Way of the Dragon
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| Way of the Dragon | |
|---|---|
 Way of the Dragon Movie Poster |
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| Directed by | Bruce Lee |
| Produced by | Raymond Chow |
| Written by | Bruce Lee |
| Starring | Bruce Lee Nora Miao Chuck Norris In Sik Whang Robert Wall Wei Ping-Ao Wang Chung-Hsin |
| Music by | Joseph Koo |
| Cinematography | Tadashi Nishimoto |
| Editing by | Chang Yao Chang |
| Distributed by | Golden Harvest |
| Release date(s) | 1972 |
| Running time | N/A |
| Language | Mandarin |
| IMDb profile | |
Way of the Dragon (released as Return of the Dragon in the U.S.) was the third major film of Martial Arts Legend Bruce Lee. Bruce Lee has the leading role and is also the writer, director, and producer of this film.
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[edit] Cast
- Bruce Lee as "Tang Lung" (a.k.a. "Dragon")
- Nora Miao as "Chen Ching Hua"
- Chuck Norris as "Colt"
- Robert Wall as "Bob" (Colt's student)
- Ing Sik Whang as "Japanese Martial Artist"
- Wei Ping-Ao as "Translator"
[edit] Plot synopsis
Tang Lung (Bruce Lee), is sent from Hong Kong to Rome to help a family friend whose restaurant is being targeted by the local mafia. After their offers to purchase the restaurant outright are repeatedly turned down, the gangsters turn to intimidation. Tang Lung fends off the local gangsters, but that doesn't stop the Mafia boss. He hires martial arts experts, the best of whom is known as "Colt" (Chuck Norris). Inevitably, this leads to a showdown between Tang Lung and Colt in the Colosseum.
The film was released in 1972.
[edit] Trivia
- Way of the Dragon was the first Hong Kong film to be partially shot on location on a Western continent.
- The Italian gangsters in the film speak English, not Italian, because all of their scenes were shot in Hong Kong.
- Only Bruce Lee and Nora Miao appear in the outdoor sequence showing Roman monuments.
- Jackie Chan's Rumble in the Bronx is said to be a tribute to Way of the Dragon. The set-up has a similar plot of a young man going to a foreign country to help out at his uncle's shop.
- While it went largely unnoticed by Western viewers, the soup scene proved memorable to Chinese audiences. Campbell Soup had become a popular brand in Hong Kong when Way of the Dragon was first released.
- The Nunchaku scene was heavily edited when the movie first appeared in England.
- Way of the Dragon is the only movie to show Bruce Lee wielding two nunchaku at once.
- The original Chinese audio track has the Chinese characters speaking Chinese and the Italian gangsters speaking English. This distinction explains why Tang Long looks puzzled when the gangsters speak to him. In the English translation, everyone speaks English, so it's not immediately clear why he can understand some people but not others.
- National Review author and novelist John Derbyshire has an uncredited role in the film.
[edit] DVD releases
20th Century Fox
- Released: May 21, 2002
- Aspect Ratio: Widescreen (2.35:1) letterboxed
- Sound: English (2.0)
- Region 1
- Note: Contains the cut American Return of the Dragon version
20th Century Fox
- Released: October 18, 2005
- Aspect Ratio: Widescreen (2.35:1) anamorphic
- Sound: Cantonese (2.0), Madarin (2.0), English (5.1)
- Supplements: Celebrity interviews; Photo galleries; Trailers
- Region 1
- Note: Only available as part of the Bruce Lee: The Ultimate Collection boxed set; Contains the uncut Hong Kong version
Medusa Communications/Hong Kong Legends (United Kingdom)
- Aspect Ratio: Widescreen (2.35:1) anamorphic
- Sound: Cantonese (5.1), English
- Supplements: Commentary by Bey Logan and John Benn; Trailers; Interviews; Photo gallery; Reflections on "The Little Dragon" promo
- Region 2
Medusa Communications/Hong Kong Legends (United Kingdom) (Platinum Edition)
- Aspect Ratio: Widescreen (2.35:1) anamorphic
- Sound: Cantonese (5.1), English (5.1)
- Supplements: Commentary by Bey Logan and John Benn; Interview with Robert Lee; Bruce Lee trailers; Production manager interviews; Memories of the Master featurette; Bruce Lee screen test; Photo gallery; Artist and Warrior interview
- Region 2
Universe (Hong Kong)
- Aspect Ratio: Widescreen (2.35:1) letterboxed
- Sound: Cantonese (5.1), Mandarin (5.1)
- Supplements: Trailers; Cast and crew info
- All regions
Mega Star (Hong Kong)
- Aspect Ratio: Widescreen (2.35:1) letterboxed
- Sound: Cantonese (5.1), Mandarin (5.1)
- Supplements: Trailers; Cast and crew info
- All regions
Zoke Culture (China)
- Aspect Ratio: Widescreen (2.35:1) anamorphic
- Sound: Cantonese (DTS 5.1), Cantonese (Dolby 5.1), Mandarin (Dolby 2.0)
- Supplements: Trailers; Still gallery
- All regions
