Had it not been for the amazing Bruce Lee and his incredible movies in the early 1970s, it’s debatable whether or not the martial arts film genre would have ever penetrated and influenced mainstream western cinema & audiences the way it has over the past three decades. The influence of Asian martial arts cinema can be seen today in so many other film genres including comedies, action, drama, science fiction, horror, and animation. They all have their roots in the phenomenon that was Bruce Lee 15 Amazing Facts Every Fan Should Know About Bruce Lee 1. Bruce Lee’s birth name Lee Jun Fan is often a misnomer: Despite having a Chinese name, he was actually born in San Francisco, California, USA. 2. Lee carries the blessing of the dragon: He was born in the year of the dragon—1940, and at the hour of the dragon—between 6:00AM – 8:00AM. 3. Chinese plus German equals ’the little dragon Lee’: His ancestry is German and Chinese. His father is a full-blooded Chinese, while his mother is of German-Chinese decent. 4. High pay for private lessons: Demand for his private Kung Fu lessons grew so high and his hourly rate soared to as much as $275 per hour. 5. Lee’s hand is faster than the blink of an eye: He developed a trick for showing off his speed—a person holds a coin and as he closes it, Lee would take it and could even swap the coin for another. 6. ”The One Inch Punch” and off you go: Lee mastered this technique, in which he could deliver a devastating blow yet have his fist travel a mere one inch (2.54 cm) in distance before striking his opponent. 7. Bruce Lee is fond not only of Kung Fu, but also dancing: At age fourteen (14) he discovered that ‘dancing’ could be a great deal of fun. His favorite was the Cha-Cha and eventually became the Hong Kong Cha-Cha Champion. 8. The movie ‘Enter the Dragon’ was the last complete film made by Bruce Lee before his death: It was a 1973 Warner Brothers martial arts film and was the first to ever be made by a Hollywood Studio. 9. Bruce has a short birth name: Wrong! He actually has a long birth name—Bruce Lee Jun Fan Yuen Kam is his full birth name. 10. Lee forever lives in video games: He was often honored in various video games like in Mortal Kombat Series—Liu Kang; in Super Street Fighter 2—Fei Long; in World Heroes—Kim Dragon; and in Tekken—Marshall Law and Forrest Law. 11. Way back in Lee’s teenage years, he was a gang leader: The name of his group was known as “The Tigers of Junction Street.” 12. Lee’s first major U.S. project was the role of Kato in the television series “The Green Hornet.”: The show was surprisingly terminated after only one season (30) episodes, but at that time, Lee was receiving more fan mail than the show’s star Van Williams. 13. Lee began the process of creating his own martial arts style: Jun Fan Gung Fu was a modification of Wing Chun blended with Western Boxing, and Fencing. 14. Physical Fitness is one of Lee’s priority: In aid of his fitness, Lee used electric current to strengthen training. Lee tracked the evolution of his training in his diary, which has been recollected and published in The Bruce Lee Library by John Little. 15. Lee’s film “The Chinese Connection” made transformation: It is considered as Lee’s most influential work as it is one of the main reasons behind the shift in Hong Kong cinema from swordplay to empty-handed fighting, which triggered the beginning of the ”Golden era of Kung Fu Cinema” back in 1970’s.
Posted on: Fri, 09 May 2014 15:01:31 +0000
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