archivedfrom the original on 15 January 2021.Retrieved8 December2020.
  5. ^In the film, Robert Wall's character is referred to as Tom (English dub) or Bob (H.K. version). The end credits, however, refer to his character as Fred.
  6. ^Derbyshire, John(15 October 2003)."Thug (Uncredited)".National Review Online.Archivedfrom the original on 13 February 2023.Retrieved13 October2008.
  7. ^Lee, Bruce; Little, John; Little, John R. (15 November 1997).Words of the dragon: interviews 1958–1973.Tuttle Publishing. p. 19.ISBN978-0-8048-3133-8.Retrieved15 January2011.
  8. ^Tom Breihan,AV film clubArchived17 April 2021 at theWayback Machine
  9. ^Almar Haflidason,BBC home pageArchived21 December 2021 at theWayback Machine
  10. ^Jo Berry,Empire Magazine online, 3 March 2006Archived21 November 2018 at theWayback Machine
  11. ^Tom Breihan, AV film club
  12. ^"Lưu vĩ cường nói Hong Kong điện ảnh thời đại điểm cong không hề làm thời trang phiến cô đơn".Sina News.11 May 2011.Archivedfrom the original on 4 March 2016.Retrieved9 October2015.
  13. ^Uncle John's Slightly Irregular Bathroom Reader.Simon and Schuster.2012. p. 235.ISBN978-1-60710-613-5.Archivedfrom the original on 8 June 2020.Retrieved7 June2020.
  14. ^Desser, David (2002)."The Kung Fu Craze: Hong Kong Cinema's First American Reception".In Fu, Poshek; Desser, David (eds.).The Cinema of Hong Kong: History, Arts, Identity.Cambridge University Press.pp. 19–43 (35).ISBN978-0-521-77602-8.
  15. ^abEbert, Roger (8 August 1974)."Return of the Dragon Movie Review (1974)".RogerEbert.Archivedfrom the original on 20 November 2018.Retrieved27 November2018.
  16. ^Gold, Aaron (15 August 1974)."Tower Ticker".Chicago Tribune.p. 44.Archivedfrom the original on 16 April 2022.Retrieved16 April2022– viaNewspapers.
  17. ^Early, Mwanafunzi Gerald (17 January 1975)."The Fists of Bruce Lee".The Daily Pennsylvanian.Philadelphia.p. 4.Archivedfrom the original on 7 April 2022.Retrieved7 April2022– viaNewspaperArchive.For instance, in a film entitled "The Return of the Dragon," originally made several years but not released until after Lee's death, Lee has a climatic fight towards the end of the film with American karateka Chuck Norris, who happens to be white. On the day that I saw the film the theater was filled with Black folks (incidentally, Lee's films have played largely to Black, Puerto Rican, and Chinese audiences in America. Indeed, when "The Return of the Dragon" was released it grossed an unbelievable $185,000 in one week at two theaters in the Black section of Chicago) the audience cheered wildly for Lee almost as if they were witnessing a prizefight and not viewing a film.
  18. ^Curry, Bill (16 September 1974)."People in Entertainment: Bruce Lee Film Salvaged for Release".The Philadelphia Inquirer.p. 14.Archivedfrom the original on 16 April 2022.Retrieved16 April2022– viaNewspapers.
  19. ^"All-time Film Rental Champs",Variety,7 January 1976 p 46
  20. ^Kuwahara, Yasue (2015)."Lee, Bruce (1940-1973)".In Riess, Steven A. (ed.).Sports in America from Colonial Times to the Twenty-First Century: An Encyclopedia: An Encyclopedia.Routledge.p. 1623.ISBN978-1-317-45946-0.Lee was called back to Hollywood during the shooting of his third movie,The Way of the Dragon,which was completed in 1972 and released in 1973 in the United States, where it grossed $85 million.
  21. ^"Charts - LES ENTREES EN FRANCE".JP's Box-Office(in French). 1974. Archived fromthe originalon 27 March 2019.Retrieved27 November2018.
  22. ^Soyer, Renaud (28 January 2013)."Bruce Lee Box Office".Box Office Story(in French).Archivedfrom the original on 1 May 2021.Retrieved30 June2020.
  23. ^"The Way of The Dragon (1974) - Europe".JP's Box-Office(in French).Archivedfrom the original on 29 November 2018.Retrieved27 November2018.
  24. ^"キネマ tuần báo ベスト・テン85 hồi toàn sử 1924-2011".Kinema Junpo.Kinema Junposha. 2012. p. 332.
  25. ^"ドラゴンへ の nói ／ mãnh long quá giang ( 1972 )".KungFu Tube(in Japanese). 21 April 2010.Archivedfrom the original on 1 December 2018.Retrieved29 November2018.
  26. ^"영화정보"[Movie Information].KOFIC(in Korean).Korean Film Council.Archivedfrom the original on 25 December 2018.Retrieved24 September2019.
  27. ^Khalid Mohamed(15 September 1979)."Bruce Lee storms Bombay once again with Return Of The Dragon".India Today.Archivedfrom the original on 16 July 2018.Retrieved20 January2015.
  28. ^Norris, Chuck(17 June 1977)."Chuck has makings of macho superstar".Nanaimo Daily News.p. 31.Archivedfrom the original on 8 June 2020.Retrieved8 June2020.He called me and said he'd like me to stage a duel and go the fight with him in the Coliseum in Rome. I guess it was okay, because the picture cost $150,000 and grossed $50 million.
  29. ^Thomas, Bruce (2012).Bruce Lee: Fighting Spirit.Pan Macmillan.p. 224.ISBN978-0-283-07081-5.And with a mere $130,000 production budget,The Way of the Dragonwent on to gross more than$85 million.
  30. ^Waugh, Darin, ed. (1978)."British Newspaper Clippings – Showtalk: The King Lives".Bruce Lee Eve: The Robert Blakeman Bruce Lee Memorabilia Collection Logbook, and Associates of Bruce Lee Eve Newsletters.Kiazen Publications.ISBN978-1-4583-1893-0.Archivedfrom the original on 5 March 2024.Retrieved10 June2020.Lee first found success in The Big Boss and followed that with Fist of Fury and Enter the Dragon which grossed an outstanding 100,000,000 dollars and firmly established itself as one of the world's all-time top films in commercial terms. Lee went on to top this with The Way of the Dragon and the cameras had barely stopped rolling when he began what was to be his final film Game of Death. (...) Now director Robert Clouse has completed Game of Death.
  31. ^"Return of the Dragon (The Way of the Dragon) (1974)".Rotten Tomatoes.Archivedfrom the original on 29 March 2019.Retrieved27 November2018.
  32. ^Bell, Nicholas (25 August 2020)."Criterion Collection: Bruce Lee – His Greatest Hits".IONCINEMA.Archivedfrom the original on 28 August 2022.Retrieved16 April2022.
  33. ^Massie, Mike; Massie, Joel (15 August 1972)."Way of the Dragon (Return of the Dragon) (1972) - Movie Review".Gone With The Twins.Archivedfrom the original on 28 August 2022.Retrieved16 April2022.
  34. ^abFreese, Gene (11 September 2017).Classic Movie Fight Scenes: 75 Years of Bare Knuckle Brawls, 1914-1989.McFarland & Company.p. 215.ISBN978-1-4766-2935-3.Archivedfrom the original on 16 April 2022.Retrieved16 April2022.
  35. ^"The 100 Best Films of World Cinema: 93. The Fourth Man".Empire.Archivedfrom the original on 6 September 2015.Retrieved29 July2010.
  36. ^abFantaousakis, Kostas (29 December 2018)."UFC 232 - Jones vs. Gustafsson 2: Moves to look for".Bloody Elbow.Vox Media.Archivedfrom the original on 16 June 2020.Retrieved16 June2020.
  37. ^Razvi, Sam (19 March 2012)."Exclusive interview with UFC champion Jon Jones".Coach Mag.Archivedfrom the original on 16 June 2020.Retrieved16 June2020.

External links

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