Bruce Lee: A Warrior's Journey

00:12:11,892 --> 00:12:14,167 - You went to college in the US? - Yes. 158 00:12:14,252 --> 00:12:16,686 - And what did you study? - Philosophy. 159 00:12:16,772 --> 00:12:22,563 Bruce Lee's interest in philosophy, defined by the Western ethos as love of wisdom... 160 00:12:22,652 --> 00:12:26,804 ...is a passion that will remain with him for the remainder of his life. 161 00:12:26,972 --> 00:12:29,247 Lee has been teaching Americans about... 162 00:12:29,332 --> 00:12:33,564 ...Chinese philosophy and culture for six years, lecturing in the Pacific Northwest... 163 00:12:33,652 --> 00:12:35,927 ...on the subtleties of Chinese thought. 164 00:12:36,012 --> 00:12:41,132 His great passion, however, is gung fu, an ancient Chinese fighting art... 165 00:12:41,212 --> 00:12:44,170 ...unknown in the America of 1965. 166 00:12:44,572 --> 00:12:49,043 Lee's scrapbook from this period of his life reveals brief descriptions of many... 167 00:12:49,132 --> 00:12:52,727 ...of the arts and traditions of the venerated masters of gung fu. 168 00:12:53,132 --> 00:12:58,889 America's only knowledge of the martial arts in 1965 are judo and jujitsu... 169 00:12:59,372 --> 00:13:03,763 ...two Japanese arts that were taught to her servicemen during the Korean War. 170 00:13:04,332 --> 00:13:08,371 Lee regards himself as an ambassador for Chinese martial art... 171 00:13:08,452 --> 00:13:12,081 ...teaching all who'll listen about the ways of the Chinese masters. 172 00:13:12,172 --> 00:13:18,407 You told me earlier today that karate and jujitsu are not the most... 173 00:13:18,612 --> 00:13:22,525 ...powerful or the best forms of Oriental fighting. 174 00:13:22,612 --> 00:13:25,046 What is the most powerful or the best form? 175 00:13:25,132 --> 00:13:28,442 It's bad to say the best... 176 00:13:28,772 --> 00:13:31,570 ...but in my opinion gung fu is pretty good. 177 00:13:31,652 --> 00:13:34,166 Would you tell us a little about gung fu? 178 00:13:34,292 --> 00:13:36,726 Gung fu originates in China. 179 00:13:37,092 --> 00:13:40,641 It is the ancestor of karate and jujitsu. 180 00:13:41,532 --> 00:13:44,490 It is more of a complete system and it's more fluid. 181 00:13:44,572 --> 00:13:48,167 By that I mean, it's more flowing, there is continuity in movement... 182 00:13:48,252 --> 00:13:51,528 ...instead of one movement, two movements, and then stop. 183 00:13:52,012 --> 00:13:55,925 I see. What's the difference between a gung fu punch and a karate punch? 184 00:13:56,292 --> 00:13:58,931 A karate punch is like an iron bar, "whack." 185 00:14:00,332 --> 00:14:05,201 A gung fu punch is like an iron chain with an iron ball attached to the end... 186 00:14:05,292 --> 00:14:07,522 ...and it goes "whang," and it hurts inside. 187 00:14:07,612 --> 00:14:08,806 Okay. 188 00:14:08,892 --> 00:14:15,001 Lee has studied a system of gung fu for the past nine years called wing chun... 189 00:14:15,132 --> 00:14:19,489 ...and is considered one of the art's most talented and articulate exponents. 190 00:14:19,652 --> 00:14:24,123 His teacher in this art has been an elderly Hong Kong Chinese master... 191 00:14:24,212 --> 00:14:26,009 ...by the name of Yip Man. 192 00:14:26,652 --> 00:14:29,883 Despite his proficiency in this style of gung fu... 193 00:14:29,972 --> 00:14:33,362 ...his study of philosophy has caused him to question. 194 00:14:33,532 --> 00:14:36,888 And now, he begins to question why most martial artists... 195 00:14:36,972 --> 00:14:40,169 ...Chinese and otherwise, seem more concerned with... 196 00:14:40,292 --> 00:14:44,285 ...preserving tradition, than with looking more deeply into the matter... 197 00:14:44,372 --> 00:14:48,001 ...to penetrate through to the ultimate truth of martial art. 198 00:14:49,492 --> 00:14:53,121 Moreover, Lee has begun to develop his own method of gung fu... 199 00:14:53,292 --> 00:14:58,047 ...which he describes as, "non-classical in nature" and which takes as its core... 200 00:14:58,132 --> 00:15:02,523 ...the principles of economy of motion, simplicity and directness. 201 00:15:04,092 --> 00:15:07,448 All right, for instance, you will read it in bulk... 202 00:15:07,532 --> 00:15:10,888 ...in a magazine and everything, that when somebody grabs you... 203 00:15:10,972 --> 00:15:14,760 ...you will first do this and then this and then and then... 204 00:15:14,852 --> 00:15:17,650 Thousands of steps before you do a single thing. 205 00:15:17,732 --> 00:15:20,963 Of course, these kinds of magazines would teach you... 206 00:15:21,052 --> 00:15:24,965 ...to be feared by your enemies and admired by your friends. 207 00:15:25,172 --> 00:15:29,006 But in gung fu, it always involves a very fast motion. 208 00:15:29,092 --> 00:15:31,526 Like, for instance, a guy grabbing your hand... 209 00:15:31,612 --> 00:15:3