This month marks the 50th anniversary of “Enter the Dragon,” the first martial arts film produced in Hollywood that also made Bruce Lee an icon. Unfortunately, Lee didn’t live to see the movie’s — or his own — success. He died a month before its release at 32 years old. Decades later, his daughter, Shannon Lee, is continuing his legacy. Next year, she’s launching the anime series “House of Lee,” inspired by her father. She also serves as executive producer of “Warrior,” the MAX series that follows a martial artist who immigrated to San Francisco’s Chinatown in the 1800s. The show is now in its third season.
“Warrior” is based on a TV pitch written by Lee himself in the 1960s. The pitch, which he took to Warner Bros., was about eight pages long and influenced by his personal philosophy. That included authentically portraying the Chinese American experience in the time leading up to the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882.
“He would not take any parts that he felt were stereotyped or belittling to him culturally as an Asian man, and henceforth, there were not that many parts. So he went about trying to create his own,” Shannon Lee tells KCRW.
She adds that the show’s story was updated to resonate with modern audiences, including the introduction of strong female characters, such as Ah Toy, a brothel madam, and Mai Ling, the head of the Long Zii Tong, a neighborhood organization that helps the community and acts as “enforcers.”
“Whether you were Chinese or not Chinese, it was a very difficult time for women in terms of having power or status. … We knew our characters were going to have to reflect the women of the time. At the same time, we wanted them to be full, strong, powerful, complex leads.”
In 2020, it appeared that the show’s future would cut short. Cinemax — the streaming platform that first hosted “Warrior” — stopped creating original content. But due to fan outcry and a petition, the show was resurrected by MAX.
Lee adds that part of the show’s resonance with audiences stems from the rise of anti-Asian sentiment in the U.S.
“We know that racism has existed in this country for many, many generations. But we didn't realize everything that would happen in the pandemic,” Lee explains. “Many people watching our show during that time felt really empowered by it. In particular, people who were Chinese or of Asian descent who were feeling very attacked — it was like a ray of light to see these empowered, scrappy people really fighting and standing up for themselves. And I think that that did lend to the underlying sensibility that the show was important and needed to continue.”
Celebrating 50 years of “Enter the Dragon”
Lee’s father found international acclaim after the release of “Enter the Dragon,” but he faced adversity getting there. The San Francisco-born martial artist even moved to Hong Kong to become a “bankable star.”
“When ‘Enter the Dragon’ came along, it was really a dream come true,” Lee says. “He worked so hard to make sure that the film had enough in it to represent himself, his beliefs, his martial arts, his culture. … And it was the film that traveled the world and made him the icon that he is today.”
Looking back, Lee says the seminal film exposed Hollywood to kung fu culture and created a new genre. “It really changed action movies forevermore. I believe every major hero in a movie these days is a martial arts action star whether it's built that way or not.”
She adds, “When my father started in Asia, most of the martial arts dramas were these more fantastical, mystical, flying-through-the-air swordplay. … In the West, it was all big haymakers and bar fights. And it was him who really changed the shape and the trajectory of action films.”