Bruce never finished Game of Death. He worked on it after Way of the Dragon and then stopped to make Enter the Dragon. Years after his death Golden Harvest used portions of what he shot to make what they called Bruce Lee's Game of Death, but the film was changed unrecognisably from its original premise. Unlikely as it may seem the result did well enough that a second film was made, even further removed from Bruce's vision. Click on the READ MORE links to go to sections devoted to these two films.

NOTE: Hong Kong Legends will be releasing a restored version of Golden Harvest's Game of Death on Region 2 DVD in October. By all accounts a DVD to own, with some of Bruce's original scenes restored to the film. Click here for more info and to order.

Bruce originally intended Game of Death to be a more philosophical treatment of martial arts. He started working on the film in 1972, after completing Way of the Dragon. Reportedly he shot about 90 minutes of footage for the end of the film (of which 23 minutes can be used today). He never wrote a screenplay for it.

He envisioned a pagoda set on an island off the coast of Korea, with each level guarded by a different martial arts stylist. Three challengers - Bruce's character (Jeet Kune Do), Chieh Yuan (traditional Kung Fu) and James Tien - fight their way to the top of the pagoda and ultimate victory. The footage he shot only covers the upper 3 levels, guarded by Dan Inosanoto (Escrima), Chi Hon Tsoi (Hapkido) and Kareem Abdul Jabbar respectively. There is a sign at Dan Inosanto's floor which reads "Fu Deen" (Tiger Palace) and one at Chi Hon Tsoi's which reads "Lung Deen" (Dragon Palace).

The footage that survives includes the following scenes (films in which these scenes appear are noted in brackets):

• Chieh Yuan vs Dan Inosanto
  
  • Bruce Lee: The Legend
  • Bruce Lee: The Man and the Legend
• James Tien vs Dan Inosanto
  • Bruce Lee: The Legend
• Bruce Lee vs Dan Inosanto
  • Game of Death
• Chieh Yuan and James Tien vs Chi Hon Tsoi; then Bruce Lee vs Chi Hon Tsoi
  • Bruce Lee: The Legend
  • Bruce Lee: The Man and the Legend
• James Tien vs Kareem Abdul Jabbar
  • Game of Death
• Bruce Lee vs Kareem Abdul Jabbar
  • Game of Death
• Bruce Lee shouting out of a window
• Bruce Lee going down the stairs of the pagoda

Bruce intended starting the film with an image of a tree branch breaking under the weight of snow while a reed simply bends with it. The lesson was that one had to adapt to changing circumstances. This was the lesson Tang Lung learns and teaches in the final fight of Way of the Dragon, where he overcomes Chuck Norris's warrior by being fluid and adaptable. It was certainly quite an ambitious project - it would have been the first time that Bruce had the opportunity to showcase his art and philosophy in undiluted form on the big screen. What a pity it was never to be.

The Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco showed Bruce Lee: A Warrior's Journey - John Little's new Bruce documentary - on Sunday, October 22, 2000. The documentary includes 34 minutes of original Game of Death footage edited into a film. This was the first time the world saw at least part of the film as Bruce intended it to be. For more information visit the Chinese Culture Center.

I am indebted to articles in Impact magazine for some of this information