Bruce Lee, kung fu martial arts movie star millenium man, his technical skills extraordinary but his character and determination provide lasting influences for future generations of martial artists.
Kung Fu’s Bruce Lee was the pioneer in making the Chinese martial arts a cinemagraphic art. In doing so, Bruce Lee richly deserves a place in the top ten icons of the twentieth century. And what does Bruce Lee have in common with movie stars such as Jackie Chan, Jet Lee/Jet Li, David Carradine and others?
Under the catchy title “what a century” on page twelve of the end of century edition of a major Australian daily newspaper, ten icons are listed by name. In some eclectic way, the writer sets out in order of priority the ten people of the twentieth century held up as gurus. The talent in the list ranges from Marilyn Monroe, movie star to Charles Lindbergh, aviator, known to all as the first man to fly the Atlantic. The line up includes the deserving, such as Mother Theresa, and the not so deserving such as Che Guevara guerilla leader, well known to central American authorities. At item seven just below Muhammad Ali, boxer, and Pele, soccer legend is none other than a hero dear to us all, Bruce Lee, whose description is humbly expressed as “ martial arts actor”.
Seeing a kung fu identity in the top ten icons of the twentieth century is gratifying enough. Even more gratifying is the fact that no other martial arts style gained such recognition nor caught the attention of the writer, attributed to Time Magazine. But the significance of Bruce Lee’s appearance in the top ten icons lies in the profound influence he made in the martial arts community, indeed the much broader global community over a life which spanned relatively little time.
Both wing chun and jeet kun do were Bruce Lee’s styles. They are not our’s, being as we are disciples of hung kuen, the hung family umbrella style that includes the hung fut and hung gar styles at the Golden Lion Academy. But one need not be a follower of wing chun or jeet kun do to understand or applaud Bruce Lee’s influence in martial arts.
His life story is well documented elsewhere and we will not paraphrase here. However, two aspects of his life stand out the most. First, amid exquisite hostility from the Chinese martial arts world, Bruce Lee taught kung fu to non Chinese. In so doing he incurred the wrath of the elders of the Chinese martial arts world and to a significant degree was thereby exiled from them. But in so doing he also broadened the world’s understanding of kung fu not only as a martial art but as a way of life. It cannot be denied that during the late 1960’s other styles of martial arts were proliferating throughout the world. But no style nor actor attracted the attention of Hollywood, the martial arts community or indeed the world like Bruce Lee and his then revolutionary style, jeet kune do.
The second important aspect of his life is the legacy he left. Bruce Lee died on 20 July 1973. Almost thirty years later he is still hailed as one of the finest martial artists the world has ever known. According to his widow, Linda Lee, Bruce’s thirst for learning of all fighting arts was seemingly insatiable. His library was vast, his knowledge on the subject was deep. Military encounters, unarmed conflict, weaponry throughout the ages were all part of his intellectual arsenal when it came to the skills of conflict. His discipline in training was rigorous and obsessive, his execution of movement perfection. And, like all whose reputation acquires god like status, behind the scenes were agonising disappointments and rejections. His acceptance as a movie star (ironically the very status which has earned him the place as an icon of the twentieth century) was mercurial. He was rejected as the star of the series Kung Fu, the role being later filled by David Carradine. His role as Cato in the series The Green Hornet was short lived, forcing him to take what he could in guest appearances in low budget television shows. With the fluctuations of his acting fortunes so too did his family’s fortunes fluctuate, at times leaving them in perilous financial circumstances. Despite all this, his perseverance, his commitment to doing what he honestly and reasonably believed to be right and his power of positive thinking transcended the dross which he was forced to endure. Truly, qualities which all martial artists must embrace and exploit constantly.
In making the above comments we do not take anything away from other kung fu acting greats such as Jackie Chan or Jet Lee. As technicians, they are exemplary. In terms of their contribution to the kung fu world, their’s has been exceptional. However, no one can take away the fact that Bruce Lee was the pioneer in making a martial art a cinemagraphic art.
Bruce Lee richly deserves a place in top ten icons of the twentieth century. Not only were his technical skills extraordinary but his character and determination provide lasting influences for future generations of martial artists.
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Contribution by Joshua D Wilson, kung fu student, and Grandmaster Dr Pier Tsui-Po