THE ORPHAN was Bruce Lee’s final film prior to moving from Hong Kong back to the United States where he was born. The film originally came out in 1960 when Bruce was still a teenager. Prior to his incomparable martial arts films, Bruce made nearly twenty films as a child actor. There are discrepancies in the various filmographies of Bruce’s early films, mostly because early Hong Kong cinema isn’t completely documented. What’s more, there are variations in some of the titles when they were translated to English.

I’ve seen a few of Bruce’s early films, but not THE ORPHAN. That one is hard to find and since it was his last, it’s the most sought after of them all. On Saturday, November 5^th, 2022, I finally had the pleasure of seeing THE ORPHAN, a film I’ve been hoping to see for nearly half a century. I saw it on the big screen too, in one of Chinatown’s historic theaters.

And it was totally worth the wait…

Enter the Golden Gate

While Bruce’s childhood filmography is messy, we know for fact that Bruce’s first film appearance was in GOLDEN GATE GIRLS (金門女 1941). That was filmed in San Francisco, Burce's birthplace, and Bruce makes an uncredited appearance as a baby. Bruce’s father, Lee Hoi-Chuen, was a performer in residency at historic Sun Sing Theatre in San Francisco’s Chinatown, which was how Bruce came to be born in SF. Bruce’s dad was renowned as a Cantonese opera star, and given his connection with theater, got Bruce started in show business early.  The Sun Sing Theatre was built in 1925 as a Chinese opera stage, and eventually became a movie theater. The theater was converted to a funky retail space in 1986, which is how I remember it.

Sun Sing Center was a collective market space filled with several different vendors, which gave it a flea market vibe. But it retained the basic architecture of a theater hall that made it unique. There were some typical kitschy Chinatown tourist booths in front, and on the far wall where the screen used to be an area that sold Chinese music. There was also a small booth that sold Kung Fu weapons. I always peeked in whenever I passed by and remember buying a sharp pair of tempered steel Tiger Hooks, as well as a Jackie Chan music CD in the back. I’ve yet to see a pair of Tiger Hooks like my sharp pair and acquiring them there reinforced my love of treasure hunting in Chinatown. Sun Sing is closed now. 

But back to Bruce, the earliest of his films that I’ve seen was THE KID (細路祥 1950), which also stars Lee Hoi-Chuen. Bruce plays the titular kid named Ah-Cheung. He’s a street urchin and petty thief. It’s an intriguing watch because even at age 10, nascent moments of Bruce’s signature swagger can be seen. THE KID can be found on the web without too much effort and was made into a DVD titled MY SON, A CHUNG (note the spelling variation). Ah-Cheung is a cocky punk, the sort of role that Bruce was almost typecast into and inevitably led up to THE ORPHAN.

Aside from THE ORPHAN, Bruce did two other movies about orphans, both in 1955. AN ORPHAN’S TRAGEDY (孤星血淚 1955) is loosely based on the 1861 novel Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. Bruce plays the child role of Frank Wong Fuk-wan, inspired by Pip in the novel. His other orphan-themed film that year was ORPHAN’S SONG (孤兒行 1955).

However, Bruce wasn’t limited to playing orphans. In one of the films that he made just prior to THE ORPHAN, he played a classmate and dancing friend of the film’s titular starlet Suen Siu Yuk (Man Lan). That was in DARLING GIRL (甜姐兒 1957) when he was in his late teens. As for the dancing, it’s a well-known fact that Bruce was the Crown Colony Cha Cha dancing champion of Hong Kong in 1958.  One thing is for certain – Bruce Lee could move.

THE ORPHAN directed by Lee Sun-Fung

In THE ORPHAN, Bruce also demonstrates his cha cha skill, and man, could he sway his hips. He sashays with such effortless grace it is no wonder that he captured that Hong Kong dancing title. But beyond that, THE ORPHAN is an extraordinary showcase of Bruce’s talents, not just as a physical actor but it’s also an emotional tour de force. Beyond being a cocky street pickpocket and purse snatcher, Bruce’s character Ah Sam has an emotional breakdown. We see Bruce cry. For any fan of Bruce Lee, or any cinephile, it’s absolutely engrossing to see Bruce perform with his Kung Fu stripped away. His Kung Fu reputation is so massive that it’s easy to overlook the fact that he was an accomplished actor. Much of his acting style is exaggerated. Perhaps this is an artifact of his father's opera training where expressions had to be amplified to read from stage. It makes Bruce's screen presence undeniably magnetic.

Based on a novel by Tin Au-yeung, THE ORPHAN feels a bit stilted and timeworn now. It offers a snapshot of Hong Kong in the 60s, but the plot is predictable and if you’re like me, you’ll be able to predict the major McGuffin as soon as it is teased in an early flashback scene. However, Bruce redeems it all. His performance is such a revelation. His star power and his charisma shine through. THE ORPHAN was ranked number 52 of the Best 100 Chinese Motion Pictures at the 24^th Hong Kong Film Awards in 2005, ironically the same year that Stephan Chow’s comedic homage to Bruce, KUNG FU HUSTLE, won Best Picture.

Bruce moved from Hong Kong before THE ORPHAN was released. From 1966 to 1971, Bruce had small roles in several television shows ranging from Batman to Blondie, most notably as Kato in The Green Hornet which ran 26 episodes. In these appearances, Bruce was always demonstrating martial arts in some way, which culminated in him playing the office-destroying thug Winslow Wong in the film MARLOWE (1969).

It was after that when he began taking lead film roles as a Kung Fu master. However, Bruce only made four and a half martial arts films: THE BIG BOSS (1971), FIST OF FURY (1972), THE WAY OF THE DRAGON (1972), and ENTER THE DRAGON (1973). Those films were all made within the span of three years. The ‘half’ film was GAME OF DEATH (1978) which was cobbled together from fragments of a project that he was working on when he was called away to film ENTER THE DRAGON, supplemented with clips poached from his earlier films and a Korean-born impersonator, Kim Tai-chung, who specialized in Taekwondo. It was a travesty that went so far as to show footage of Bruce's actual funeral and reusing it to make a plot point. Tragically, Bruce died on July 20, 1973, just a month prior to the ENTER THE DRAGON premiere on August 19.

Radiating Bruce Lee: Cinema Under The Sky

So why did it take so long for me to see THE ORPHAN? Unlike THE KID, or even AN ORPHAN’S TRAGEDY, it’s very hard to find. I suppose if I searched the dark web and illegal pirate sites that it’s out there somewhere, but that disrespects Bruce and far be it for me to do that.

THE ORPHAN was presented as part of the WE ARE BRUCE LEE exhibit at San Francisco Chinatown’s exceptional museum Chinese Historical Society of America (CHSA) as part of their five-film series, Radiating Bruce Lee: Cinema Under The Sky. The series ran over several weekends from October to November. GOLDEN GATE GIRLS opened the series, followed by one of the very first wuxia films ever made, RED HEROINE (1929). After THE ORPHAN was THE GRANDMASTER (2013), and at this writing, the final installment of the series remains. That is THE WAY OF THE DRAGON (1972), showing on Bruce’s birthday, November 27, 2022.

THE ORPHAN was provided by the Hong Kong Film Archive, a donation-driven organization that strives to preserve and promote Hong Kong’s rich cinematic legacy. This very special presentation of THE ORPHAN was made possible through a cooperative venture between the Archive and CHSA. The Archive has restored THE ORPHAN and presents it only through these exclusive arrangements as part of their ongoing fund- and awareness-raising efforts. The showing was tightly controlled with a special watermark on the film acknowledging CHSA, and two security guards keeping careful watch on the audience to make sure no one tried to record it.

As a special treat, the Archive sent one of their experts, curator, critic, researcher, and writer Sam Ho to give a special talk about the film prior to its showing. To be honest, I was a bit put out by this, but that was because I had a commitment across town immediately after the film and rushing across SF is never fun. I was hoping the film would be first so I could skip the talk. But I’m so glad I caught it. Ho’s talk was fantastic, both reaffirming many thoughts I had about Bruce’s work and introducing several historical facts and insights that left my mind reeling. I’m so grateful that I was present for that and wish I could've spoken more with Ho afterwards.

The Great Star

As a special treat, THE ORPHAN was screened at the Great Star Theater. I can hardly begin to say what this theater means to me. It holds a special place in my Kung Fu heart. I haven’t been inside that house in over 30 years.

The Great Star is Chinatown’s other historic theater, built in 1925. Although Bruce’s dad, Lee Hoi-Chuen, was committed to the Sun Sing, he also performed here at the Great Star. It is also where THE ORPHAN had its U.S. premiere, according to Ho. And it’s where I saw countless Kung Fu movies when I was growing up.

Back in the late 70s and early 80s, I was living in the Silicon Valley and just starting to learn Kung Fu. I used to make monthly pilgrimages up to the Great Star with my dad or my Kung Fu brothers to catch the latest Kung Fu flicks. We’d make a day of it - it was always a double feature, sometimes even a triple feature - and we’d feast on dim sum afterwards. There I saw the latest Shaw Brothers and Golden Harvest films, straight out of Hong Kong, while they were still fresh. I remember seeing classics like THE AVENGING EAGLE (冷血十三鷹 1978) and THE DEADLY BREAKING SWORD (風流斷劍小小刀 1979), as well as so many Jackie Chan films, in that hallowed theater.

Martial artists of my generation know – Chinatown theaters were sacred spaces. Today we are numbed by the easy availability of cinema. We can stream thousands of martial arts movies in the comfort of our own homes. But back the day, there weren’t even video recorders. If you wanted to watch a Kung Fu movie, you had to stay up super late to catch some midnight Kung Fu theater program. Or you had to go into Chinatown and see them like they were meant to be seen – on the big silver screen. You can’t even say you’re a true Shaw Brothers fan if you’ve never experienced Shaw Scope in the theater. The panoramic style of Shaw Scope cinematography was something so special back then. And it still is.  

Unlike the Sun Sing, the Great Star Theater has been fully restored and is now a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community theater. It showcases live performances ranging from its timeless Chinese operas to modern-day burlesque shows, cabaret, circus, and comedy, along with its mainstay of movies. It is now the only remaining theater in Chinatown. To watch a Bruce Lee film that I had not seen before in the historic Great Star Theater was such a blessing.

The final installment of CHSA’s Radiating Bruce Lee: Cinema Under The Sky film series, THE WAY OF THE DRAGON, will be presented at the Great Star Theater on Sunday November 27^th, which would’ve been Bruce’s 82^nd birthday. This will be followed by a round table discussion about Bruce roots and legacy featuring Adisa Banjoko, Anthony Chan, Jeff Chinn, Rahman Jamal, Mandeep Sethi, and Malik Seneferu. Note that it is Jeff Chinn’s astounding collection of Bruce Lee memorabilia that forms the foundation of the WE ARE BRUCE LEE exhibit (read Jeff Chinn on WE ARE BRUCE LEE: Under the Sky, One Family).

For any SF Bay Area locals, you can honor Bruce’s birthday and support the museum at the same time. Treat yourself to THE WAY OF THE DRAGON on the big silver screen in one of Chinatown's historic theaters. I suggest you make a day of Chinatown, just like me, my dad, and my Kung Fu brothers did back in the day.  The Chinese Historical Society of America opens at 11AM so see the WE ARE BRUCE LEE exhibit first. Then head over to the Great Star for the showing of THE WAY OF THE DRAGON at 2PM, enjoy the round table afterwards, which will end at 5PM, just in time for dinner. Then grab a meal at one of the many fine Chinatown restaurants. Maybe some dim sum? Or how about some Chinese spareribs?

Tell them Gene sent ya.