Related: violent films - Hong Kong action cinema - influence of kung fu films on Lee Perry
Kung fu or gongfu is a well-known Chinese term often used to refer to Chinese martial arts. Its original meaning is somewhat different, referring to one's expertise in any skill, not necessarily martial. Many consider wushu a better term for Chinese martial arts, as it translates directly into martial art. In China, the term kuoshu, meaning national art, is also used. --http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kung_fu [Dec 2005]
Enter the Dragon (1973) - Robert Clouse
Enter the Dragon (1973) - Robert Clouse [Amazon.com] [FR] [DE] [UK]
Bruce Lee (November 27, 1940 - July 20, 1973) is widely considered to be the greatest martial arts actor of the 20th century. His films, especially the last performance in Enter the Dragon, elevated traditional Hong Kong martial arts film to a new level, so that artists like Jackie Chan and Chuck Norris were able to work from this platform. He was married to Linda Emery, with whom he had a daughter, Shannon, and a son, Brandon. Brandon was also a martial artist and an actor. --http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Lee [Apr 2005]
Blaxploitation and kung fu
1973 marked the beginning of the one-two combination of Blaxploitation and kung fu. It happened when taekwondo champion Jim Kelly appeared in Bruce Lee's penultimate film Enter the Dragon (Dir. Robert Clouse, 1973). Kelly proved to be a popular character actor that he would sign with Warner Brothers for a few more action film, thus creating the first crossing over of these two prolific genres. Kelly would star in Black Belt Jones (Dir. Robert Clouse, 1974), Golden Needles (Dir. Robert Clouse, 1974), and Three the Hard Way (Dir. Gordon Parks, 1975). He would go on to appear in a few more action films, including a Hong Kong feature titled The Tattoo Connection (Dir. Lee Tso-Nam, 1978). --http://www.megspace.com/entertainment/highimpact/articles/blaxploitationkungfu.html [May 2006]
See also: kung fu - blaxploitation