Why is Bruce Lee so Popular?

Martial arts film star Bruce Lee appeared in only four feature films in his career yet his image has become truly iconic. Dorm rooms from England to Argentina find space for posters of Bruce Lee, shirtless, lithe, muscled, deadly and spiritual. His name and his face are recognized around the world.

Before starring in his own Chinese language films, Bruce Lee played on the American television show 'The Green Hornet' for one season. Lee was the quiet side-kick, Kato, who let his fists do most of the talking. A wily and clever character, Kato was none-the-less a secondary hero whose dignity came in part because he accepted his subservient role.

How did Bruce Lee go from humble, kick-ass side-kick to being pinned up in posters around the world as the planet's premier kicker of ass?

Bruce Lee was a master of his craft - the martial arts - and it is his expertise and prowess that first come through on the screen. Trained as a dancer as well as a fighter, Bruce Lee was a special athletic talent - a fact which is on display in all of the actor's action scenes. His focus and dedication to self-development were obvious from the opening credits.

The final form of Bruce Lee's martial arts style was a hybrid of several disciplines called Jeet Kune Do.*

There was more to Bruce Lee than the martial arts. His screen presence was captivating at every turn, not just when he was throwing flying kicks around. His smile was full of a charisma that had a source in deep thought and spiritual philosophy.

Beyond his athletic abilities and his martial arts mastery, Lee also had a spiritual side and a vision. In his biographies*, Bruce Lee's influence and popularity are related to martial arts and philosophy. Notably, Lee was a philosophy major at the University of Washington.

Rigor, self-reliance and adaptability are each focal points of Bruce Lee's films and his philosophy. Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend.*

This way of thinking was present in Bruce Lee's four feature films, especially in his third and fourth movies, now titled 'Return of the Dragon' and 'Enter the Dragon'.

In his third film, 'Return of the Dragon', Bruce Lee expanded his role from starring actor to a larger list of responsibilities as actor, writer, director and producer, effectively gaining complete control of the film.

In 'Return of the Dragon' Lee's character calmly defends his family's right to run a store in Rome. Bruce Lee cast himself as an instructor also, guiding his cousins to the confidence and techniques that would help them to defend themselves and the film here gives voice to the teachings Lee would have used in his own dojo, a direct expression of his philosophy.

After the success of these three Chinese language movies, Bruce Lee starred in his biggest hit and his final film, the English language movie 'Enter the Dragon'.

The combination of surface dynamism and depth of spirit are what make Bruce Lee the icon he has become today. Jimi Hendrix, a pop icon from the same era, had similarly short career in terms of (album) production and a similarly enduring fame.

Both Lee and Hendrix died young, and both were at the peak of their virtuosity when they did. Just as Bruce Lee had depth of character beyond his technical skills, Jimi Hendrix played the guitar with his soul.

This combination of spiritual depth and surface mastery seem to be the primary reasons for the iconic status of these two popular figures from the late 60s and early 70s. Yet there is one more factor to consider.

Fans of both Bruce Lee and Jimi Hendrix have all asked themselves this question: Given another few years, what would he have done? What would he have created next?

Regarding Bruce Lee, we wonder what the next movie would have been and what direction his ideas would have taken.

The What If scenario, perhaps, gives additional life to the image and memory of Bruce Lee and invites us to continue to regale the man, not only for what he was, but also for what he might have become.

Lee's own words emphasizing a practical side of his own philosophy, give us an interesting finale as an answer to our question: Why is Bruce Lee so famous?

"If you always put limit on everything you do, physical or anything else. It will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them."*

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Muhammad Ali's Best Films

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