On the eve of what would have been Bruce Lee's 70th birthday, the kung-fu star remains the world's most important martial-arts icon and reminders of his legacy flourish.
'Bruce Lee, My Brother,' a film on his childhood years in Hong Kong as told through the memories of his siblings, opens this week in Asia. Early next year, Columbia Pictures will release a film version of Lee's iconic 1960s American television show, 'The Green Hornet,' in which he played crime-fighting sidekick Kato. And 'Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen,' a remake of one of his most famous movies -- 'Fist of Fury' (1972) -- was one of the two opening-night films at the Venice Film Festival in September. Meanwhile, a Broadway musical based on the life of Lee is due next year.
Lee's untimely death more than 37 years ago -- he was born on Nov. 27, 1940, and died July 20, 1973, at the age of 32 -- solidified his place in cinematic history and popular culture, leaving the image of a young, strong and heroic figure etched in the collective memories of action movie fans world-wide
'His influence is immense,' says Sam Ho of the Hong Kong Film Archive, which on Saturday is screening four films Lee made as a child actor in Hong Kong. 'There's something very much primitive about him -- that's part of his appeal.'
Some of that influence can be found in the numerous kung-fu and martial-arts stars that followed: Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Jet Li, Donnie Yen, Chuck Norris and Jean-Claude Van Damme.
Mr. Yen, the reigning martial-arts star of today, describes Lee as a major inspiration on his own career. While Mr. Yen's fighting style and screen personality are different from Lee's, he pays homage to his idol in 'Chen Zhen.'
'I tried not to imitate Bruce Lee,' Mr. Yen says of his role in the movie, 'but I tried to preserve the Bruce Lee flavor.'