Sorry for being in the wrong place... but hey, nothing ventured, nothing gained.
I am currently working on a new Bruce Lee documentary for UK television. The series is based on four one hour episodes:
Early Life and Chinese Cinema
Pre-fame in the USA
Green Hornet - Enter The Dragon
Bruce Lee's death and cinema legacy
This will be the first Bruce Lee documentary to made and broadcast in HD (and hopefully Blu-ray release).
I have already made a rough cut from e-bay DVD's and from other internet collectors/collections (eg 'You Tube') – but the problem is that many of these clips are too poor to be broadcast.
Perhaps it is the wrong place to ask, but, would it be possible for you guys to help track down better (higher quality copies) of these clips? (I have already tried the limited Bruce Lee forums etc)
All acknowledgements and rights will be acknowledged:
(Who knows - perhaps one day they will let me loose on a Queen version!)
John , I don't have any material too offer , more of a suggestion - I used to do wing chun and can put you in touch with some sifu ( teachers ) who are well know on the the uk wing chun / jkd circuit - they could offer you some advice / opinions on Bruce Lee or put out some feelers if that helps ?
Dracula2 wrote:
John , I don't have any material too offer , more of a suggestion - I used to do wing chun and can put you in touch with some sifu ( teachers ) who are well know on the the uk wing chun / jkd circuit - they could offer you some advice / opinions on Bruce Lee or put out some feelers if that helps ?
Thanks - as they say in the TESCO advert 'every little helps'.
Anything appreciated.
John - 1 ) Are you going to write a book ? If so can you keep us posted on it / any updates on your documentary .
2) I don't know this guy prsonally , but he taught my sifu , he is by all accounts one of the top wing chun practicioners in the uk - Sifu Oliver van Overbeek http://www.wcasap.com/instructor.htm If you read his bio he was taught by Christian Pankhurst ( a wing chun legend who as I understand it was taught by yip mann himself ) . Olivers' bio gives his e mail address , so he may ( if you ask nicely ) put you in touch with Pankhurst . Hope this helps ?
John , can I clarify what I said in my reply last night . When I said I thought Christian Pankhurst was taught by Yip mann , I have thought about it and I think it is unlikely - rather , I think it's more likely that that Pankhurst was taught by one of Y.P's disciples/star students . If you think about it the chronology/timing doesn't fit .....Yip Mann died of cancer in the early 1970's ( so I doubt ) he would have been taking on students at this stage of his life
Also If you've seen "Dragon - The Bruce Lee Story" there was resistance within the Chinese community to Lee teaching certain of the more esoteric/spiritual aspects of wing chun to non ethnic Chinese and I assume Y.P being both a traditionalist and of the older generation he wouldn't ( at least publicly ) condone the teaching of them to westerners . Sorry for any confusion I may have caused you . But Pankhurst is def someone to talk to , as he is recognized throughout Europe as a leading wing chun exponent and everyone I know who has met him can't speak highly enough of him 8 -)