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If anyone could be said to have roared across the screen, it was Bruce Lee.

That power heaving in his torso. The speed in vicious delivery. A martial skill so disconcerting it was impossible to imitate.

His greatest work is arguably that in Enter The Dragon, the first kung fu movie to be produced by a Hollywood studio. Robert Clouse’s film not only catapulted the genre onto Western screens, but ushered in a new dawn: the acceptance of non-whites as lead heroes in mainstream American cinema.

And what a phenomenon Lee proved to be.

To mark the 40th anniversary of the star's passing, we reveal some key facts that lie, in wait, behind the legend that was Bruce Lee.

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON

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Bruce Lee was known to his public as The Dragon, for his formidable presence and sleek ferocity. Forever ready to take on a challenge from fighters and warriors, he blazed his career through television (The Green Hornet) and bit parts in Hong Kong movies, before spreading his wings into top-billed, durable star.

Lee’s metamorphosis into the nickname during two of his most iconic films (Way Of The Dragon, Enter The Dragon), was an elegant escalation of destiny: according to the Chinese zodiac, Lee Jun-fan was born in both the Year and Hour Of The Dragon (1940 and between 06:00 and 08:00 respectively).

A bold omen for one who would become so mythic.

A SHEEP IN WOLF’S CLOTHING

Lee’s family never called him Bruce.

To them he was Sai-Fon, or ‘Little Phoenix’, a distinctly feminine name in Cantonese, because his superstitious mother believed that boys had been cursed by evil spirits after her first-born son died in infancy.

It is thought that he was christened ‘Bruce’ by a nurse at the San Francisco hospital where he was delivered, when his father was Stateside with an acting troupe. By having a Western name, it would help to avoid ambiguity over his birth certificate.

Despite being the epitome of ripped masculinity and the most-recognised Oriental screen icon, the effeminately-titled Little Phoenix was born American and never held any other citizenship.

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FASTER THAN THE SPEED OF LIGHT

Cinema is usually filmed and projected at 24 fps (frames per second). However, so lightning-quick and kinetic were Lee’s movements, that, when shot conventionally, they either looked deliberately sped up for vaudeville effect or just swooped past in a blur of prowess.

So the technology had to be manipulated accordingly: fight sequences were shot at 32 fps adding more exposure to the energy. When played back at normal speed, the violent choreography was still breathtakingly rapid, but the human eye could now keep up.

Lee was not only a pioneer of action cinema, he forced the medium to adapt to his agility.

THE ENTERTAINER

No amount of increased shutter speed could capture the dynamic of some of Lee’s most consummate tricks. One involved him throwing a handful of rice in the air and catching the grains as they cascaded down. Not with scooped limbs or an open mouth, or spoon even. Individually. With a pair of chopsticks.

But perhaps his most well-aired one was a version of the kindly uncle’s favourite party trick to make currency disappear. Bruce would invite his subject to hold a coin in their palm and simply close the hand. Swoosh! Lee would swipe it before the action could be completed. If he was feeling playful, he’d even swap it out for another.

If only The Dragon were alive today to take from the bankers…

THROWN PUNCHES

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As born showman who was never shy about his talents, Lee had another trick up his muscle-bound sleeve. One that did not rely on speed but might.

Sheer heart-stopping force.

It was known as the ‘One-inch Punch’. The martial arts master would stand with calm poise before his victim. Clenched mitt the length of a knuckle from the doomed chest. A pause before the strike. And then…

The slightest of movement begets a storm, Lee’s mere jab rupturing its intended into stunned collapse.

Fist Of Fury, indeed.

ACCIDENT PRONE

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Whilst filming Enter The Dragon, Lee suffered a number of nasty injuries. The poisonous snake that guarded the secret entrance to the villain’s laboratory decided to take offence at his reptilian brother’s attempt to get past, biting the Dragon on his hand. Fortunately, the serpent’s venom gland had been removed.

But that was a rare instance of ‘elf and safety being observed on set.

Not so when American karate champion Bob Wall mistimed the lunge of a broken bottle made of real glass, cutting Lee’s hand severely.

Rumour has it that the two martial artists developed a rivalry during production, although Wall insists they were great friends.

Either way, following this incident, Bruce ploughed into Bob with a choreographed flying kick. Despite knowing that it was coming, the fighter was knocked back with such force that he broke the arms of the extra that inadvertently cushioned his fall.

STREET-FIGHTING MAN

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The teenage Lee regularly got into brawls and was even expelled for disruptive behaviour from one of the secondary schools he attended.

By the time of Enter The Dragon, he was the world’s greatest pugilist, second only, perhaps, to Muhammed Ali (who Lee admitted might be his supreme challenge).

Many of the extras on Clouse’s movie were experienced martial artists and keen to have a pop at the master to take the title. One such aspirant taunted Lee and, during filming, tapped his foot to tempt engagement.

While he was strong and nimble, the Dragon methodically applied signature style, dancing around his opponent until nailing him, plunging his knee into the provocateur’s chest before repeatedly thrusting him in the face.

Ever the philosopher, Lee did not fire the bruised extra as a result, but gave him tips for improvement.

WHO WOULD WIN IN A FIGHT?

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Lee squared up to a few of the titans of action cinema on screen, some future, others established.

The opening joust of Enter The Dragon, between the hero and a surly Shaolin student, ends with a bone-crunching body drop. Who was on the receiving end?

It was pudgy Hong Kong legend Sammo Hung, director/star of many classics of the genre (The Magnificent Butcher, Enter The Fat Dragon) and kick-a** cop in 90s TV series Martial Law, that learnt an early lesson.

Then there was Jackie Chan in the same film, who gets his neck snapped by Lee. During one of the stunts, the star accidentally smacked Chan in the chops with a fighting stick. Even if he, typically, saw the funny side, Lee pledged work on all subsequent movies to compensate.

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Sadly, this may have been a promise that premature death annulled, but one that must have fuelled the young Chan’s ambition.

But the supreme brawn-off is the versus with Chuck Norris in Way Of The Dragon. Watched by a passing moggy, this is kung fu cat-and-mouse drawn out to painfully tense conclusion.

Both artists displaying their unique technique, Lee’s balletic speed against Norris’s strident control, a genuine prize-fight is there to be savoured. As the proverb goes, Chuck may have counted to infinity. Twice.

But it is ultimately Lee that knocks him out for the count.

DEATH BECOMES HIM

Lee’s final film, Game Of Death, became just that in the insensitive hands of the producers. Tragically passing away due to a fluid-swollen brain during the production, reportedly caused after being administered with a painkiller to treat a headache, the coroner ruled “death by misadventure.” So, not to dent business and milk publicity, the script was exploited thus.

Now, Bruce fakes his own demise to escape the mafia.

These fictional hoods must take some convincing as footage from Lee’s funeral is incorporated into the film. Yes, those pallid close-ups of that once-potent face in the open casket are actually embalmed flesh. Misadventure if ever there was.

No wonder the legend of the Dragon, Bruce Lee, haunts us still.