Bruce Lee gets a fitting tribute
Bruce Lee isn't an clear fit in for ESPN, beyond the actual fact lots of men and women enjoyed his action movies. Yet "Be Normal water" proves an outstanding addition to the network's lineup of documentaries to complete the sports void, examining the martial-arts star's legacy and the circuitous, discrimination-marred path he followed to his too-short stardom.
Like a couple of actors and musicians who died young -- from James Dean to Marilyn Monroe -- Lee's myth has been fueled by his untimely death at 32, on the cusp of "Enter the Dragon" learning to be a huge hit. The movie provided the tantalizing prospect of turning Lee right into a star in the usa after the frustration he endured knocking around Hollywood, co-starring in "The Green Hornet" before learning to be a martial-arts instructor to the stars.
"Crushed," as his wife Linda puts it, when he misplaced out on the lead part in it series "Kung Fu," Lee returned in 1971 to Hong Kong, where he grew up before moving at 18.
Lee had actually been a kid actor, and he found a devoted audience in a quartet of actions movies -- including "The Big Boss" and "Fists of Fury" -- that paved just how for the elusive victory that was included with conquering America.
The actual fact that he didn't live to relish that moment is itself a tragedy, with the actor troubled a brain hemorrhage after taking medication for migraines.
The thrust of Lee's story, even so, assumes a timelier aspect currently moment, highlighting his quest to break through a Hollywood system with an ignominious "yellowface" history -- casting white actors as Asian characters -- prompting him to fret that he "cannot possibly become an idol for Caucasians."
The Bruce Lee statue in Hong Kong.
Those barriers are underscored by recollections from contemporaries such as actress Nancy Kwan, and clips from movies just like "Breakfast at Tiffany's," with Mickey Rooney as the stereotyped neighbor.
Lee was "discovered" found in true Hollywood manner, when he caught someone's eye at a martial-arts exhibition. Yet possibly his purpose in "Green Hornet" proved emblematic of underlying issues, prompting him to write to the producer delicately complaining about his near non-verbal portion, despite the electricity his actions moves taken to the screen.
The documentary expands on Lee's guru-like status teaching actors like Steve McQueen and James Coburn (who are displayed seeking shaken at his funeral) and basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Possibly that, even so, proved a recent source of controversy, given just how director Quentin Tarantino depicted him in his fact-and-fantasy mashup "A long time ago ... in Hollywood."
Directed simply by Bao Nguyen, "Be Water" (a maxim Lee used to spell it out his martial-arts philosophy) employs an interesting tactic, interviewing subjects in voiceover, then showing them towards the end. It brings an individual feel to the story -- with Lee's wife, daughter and brother among those highlighted -- while keeping the person himself front and centre.
Additionally, there are interviews with members of the "Enter the Dragon" team, accompanied by footage of the lines circling the block when the movie opened in LA.
"He didn't live very long enough to see the outpouring," "Dragon" producer Andre Morgan laments.
"Be Water" is, in its own way, as precisely choreographed seeing as Lee's struggle sequences, shining a good well-deserved light on his brief life but long shadow, seeing that the statues of him all over the world attest.
Coming after "The Last Dance" and Lance Armstrong, and before a dissection of baseball's steroids scandal, it's a somewhat unlikely addition to ESPN's manage of Sunday-night documentaries; even now, amid these difficult moments, the network deserves some latitude to choose with the flow.
