Three men enter a mysterious martial arts tournament hosted by a shady crime boss on a remote island. Lee (Bruce Lee) hails from the Shaolin temple and is joined by others lured by fame and fortune, including Roper (John Saxon) and Williams (Jim Kelly), two karate experts from the United States. The American-born Lee was unable to establish himself in Hollywood in the 1960s despite his obvious talent. But then-newly established Golden Harvest lured him to Hong Kong, making three consecutive hits in a span of two years. Enter the Dragon, a Hong Kong-American co-production, was supposed to propel Lee’s career to new heights. Unfortunately, what was supposed to be a Hollywood comeback became his swan song.

By combining exploitation and spy film elements with Lee’s trademark prowess, Enter the Dragon exploded in cinemas worldwide and instantly became a blueprint for a great many kung fu film wannabes. Though his life and career were tragically cut short, Lee’s philosophy, style, and charisma live on in his compact body of work.

The screening on 1 November will be followed by a talk with Yang Yuntao, Choreographer and Director and Man Lim-chung, Art Director and Costume Designer of HKDance’s Grand Dance Drama ‘Kung Fu Artistry — Bruce Lee’s No Way as Way’, moderated by M+ Assistant Curator of Moving Image Francisco Lo. The talk will be held in Cantonese.

Robert Clouse (1928–1997, United States) was an American director, writer, and producer. Clouse is widely known for his work in action and martial arts films, as well as his memorable collaboration with Hong Kong-American actor and martial artist Bruce Lee on one of the most popular and culturally influential films of all time, Enter the Dragon (1973).