Bruce Lee and I
With his role as Kato in the “Green Hornet” series
and his riveting cameo in “Marlowe”, Bruce Lee had already become a major
celebrity in Hong Kong by the late 1960’s. After his disappointment at
not getting the lead role in the television series “Kung Fu” (what value
would that series have today I wonder if Bruce had starred?), he returned
to the place where he had been a child star nearly a decade before. Martial
arts films (generally of the wuxia variety) were booming in Hong Kong at
the time with the Shaw Brothers in particular being the prime driving force
behind this. So it made sense for Bruce to approach this company to see
what sort of deal he could work out, but the Shaw’s were not willing to
give Bruce the salary he wanted (a reported offer of $2,000 per film) nor
the opportunity to make the kind of films he wanted. So Bruce turned to
the newly found upstart company Golden Harvest run by a Shaw deserter,
Raymond Chow, and was able to get what he was looking for – the independence
to make his own films. A case could be made that this was the first major
cut in the hide of the Shaw Brothers that would lead eventually to their
demise as a film company. The success of the four films that Bruce made
for Golden Harvest established them as the major competitor to the Shaw’s
and by the early 80’s they were the dominant film company in Hong Kong.
Two years after Bruce’s death, the Shaw’s attempted
to get some modicum of revenge by releasing this squalid squirrelly film
that supposedly details the last days in his life. His sudden death has
engendered numerous conspiracy theories from being killed by the triads
or the Mafia to death by his over use of drugs – though the official cause
of death was a brain edema. This film plays it both ways, but in general
it paints a rather negative portrait of the superstar as an obsessive jealous
lover with a hair trigger temper that edged him towards psychosis. Over
the years this film has become somewhat infamous in its various forms (re-edited
for foreign consumption with titles like “Bruce Lee: His Last Days, His
Last Nights”) for its sleazy content and the chutzpah of its female lead.
In the end though perhaps most insulting to the memory of Bruce Lee is
that the film just isn’t very good on any level – it contains way too much
dull weepy melodrama to be an enjoyable exploitation film and there is
not enough Bruce for Bruce fans. Its one redeeming factor other than watching
it for its sheer brazenness is a solid impersonation of Bruce by Danny
Lee who has all of his character’s tics down perfectly and doesn’t do a
bad job in the action sequences either. If only the actress could have
gotten her character down better!
Bruce of course died in the apartment of Betty
Ting Pei and so Shaw had the brilliant PR idea to have this actress play
herself in this film – not only does she play herself but the entire film
is presented from her supposed point of view. Betty had been a moderately
successful actress in the Shaw stable during the late 60’s to the early
70’s and had co-starring roles in films like “The Millionaire Chase”, “Apartment
for Ladies” and “Yellow Muffler”. Her film reputation was a bit naughty
but she never became a star during her Shaw days and by 1973 they had parted
ways. She acted in a few other films including some with Golden Harvest
(“Stoner”, “Games Gamblers Play” and “Naughty, Naughty”), before she returned
to Shaw for this foray. Why she would take on this role other than for
money is a bit puzzling and perhaps it was only for money or to regain
some fame. After Bruce’s death, she was often vilified in the press and
hated by legions of Bruce Lee fans for bringing shame on him and maybe
she thought this was her opportunity to set the record straight, but she
emerges from this film with no respectability as she is portrayed as little
more than a high class escort and gambling addict and certainly the manner
in which Bruce is portrayed did little to endear her to his fans. After
her career was over though she did quite well for herself by marrying the
wealthy film producer Charles Heung – and after their divorce she is rumored
to have become a nun!
The film begins in true cheese fashion with Betty
walking on the beach at sunset mourning Bruce with a choir of heavenly
voices singing in the background and her telling him “I wish you could
rest in peace”. The film rapidly devolves into a salacious flashback of
her and Bruce nude in bed (though her naked breasts are clearly being doubled),
him toking furiously on pot and popping pills after which she showers to
come out and find him dead. She calls Raymond Chow (a very good look-alike)
and tells him the bad news and the house falls in on her. But that was
only the press version as it turns out. Hounded by the media, shunned by
all and threatened by a gang of nunchuck wielding toughs, she finds solace
with a sympathetic bartender and tells him her side of her life with Bruce
Lee.
Poor little Betty – picked on by her schoolmates
growing up and ignored by her parents she is easy prey for a lecherous
producer who fills her little head with visions of stardom. When he tries
to get her to double a nude scene for an actress (and uses pictures of
her taken after being drugged), she runs away and leaves Taiwan for Hong
Kong. There though she runs into this producer again and is only saved
by a mystery man who appears from nowhere and kicks the crap out of her
molesters and tosses money at her to get back on her feet. Her feet though
is not where she apparently spends her time – on her back would be more
apropos – soon she is swirling in a delirium of men and money but won't
be taken seriously as an actress – “they only want me to do pornos” she
proclaims sadly. A few years later she runs into her rescuer again – now
a famous star named Bruce Lee and he is immediately taken by her but says
he only wants to be friends as he has a wife. This tease goes on – will
they or won’t they – at one time it appears they will as they both indulge
in frantic foreplay by bouncing on a mattress and tossing pillows at one
another like a scene out of “Love American Style”, but again the act is
not consummated.
Poor Bruce. He is as horny as an alley cat – working
on films during the day (amusingly under the direction of Lo Wei who at
one time is reading a book while directing and at another time listening
to the radio – he also was an ex-Shaw Brother persona and they were no
doubt taking a crack at him as well as Raymond Chow on occasion) and looking
for comfort at night. One time a groupie gets into his apartment, but after
getting naked he can’t continue because . . . he can only think of Betty
and his loins grow hungry. She meanwhile is making merry with older wealthy
men and spending her hard earned loot in casinos and usually losing it.
This torments Bruce who takes to drink and fights and is falling apart.
Finally, he persuades Chow to give Betty the leading female role in his
next film, “Game of Death” (apparently a true fact) and he goes to her
apartment to give her the good news. He gets a headache and she gives him
an aspirin. These final days of Bruce were also relayed in a couple other
trashy films - "Exit the Dragon, Enter the Tiger" (1976) and 'Bruce Lee:
A Dragon Story" (1974).
My rating for this film: 5.0
