Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story

Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story (1993)

Timing: 2:0 (120 min)

6.887/10
705

7.54/10
4168

7/10
35000

All about film

Video 4

Photo 17

Actors and characters

Release date

1993-05-07

Country

Hong Kong, Macau, United States

Production

Universal Pictures, Raffaella De Laurentiis Productions

Genre

Drama, History, Action

Budget

$14 000 000

Revenue

$63 513 743

Website

Director

Rob Cohen

Actors

Jason Scott Lee, Lauren Holly, Robert Wagner, Michael Learned, Nancy Kwan, Kay Tong Lim, Ric Young, Wang Luoyong, Sterling Macer Jr., Sven-Ole Thorsen
All actors and roles (10)

Scenario

Producer

Raffaella De Laurentiis, John Badham, Dan York

Operator

David Eggby

Composer

Randy Edelman

Artist

Audition

Janet Hirshenson, Jane Jenkins

Editing

Peter Amundson
All team (36)

• 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.
• 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 real tombstone, and the photograph was also identical to the original.
• 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.
• Rob Cohen learned 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 evil demons. That's 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.
• 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.
• Bruce Lee's daughter, Shannon, performed the song "California Dreams" in the episode where Linda announces her second pregnancy to Bruce.
• 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.