Title · no scrobbles indexed yet

The Legend of Bruce Lee

The first scrobble for this title is still propagating, but a community review is already indexed below.

Reviews

Longform community posts about this title

THE LEGEND OF BRUCE LEE (Netflix) Part 3 of 3@nazirullsafry1629d

AAAABWS7ttwAizk21nxTWHM2NRjpGYtywXDCIqwfkqk9Se3wJ22on3OL0btNF5D7QqLgI-4SjgzX2x6_mtLpwgMmBuRvj-PL.jpg

THE IMMORTAL This ‘Legend of Bruce Lee’ series has gone a full circle. Apart from his martial art achievements, which is considered a heretic by the Chinese, he has uplifted their screen stature.

Joseph Campbell says about immortality,

"I’ve lost a lot of friends, and my parents and all, and a realization that has come to me very, very keenly is that I haven’t lost them, that that moment when I was with them had an everlasting quality about it that is now still with me. What it gave me is still with me. And there’s a kind of intimation of immortality in that."

And Ernest Hemingway,

“Every man has two deaths when he is buried in the ground and the last time someone says his name. In some ways, men can be immortal.”

In the film Troy (2004), a messenger boy told Achilles that the Thessalonian giant s the biggest he has seen and he would not want to fight him. To which Achilles answered “That's why no one will remember your name.

Also its epic soundtrack song ‘Remember Me’ says,

Remember me... Remember, I will still be here As long as you hold me In your memory Remember, when your dreams have ended Time can be transcended I live forever Remember me…

In the end, this is not just this is your normal tv series (altho it might look normal) but it is almost autobiographical.

But then it is also not just any normal autobiography because at a point, he transcends the normal plane into the realm of cinematic immortality with the image of unabashed youth and energy uncorrupted by human aging. This solidifies his everlasting screen persona and presence. It is almost saint-like, prophetical if not god-like. (Joseph Campbell notion of mythical ‘God’)

Traveling across the sea (to America) to build himself and returned to the island (Hong Kong) to help his people.

In one documentary, Bruce Lee has been labeled as someone who has changed the image of the Chinese from the slant-eyed Eastern Orientals to a muscular fighting force Asian Americans.

Early Hollywood won’t even let real Chinese play a Chinese character. Compared to what we see now, a full-fledged Chinese MCU superhero flick, Shang-Chi.

On-screen, Robert Downey Jr. is Ironman. Off the screen, he is Robert Downet Jr.

On-screen, Bruce Lee is Bruce Lee. Off the screen, he is still, Bruce Lee.

Permalink·Open on PeakD ↗·Linked from existing Hive post

Comments

No comments yet — be the first.

2 more reviews

›THE LEGEND OF BRUCE LEE (Netflix) Part 2 of 3@nazirullsafry1637d

THE PUZZLE OF THE ‘GAME OF DEATH’ Like how the director has hinted with ‘Little Dragon’ on episode 1 of the series, the mystery of not going up that final flight of stairs after beating the giant guardian can be answered.

One can visually see clearly that Bruce Lee’s character appears lethargic and at the end of his bodily life while descending down the staircase. He is also at the same time answering a call from outside the pagoda.

Bruce Lee screams through the paper wall, “The game is over!”

A voice outside answered, “The game is not over yet. You still have to fight outside!”

...Which Bruce Lee’s answered, “I can’t”

His body might have met its limit. But his spirit has not. The final flight of stairs is for his soul to ascend higher.

THE BIRTH OF A DRAGON It is quite clear from the final few episodes of the series that Bruce Lee’s character has been shown to be not as motivated as in his early life.

First, it was the loss of his father. And then the loss of his Master (which was prophesized on-screen in Fist of Fury). These losses have changed Bruce Lee almost as if he already knows that his time is going to be up.

Hence his writing and the title for the ‘Game of Death’. As if he knows that he will never finish it. His bodily descend down that flight of staircase is an allegory of his bodily death.

But like a miracle, upon his bodily death on July 20th, 1972, came the worldwide release of ‘Enter the Dragon’. His spirit has indeed ascended that final flight of stairs in that pagoda in ‘Game of Death’ and reborn as a screen deity.

A dragon.

In ‘Enter the Dragon’ itself says a lot, especially in the final iconic mirror hall fight. The mirror is a sign that a character has a psychological dilemma. In an episode in the series, it was shown Bruce Lee collapsed after shooting that mirror scene.

Also, the one-handed villain is the representation of a fight Bruce Lee had in one episode of a one-handed martial artist which remains a mystery until the end. Bruce Lee couldn’t beat him in real life so he beats him on screen.

Joseph Campbell says the ‘dragon’ is yourself. All the myths of warriors fighting dragons are the hero’s journey in beating his own fear.

And in a shot of ‘Game of Death’, a close-up of Kareem Abdul Jabaar's eyes shows he got reptilian eyes. Kareem might just be Bruce Lee’s metaphor of his dragon, and he has beaten it!

This is a basic Buddhism journey towards Nirvana. In the 1994’s film ‘Little Buddha’, Keanu is facing his final battle with Lord Mara, his ‘dragon’, in a form of himself. He beats it and transcends into enlightenment.

“You are a pure illusion, you do not exist. The earth is my witness.” - Siddhartha to Lord Mara.

Even in 1993’s ‘Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story’, Jason Scott Lee is fighting his inner demon, in which he beat in the end and transcends spiritually with the ending scene of him standing with the big sun in his background.

Stay tuned for the last part! https://peakd.com/hive-166847/@nazirullsafry/the-legend-of-bruce-lee-netflix-part-3-of-3

Permalink·Open on PeakD ↗·Linked from existing Hive post
›THE LEGEND OF BRUCE LEE (Netflix) Part 1 of 3@nazirullsafry1638d

After finishing this 50 episodes monster in October (45 minutes per episode), I sat and think about Pak Hassan Muthalib’s email to me and a few others a month before, suggesting us all check this one out for semiotics.

I was not so sure then,

THE DESCENT FROM HEAVEN Until soon after I rewatched the first episode and the main protagonist’s (Bruce Lee played brilliantly by Danny Chan) first appearance is by coming down the stairs for his dance competition. When his father asked what is his nickname, he says ‘I am Little Dragon’.

His debut in the first episode

That has opened up a big door for me. The director (Lee Moon-ki) and the writers (Qian Linsen and Zhang Jianguang) quite obviously has given the cue that this whole series is of a journey.

A textbook Joseph Campbell’s ‘Heroes Journey’ and more.

Intuitively after the scene of him walking down the stairs as an introduction of his character, I look for any cues of him going up any stairs.

THE ASCENT TO HEAVEN And there it is, waiting for me like a piece of a puzzle. It is the ending scene in his final film ‘Game of Death’. The character Bruce Lee has a mission of climbing the pagoda in order to reach the top.

His final fight was against the giant character of Kareem Abdul Jabbar (which the production team could not find a cast to play him). Yet they hinted at the encounter with the scene of Bruce Lee poking the paper wall with his fingers. Also with the previous fight with Dani Insanto.

Reconstruction from the 'Game of death' scene

But, after beating Kareem Abdul Jaabar (the last challenge) there is visibly another flight of staircase going up. But to where and what?

Here lies the power of the internet. Wikipedia says,

“Immediately after defeating the giant guardian, Hai turns around and descends the staircase, heading out of the pagoda. Despite all the talk of something awaiting up the top of the (now unguarded) flight of stairs, there is NO MENTION of anyone going up to retrieve it. No surviving material explains how this affects Hai or his captive siblings.”

The hair at the back of my neck stood up. I found this out on the 27th of November which is his birthday. I have been going through drafts in writing this review but this Wikipedia revelation has finally resolved my theory that Bruce Lee’s journey is not just of the ‘Hero’s Journey’, but also a spiritual one.

The final fight scene against Kareem Abdul Jaabar from original shoot of the 'Game of death'

Stay tuned for part 2 of 3 coming next... https://peakd.com/hive-166847/@nazirullsafry/the-legend-of-bruce-lee-netflix-part-2-of-3

Permalink·Open on PeakD ↗·Linked from existing Hive post