To mark the 35th anniversary of Bruce Lee’s death, the History Channel will air a new two-hour documentary, HOW BRUCE LEE CHANGED THE WORLD beginning May 17th at 8pm ET. Produced in cooperation with Lee’s family, this documentary looks at how the actor and martial artist’s legacy has shaped and influenced the world since his death.
The special includes in-depth interviews with Jackie Chan, John Woo, comedian Eddie Griffin, hip-hop artists LL Cool J and RZA, Marvel Comics’ Stan Lee, Brett Ratner, and Randy Couture among many others. There is also a rare interview with producer and Golden Harvest co-founder Raymond Chow.
The press release to promote the documentary (see below) states that Lee was the first person to use kung fu skills on screen without the aid of special effects. That statement is false. Real kung fu forms devoid of special effects were being featured on screen by real kung fu practitioners in the WONG FEI HUNG film series as early as 1949, several years before Lee even began training in martial arts.
I do not have access to the History Channel at the moment so maybe someone who ends up seeing this documentary can chime in with their thoughts on it. A DVD version from A&E Entertainment is slated for release on July 28th.
HOW BRUCE LEE CHANGED THE WORLD
Two-hour Special Presentation Premieres Sunday, May 10 at 8pm ET on HISTORY™
New York, April 2009 – Bruce Lee is universally recognized for prying open the doors of ancient Chinese martial arts to the mass market— defining a moment in an era when “everybody was kung fu fighting.” The history of Lee’s life, and death at the age of only 32, is shrouded in mystery, but his influence on popular culture continues to be felt today. HISTORY™ presents a special two-hour exploration of the Bruce Lee phenomenon. HOW BRUCE LEE CHANGED THE WORLD premieres Sunday, May 10 at 8pm ET on HISTORY™.
HOW BRUCE LEE CHANGED THE WORLD takes a detailed and unique look into Lee’s legacy— revealing the story of his rise from the backstreets of Hong Kong, while documenting Lee’s qualities, both physical and philosophical, that drove him to international stardom. More than just a biography, this special pieces together rare family archive and material owned by the Bruce Lee Foundation, together with in-depth interviews with individuals who continue to cite inspiration from Lee to this day.
Bruce Lee is known as one of the greatest martial artists of all time. His commitment to a principled approach of training, and an unparalleled skill and proficiency in all martial arts disciplines, resulted in the creation of one of the greatest physiques in modern history.
He was able to perform superhuman physical feats that have yet to be equaled, such as a two fingered push-up and a lethal blow called the one-inch punch, and was the first person to use kung fu skills on screen without the aid of special effects.
Since his death, Lee has been recognized as a visionary who changed not just action movies and martial arts, but an icon that created this very simple image that is endlessly reproducible to this day. From his role as Kato on television’s “Green Hornet” to his groundbreaking debut film “Enter the Dragon,” Lee blew up the stereotype of how Asian characters would be portrayed on screen forever. With no one able to fill the void after his death, a rash of Bruce Lee look-alikes and copycat films emerged inspiring a whole new film genre.
A cinematic journey, this special takes the viewer across the US, Asia and Europe exploring Lee’s influence on popular culture worldwide— even joining Shannon Lee on a trip back to her father’s roots in Hong Kong; nearly fifty years after Lee arrived to make his first kung fu film. HOW BRUCE LEE CHANGED THE WORLD also features in-depth interviews with actor Jackie Chan, comedian Eddie Griffin, rappers LL Cool J and RZA, Marvel Comics’ Stan Lee, and renowned film directors John Woo and Brett Rattner among others. Lee’s friend and business partner famed Hong Kong film producer, Raymond Chow gives a rare interview.
HOW BRUCE LEE CHANGED THE WORLD is co-produced for HISTORY by Waddell Media and Leeway Productions. Executive producer for HISTORY is Dirk Hoogstra.
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Update: History Channel has notified us that the premiere of HOW BRUCE LEE CHANGED THE WORLD has changed to May 17th, at 8pm ET.
Tags: Bruce Lee, documentary, upcoming
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