New Bruce Lee film accused of white-washing

World Today

New Bruce Lee film accused of white-washing

Bruce Lee is a global icon who’s considered, by many, as one of the most influential martial artists of all time. A new biographical film about Lee has recently come out of Hollywood, but it’s been met with a lot of criticism and accusations of white-washing.

CCTV America’s May Lee has more on the story.

Bruce Lee is, arguably, the most famous martial arts star in modern history amazing for a man who only lived to be 32 years old. A newly released biopic highlights Lee’s early years, including his controversial fight with Master Wong Jack Man. The film is aptly entitled, “Birth of the Dragon.”

But the movie is being met with heavy criticism, the producers accused of white-washing and side-lining Bruce Lee in his own biographical story, and giving the film’s starring role to a white fictional character.

Fans are lashing out. Entertainment data site, IMDB, is riddled with harsh comments.

Variety’s senior film reporter, Jim Rainey, is a bit surprised by the backlash given the efforts made by the filmmakers to get it right.

The film’s producer Michael London tried to defend the biopic at a recent film festival and perhaps unintentionally revealed the disturbing reality of Hollywood decision making.

In a statement, he said, “It was made primarily to allow distributors to see the film as a marketable proposition.”

London said that during the making of the film he was actually more concerned about making a Hollywood movie that had only one white character.

And with legions of fans around the world, the inspirational legacy of Bruce Lee will undoubtedly survive this latest controversy and firmly remain as a memorable part of Chinese and American history.