Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story
The mystery. The life. The love. The legend.
Country
Production
Budget
$14 000 000
Box office
$63 513 743
Director
Actors
Scenario
Producer
Raffaella De Laurentiis, John Badham, Dan York
Camera operator
David Eggby
Composer
Artist
Bob Ziembicki
Audition
Janet Hirshenson, Jane Jenkins
Editing
Peter Amundson
Whole Team (37)
Whole Team (37)
Short description
This film is a glimpse into the life, love and the unconquerable spirit of the legendary Bruce Lee. From a childhood of rigorous martial arts training, Lee realizes his dream of opening his own kung-fu school in America. Before long, he is discovered by a Hollywood producer and begins a meteoric rise to fame and an all too short reign as one the most charismatic action heroes in cinema history.
What's left behind the scenes
- The film is based on the novel "Bruce Lee: The Man I Married," written by Bruce Lee's widow, Linda Lee Cadwell.
- Jason Scott Lee and Lauren Holly spent several months studying the martial art of Jeet Kune Do under the guidance of Jerry Potite, a former student of Bruce Lee, in preparation for the film.
- Initially, the role of Bruce Lee was offered to his son, Brandon Lee, who died in March 1993 during the filming of "The Crow".
- Bruce Lee's daughter, Shannon, performed the song "California Dreams" in the episode where Linda announces her second pregnancy to Bruce.
- Jason Scott Lee had never practiced martial arts before and had no prior experience with them. He was a skilled dancer. He was chosen for the main role because it was believed that an experienced dancer would be able to most accurately reproduce Bruce Lee's movements. Jason Scott Lee diligently prepared for the role, and many stunt doubles helped him.
- The character of Jerome, played by Sterling Macer Jr., was based on Bruce Lee's first student, whose name was Jesse Glover. Glover did not give the filmmakers permission to use his name.
- The alleyway set where Bruce Lee fought other restaurant workers was damaged during a hurricane that hit Hong Kong, delaying filming by three days. The scene was almost cut from the script, but director Rob Cohen was told that a large tent could be erected over the set to continue filming. By 8 a.m. the next day, with the efforts of all the Chinese workers involved in the film and their families, the tent was indeed erected, and work on the film continued.
- At one point, Bruce Lee's son, Brandon Lee, was considered for the role of Bruce Lee in the film. Brandon Lee was the right age and skilled in martial arts, so many believed he was an ideal candidate for the part. However, producer Raffaella De Laurentiis stated that he didn't look Chinese enough, and if they tried to give Brandon Lee Chinese features through makeup, she would simply refuse to continue participating in the project. Meanwhile, Brandon Lee himself turned down the role, stating that he wouldn't feel comfortable playing his own father, especially when it came to filming romantic relationships between his parents.
- Rob Cohen discovered that for the first two years after Bruce Lee's birth, his own parents presented him as a girl. This was due to a Chinese superstition that firstborn sons become the target of malicious demons. That is why Cohen decided to depict a demon pursuing Lee in the film. The director intended to show this metaphorically – that Lee was influenced and motivated by his inner demons.
- The tombstone that Bruce Lee (Jason Scott Lee) sees in the fight scene with the "Demon" is an exact copy of Bruce Lee's original tombstone, and the photograph was also identical to the original.
- In preparation for the film, Jason Scott Lee and Loren Holly spent several months studying the martial art of Jeet Kune Do under the guidance of Bruce Lee's former student, Jerry Potette.
- Bruce Lee's daughter, Shannon, performed the song 'California Dreams' in the episode where Linda informs Bruce of her second pregnancy.
- Jason Scott Lee had no prior experience with martial arts and no connection to them whatsoever. He was a skilled dancer. He was chosen for the lead role because of the belief that an experienced dancer would be able to most accurately convey Bruce Lee's movements. Jason Scott Lee prepared diligently for the role, aided by numerous stunt doubles.
- The character named Jerome, played by Sterling Mace Jr., is based on Bruce Lee's first student, Jessie Glover. Glover did not give the filmmakers permission to use his name.
- The alleyway sets where Bruce Lee fought other restaurant employees were damaged during a hurricane that hit Hong Kong, putting the film's production three days behind schedule. The scene was almost cut from the script, but director Rob Cohen was informed that there was a way to install a massive canopy over the filming site to continue shooting. By 8 a.m. the next day, thanks to the efforts of all the Chinese crew members and their families, the canopy was indeed installed, and work on the film resumed.
- Rob Cohen discovered that for the first two years after Bruce Lee's birth, his own parents passed him off as a girl. This was due to a Chinese superstition that firstborn boys are targeted by evil demons. This is why Cohen decided to depict a demon pursuing Lee in the film. The director intended to show this metaphorically—that Lee was being influenced and motivated by his inner demons.
- At one point, it was planned to cast Bruce Lee's son, Brandon Lee, in the role. Brandon Lee was the right age and skilled in martial arts, so many believed he was the ideal candidate. However, producer Raffaella De Laurentiis stated that he did not look Chinese enough, and that if they tried to give Brandon Lee Chinese facial features through makeup, she would simply refuse to continue her involvement in the project. Meanwhile, Brandon Lee himself turned down the role, stating that he would not feel comfortable playing his own father, especially when it came to filming the romantic relationship between his parents.
- The tombstone that Bruce Lee (Jason Scott Lee) sees in the fight scene with the 'Demon' is an exact replica of Bruce Lee's first actual gravestone; the photograph on it also differed not at all from the original.
Similar movies
9/10
8.6/10
8.3/10
8.3/10
8.1/10
7.9/10
7.8/10
7.8/10
7.7/10
7.7/10
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
