So, what was the cinematic milestone, you may well ask? This was the first time I ever saw the legendary Bruce Lee in a movie. OK, I know...I know. Blasphemy, right? Hey listen, I've been totally honest about being cinematically challenged. I just never got around to seeing this man in any of his films or TV shows that he made during his short life. Or if I did see him at one time or another, I've completely forgotten. He made quite an impression in MARLOWE as a character named Winslowe Wong, who entered the private detective's life for nefarious reasons and proceeded to kick and chop his way through a series of walls, doors, windows and basically destroying every set he walked into. In the film's most memorable scene, he has Marlowe cornered on the ledge of a high-rise office building. When it looks like Marlowe is done for, Mr. Wong gets somewhat over excited with one of his strenuous kicks and ends up flying right off of the building. What an exit! A star was born!!
I didn't know much about Bruce Lee, so I looked him up on Wikipedia. His filmography goes all the way back to 1941. MARLOWE was his first Hollywood film appearance, and he served as the action director as well. He previously served as action director on THE WRECKING CREW. Martial arts flicks aren't my thing, but he added something really special to this movie.
He almost steals the film from Rita Moreno. Almost.
The first time (only time, I think!) I saw this, I couldn't believe Ms Moreno's go-go dancing getup, but I think upon closer inspection I decided that she was wearing some sort of prosthesis and it was "all" her. But, yes, she made an impression! Lee could be quite a force of nature. I haven't seen a lot of him either, but I had to watch most of "The Green Hornet" because I liked Van Williams so much. It's just not a terribly fun show overall. Not bad, but not fun like - for example - "Batman." It was more low-key. Like you, I love to go in blind to a movie from a certain time and just let it happen. I did it recently with a George Peppard flick called "PJ" and even more recently with "Zeppelin" with Michael York.
ReplyDeleteWhen I saw Miss Moreno do her thing in this movie, I was surprised that she would show so much of herself. But then I wondered, like you, if she wasn't wearing some sort of body suit or some other form of Hollywood Magic! She was a gorgeous, shapely woman, so it's possible that we were seeing the Real Rita, but who knows? She was great in the role. I'm afraid that The Green Hornet never entered my radar any more than the rest of Bruce Lee's career. In fact, I'm not sure if I ever saw Van Williams in anything, although I remember seeing photos of him, so he's a recognizable face. I also haven't seen either PJ or ZEPPELIN. My condition of being cinematically challenged may prove to be incurable. Too many movies, too little time. And I keep rewatching the same list of old favorites instead of getting more adventurous!
DeleteThose blind buys are a win-win when you get to see an enjoyable film for the first time in a pristine presentation. Glad to hear your devil-may-care bet paid off.
ReplyDeleteMARLOWE sounds like it would be right down my alley. A private eye and go-go dancing provide all the character development that I need. Its reputation seems to be based on the attention-getting spectacle of Bruce Lee's martial arts menace. Since you enjoyed the film, I think it is safe to assume that it has even more to offer...like Rita Moreno!
I think you would like this one, Flash. Between Bruce Lee's athletic antics and Rita Moreno's moves, how could you possibly go wrong???
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