The Day Bruce Lee Closed The film Set

IN THIS EDITION of Moon Pointing Finger, we will take a very different journey to that which we normally take.

- David Peterson

Today, we will not be including a detailed article about an aspect of Wing Chun combat theory or a technical look at a particular form, technique or concept. Instead, as a pictorial tribute to two giants of the martial arts world on the 22nd anniversary of the passing of one of them, I’d like to share a very special day that occurred during the filming of the Bruce Lee classic, Enter the Dragon.

On that day, during the filming of what was to become a defining moment in his career as a film star and future popular icon, Bruce Lee stopped production on Enter the Dragon to entertain his Wing Chun elder brother and mentor, the late, great Sifu Wong Shun Leung.

Despite the pressure to complete the project on time and on budget, such was the respect that Lee had for his Sihing that everything was put on hold so Wong Shun Leung and one of his most senior students, Wan Kam Leung, could visit the set and have that moment captured for all time on film and in photographs.

Thanks to Mr Alman Fung, who kindly provided the historical photos seen here, we have a unique pictorial record of what must have been an amazing day in Hong Kong way back when. Some of our readers will have seen brief film footage taken on that day that first appeared in the documentary Bruce Lee: The Man and The Legend, which first screened a few years after Lee’s passing and was later released on VHS and eventually DVD and Blu-ray.