Enter the Dragon feels to me the epitome of “globalization” when it comes to the kungfu genre. It’s a film that everyone knows about (or at least knew, I’m not sure how much the newer generations are aware of this film) and it made such a splash that every martial arts film released afterwards had to be compared to it. Basically, it set the bar pretty high by creating a new standard for martial arts films, as well as putting Bruce Lee on the map as more of a superstar. While great action stars like Jackie Chan would follow, Bruce Lee is still considered to be the most iconic and you can feel his influence way more in hip hop. There’s an odd quote about the transference of stardom between Lee and Chan that goes “The hero is dead, the clown is born”, which basically means that after Lee’s death, Chan’s approach to martial arts films were very different and I think purists might have been put off by his funny antics and Buster Keaton-styled stunts. That quote was probably said out of spite, but there is a degree of truth due to how different Chan went about his films. While “the Clown is born” when Chan entered the scene, films like Police Story, Drunken Master, and Jackie Chan’s First Strike (among so many others) demonstrate Chan’s abilities in martial arts and combat, and show that this “clown” is a force to be reckoned with. While I would take Chan’s crazy stunts and brutal but funny fighting scenes over Bruce Lee’s work (although I love that as well), there’s something so iconic about Bruce Lee’s work that no other martial artist/actor could touch, and it’s the image of the dragon which Lee embodied and thus created an image that influenced so many for years to come, across all different kinds of art.
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Kato + Enter the Dragon
Enter the Dragon is a large budget Hollywood film. Due to this, some of the edgyness in Lee’s earlier films seems to be lost. Similarly, in …
Enter The Dragon
“According to the kung fu film semiotics the karate/judo gi is reserved to signify the Japanese, hence, foreign power/imperialism.” page 152
I really enjoyed the visual aspect of this part. Seeing the entire courtyard of students in white gis and the competitors in yellow, but Lee is in his Chinese costume. I think that his refusal to wear the uniform that all the other fighters wear is a major point where everyone takes notice of him. Also at the ending, when all of the prisoners were released, they were wearing the Chinese garb in black. It created a clear visual opposition of the”good guys” and the “villains”.
As Kato goes on to say that by using the gis the crew was trying to “embody the multinational ‘Orientalist’ aesthetic” and Lee’s refusal to participate in that aspect of the film was really great to show how individual cultures should be recognized as different.
Sphere of the Real in Enter The Dragon
After reading Kato I was on the look out for several things while watching Enter The Dragon. What immediately disarmed me was Bruce Lee’s acting. He has a quiet anger and intensity about him. I wonder if this is true of his general persona, or if it was due to the specifics of the issues encountered in this film. Kato is very explicit about Lee and the other workers being exploited by the transnationalization process, “they were together in an antagonistic relationship with the transnational production crew” (Kato 119). The pent up anger explodes during the fight scene with O’Hara, where the discontent of the factory workers is turned against the colonial power when Lee actually hurts O’Hara. I was on the look out of the reaction of the extras throughout my viewing, and it was interesting to see their “unscripted” reactions. Kato describes this as “the sphere of the real” entering a production. Lee’s unchecked anger is also a piece of “reality” inserted into the film, a space unmediated by the imperial power. When Lee strikes O’Hara, his expression becomes distorted by raw emotion, creating a direct channel to the reality of imperialism/colonialism.
Enter the Dragon, Power, and Subversion
In this chapter, I found how ironic it is for Hollywood wanting to portray this Asian vibe, but strip away a lot of meaning behind certain Asian traditions or ways. On page 119, “Lee attempted to work with him on revisions to bring a more realistic portrayal of the character of Chinese and kung fu philosophy to the script.” Lee tries to push for truth about kung fu and the Chinese way and purpose of things; unfortunately, he had no luck, “The American producers, however, maintained a double face: they consented to Lee’s demand, but secretly arranged a new accommodation for the scriptwriter for a designated period of vacation behind Lee’s back (119).” Overall, Lee was deceived and lied to.
This reminded me of Takaki’s Strangers From a Different Shore and how many Asian immigrants were tricked or fooled into thinking that they would have a great life in the U.S. I see a similarity to this happening to Lee and how many Asians feel for the deceit of America. Also, further into the reading,
After watching Enter the Dragon, the book begins to make more sense about its allegories. The book goes on to explain about the scene and Oharra on page 132, “”‘Lee’s’ face beams forth ever-changing impressions from the wrath of righteous deity, to the indignation of a woman, to the ululation of a child victimized by war.” I take this as a way of empires/countries/colonies suffering the consequences of “war for peace.” It’s ironic. Many expansions are due to this greed of power, or the true belief that one’s ruling is the best way, but the first thing that most people see is war or violence being portrayed.
Overall, I enjoyed the movie because there was a lot of action, but I also see how it fits in perfectly with the allegories presented. As for my comparison to Takaki, I think that Lee coming up and beating Han would be the rising of the Asian cultures against invaders. Han was Asian himself and the book talks about how many Asian countries had to suffer the consequences of violence and war against other Asian invaders, so I believe that was a good representation of the protagonist and antagonist roles cast in the movie.