Enter the Dragon (1973)

Director:

Robert Clouse

Writer:

Michael Allin (written by)

Release Date:

19 August 1973 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

The first American produced martial arts spectacular!

Plot:

A martial artist agrees to spy on a reclusive crime lord using his invitation to a tournament there as cover.

Plot Keywords:

Tournament | Martial Arts | Shaolin | Island | Temple

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Bruce Lee	...	Lee
John Saxon	...	Roper
Kien Shih	...	Han (as Shih Kien)
Ahna Capri	...	Tania
Angela Mao	...	Su Lin (as Angela Mao Ying)
Jim Kelly	...	Williams
Robert Wall	...	Oharra (as Bob Wall)
Bolo Yeung	...	Bolo (as Yang Sze)
Betty Chung	...	Mei Ling
Geoffrey Weeks	...	Braithwaite
Peter Archer	...	Parsons
Li Jen Ho	...	Old Man
Marlene Clark	...	Roper's Secretary
Allan Kent	...	Golfer
William Keller	...	Los Angeles Cop #1
Mickey Caruso	...	Los Angeles Cop #2
Pat E. Johnson	...	Hood
Darnell Garcia	...	Hood
Mike Bissell	...	Hood
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Hidy Ochiai	...	(unconfirmed)
Jackie Chan	...	Thug in Prison (uncredited)
Roy Chiao	...	Shaolin Abbott (uncredited)
Paul M. Heller	...	Radio Operator (uncredited)
Sammo Hung Kam-Bo	...	Shaolin Fighter (uncredited)
Tony Liu	...	Tournament Fighter (uncredited)
Hoi Mang	...	Ship's mate (uncredited)
Steve Sanders	...	BKF Karate Instructor (uncredited)
Chin-lai Sung	...	Han's guard (uncredited)
Wei Tung	...	Lao, Lee's Student (uncredited)
Donnie Williams	...	BKF Assistant Karate Instructor (uncredited)
Biao Yuen	...	Tournament Fighter (uncredited)
Wah Yuen	...	Tournament Fighter (uncredited)

Directed by
Robert Clouse

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Michael Allin		written by

Produced by
Raymond Chow	....	associate producer
Paul M. Heller	....	producer (as Paul Heller)
Bruce Lee	....	producer
Fred Weintraub	....	producer
Leonard Ho	....	producer (uncredited)
Andre Morgan	....	associate producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Lalo Schifrin

Cinematography by
Gil Hubbs		(director of photography) (as Gilbert Hubbs)

Film Editing by
Kurt Hirschler
George Watters

Costume Design by
Louis Sheng

Makeup Department
John Hung	....	makeup artist
Chun Lai	....	hair stylist
Sun Sheung	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Wah Kam	....	unit manager
Louis Sit	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Chaplin Chang	....	assistant director

Art Department
John Chong	....	property master

Sound Department
Robert Lin	....	sound mixer

Stunts
Mickey Caruso	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jackie Chan	....	stunts (uncredited)
Sammo Hung Kam-Bo	....	stunt coordinator (uncredited)
Sammo Hung Kam-Bo	....	stunts (uncredited)
Pat E. Johnson	....	stunts (uncredited)
Ching-Ying Lam	....	martial arts and acrobatic double: Shih Kien (uncredited)
Ching-Ying Lam	....	stunts (uncredited)
Mars	....	stunts (uncredited)
Charlie Picerni	....	stunts (uncredited)
Kien Shih	....	stunts (uncredited)
Robert Wall	....	stunts (uncredited)
Biao Yuen	....	stunt double: Bruce Lee (uncredited)
Biao Yuen	....	stunts (uncredited)
Wah Yuen	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Wai Yin Cheng	....	electrical gaffer
Charles Lowe	....	camera operator: second unit
Henry Wang	....	camera operator
Dave Friedman	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Henry Wong	....	camera operator (uncredited)

Music Department
Eugene Marks	....	music editor (as Gene Marks)
Richard Hazard	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Lalo Schifrin	....	conductor (uncredited)
Lalo Schifrin	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Dan Wallin	....	scoring mixer (uncredited)

Other crew
Madalena Chan	....	executive assistant
Bruce Lee	....	fighting sequences stager
Andre Morgan	....	assistant to producer: Hong Kong
Jeff Schechtman	....	assistant to producer: USA
James Wong Sun	....	set supervisor
Ching-Ying Lam	....	assistant action director (uncredited)
Bruce Lee	....	teaser writer (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Concord Productions Inc.
• Sequoia Productions
• Warner Bros. Pictures

Distributors

• Warner Bros. Pictures (1973) (USA) (theatrical)
• Chapel Distribution (2003) (Australia) (theatrical) (re-issue 30th anniversary version)
• Creative Design (USA) (DVD)
• Sandrews (1999) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Sandrews (2004) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2000) (UK) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2000) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2003) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2007) (Netherlands) (DVD) (Blu-Ray Disc)
• Warner Home Video (1998) (Sweden) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2007) (Sweden) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Warner Home Video (2007) (Sweden) (DVD) (HD-DVD)
• Warner Home Video (1992) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (1994) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Warner Home Video (1998) (USA) (DVD) (special edition)
• Warner Home Video (1998) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2001) (USA) (VHS) (special edition)
• Warner Home Video (2004) (USA) (DVD) (two-disc special edition)
• Warner Home Vídeo (2004) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Warner Home Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)

Also Known As:

Long zheng hu dou (Hong Kong: Mandarin title)
Operation Dragon (Europe: English title)
The Deadly Three (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for martial arts violence and brief nudity.

Runtime:

98 min | USA:110 min (25th Anniversary Edition) | USA:99 min (theatrical version)

Country:

Hong Kong | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS (re-release) | Dolby Digital (re-release) | Mono (original release) | SDDS (re-release)

Certification:

Finland:(Banned) (1973) | Finland:K-18 (1999) | Iceland:16 | UK:18 (uncut) | Sweden:15 (edited for re-rating) | Sweden:(Banned) (original rating) | Australia:MA (DVD rating) | Australia:R (original rating) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A | France:U | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:18 | Japan:R-15 | New Zealand:R16 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:15 (DVD rating) | Spain:18 | UK:18 (director's cut) (1998) (uncut) | UK:18 (video rating) (1988) (cut) | UK:X (original rating) (cut) | USA:R | West Germany:18 | Norway:18 (video) (cut) | Norway:(Banned) (1973-2003) (cinema release)

Filming Locations:

Aberdeen Harbour, Aberdeen, Hong Kong, China

Company:

Concord Productions Inc.

Trivia:

The movie runs for 8:30 before the opening credits.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Lee is investigating the grounds he has to jump into a tree to avoid being spotted. This jump was obviously filmed in reverse.

Quotes:

[Roper sees Tania for the first time]
Roper: Would you look at that? A woman like that could teach you a lot about yourself.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Dak ging san yan lui (1999)

The "Citizen Kane" of the martial arts films genre

What more can be said of the man whom millions consider one of the greatest action stars of all time. Enter the Dragon is the Citizen Kane and Bruce Lee is the Orson Welles of the martial arts film genre. This film marked the most successful merging of both Hong Kong and American cinema. From the opening scene to the final fight scene it was Bruce Lee at his best. His near perfect physique, leading man good looks and innate charisma transcended the derivative script and gave it a timeless quality. Having read the original draft of Enter the Dragon originally titled "Blood and Steel", The final film is a far cry from it. He turned major monologues into short but memorable phrases like "It is like a finger pointing away to the moon". Very few people then, and now could utter those words and be taken seriously. It was Bruce Lee not writer Michael Allin who gave the movie it's spiritual core and it was Bruce Lee not directed Robert Clouse who gave it its sense of cinematic style. Proof of this lies in the fact that both Allin and Clouse were never able to reproduce the quality or success of Enter the Dragon before or after Bruce Lee. Bruce borrowed heavily from Clint Eastwood's persona and gave it his own unique twist. After all these years, Enter the Dragon stands alone in the genre and stands as one of Hollywood's most profitable feature films.