This early documentary - the Official Golden Harvest tribute - may not have the best script but it makes up for it with great footage from Game of Death, Bruce's childhood films (My Son Ah Cheung, The Orphan and others) and great stills. Some of these include a long sequence of Bruce posing in period constumes and as characters such as the Blind Swordsman. There are also plenty of scenes from Bruce's kung fu films, and stills of him as baby, teen, and adult. Missing in action are scenes of Bruce fighting Kareem Abdul Jabbar and of the Long Beach Karate Tournament (they only show stills).

Interviewees include Raymong Chow (Mr Golden Harvest himself), Nora Niao (who sounds as though she is acting badly from a pre-written script ) and Betty Ting Pei, the actress in whose flat Bruce died. Apart from Betty's these interviews are conducted in English. The film covers Bruce's Hong Kong and Seattle funeral services, as well as Linda's Hong Kong airport interview and subsequent arrival back in the States. The interview has Linda asking people to stop speculating about the circumstances of Bruce's death, and affirming that even though the autopsy results were not yet available, she was satisfied that he died of natural causes. The camera even invades the recently dead Bruce's Kowloon house - showing his study, some training apparatus, Brandon and Shannon with friends, and so forth.

To me the highlight is the extensive Game of Death footage and stills. Dan Inosanto and Chi Hon Tsoi (the Hapkido master) get quite a bit of screentime, and there are numerous outtakes and scenes of Bruce directing the fighters as well. One also sees Bruce shouting out the pagoda's broken windows and staggering down the stairs - seemingly intended to be the end of the film as conceived by Bruce. All of which makes the film well worth watching.

Apart from this there are on-location interviews with Robert Clouse and some of the Hollywood cast members of Golden Harvest's Game of Death. Behind-the-scenes clips include Samo Hung directing the fights.



Bruce and the 3-sectioned staff
READ MORE

Death by Misadventure
Path of the Dragon
The Greatest: Bruce Lee