Enter The Dragon went through a lot of changes prior to its release. Some for the better, and others for the worse. Some of the more notable changes, made a huge impact on the outcome of the film, here's a list of some of the biggest changes here.
Change one:
For the better, title change.
Michael Allin wrote the original script and treatment for Enter The Dragon, but the original title for the movie was, Blood and Steel. Bruce Lee was not a fan of the name, Lee even argued it's a simple name and that this picture didn't deserve simple. Executive Producer Fred Weintrab insisted on the title, but Lee held firm and countered with the much better sounding Enter The Dragon. Change two:
For the better, Bruce Lee's philosophy
When Bruce Lee met with the Director Robert Clouse, Bruce was told he would choreograph and play the lead, and that would be all. But Bruce Lee was the current King of Hong Kong, and had way more pull than Clouse initially understood. Lee had a cornucopia of ideas to expand the script and was very forward about how important philosophy would be to Lee's character in the film. So, Lee became a co-writer on Enter The Dragon, and wrote all the philosophical scenes in the movie. The change made the film a lot more impactful, and much more worthy of a second, or third, or 80th watch. For more details on how Bruce Lee's philosophical additions add to the film, you can learn about them in Defining Cinema's video below:
Change Three:
For the better, recasting to Jim Kelly as Williams
Williams was originally supposed to be played by Bill Smith, a white actor. Supposedly, his role was re-casted due to him being too tall. Thanks to the recasting to Kelly, Allin was able to develop his character into a vehicle for African American struggles in the 1970s.
Without Kelly's portrayal of Williams in Enter The Dragon, the blacksploitation genre may have looked very different as Williams inspired all of Rudy Ray Moore's characters in Enter the Dragon.
Change Four:
For the worse, John Saxon shared the title card in the opening sequence.
John Saxon played Roper in Enter The Dragon. Saxon's agent was very forward about his client's treatment in the film. One of the stipulations for Saxon to be part of the film was for him to be featured in the first credit in the film. Saxon actually didn't even want to do the movie, Robert Clouse quoted Saxon in the book The Making Of Enter The Dragon, as saying:
“I really didn’t want to do [Enter the Dragon] at the start, as the script was very thin. I even called the producers and told them that I didn’t want to do it. I was sincere – I said that there wasn’t enough acting in it."
Saxon however was a draw to Western audiences. He wasn't a Cary Grant, but he had been acting in Hollywood since the mid 50s. So, Enter The Dragon needed him, and caved to his Agent. But in hindsight, seeing any name next to Bruce Lee in the opening credits of any movie, seems out of place. Change 5:
For the worse, Roper's death swapped for Williams.
Saxon's pushy agent wasn't done with the opening credit. His agent thought Enter The Dragon would be Saxon's big break, and absolutely would not put up with him dying in Enter the Dragon. Therefore, William's was swapped as the one who was killed in the film. Kelly was a far superior Martial Artist to Saxon. Prior to the film, John Saxon only had three years of Judo experience, a grappling martial art, whereas Jim Kelly had spent his whole life as a martial artist and even had a dojo of his own.
Imagine if Williams shared the battlefield with Lee in the final big battle at the end of the Enter The Dragon. Imagine Williams taking down Bolo instead of Roper. Audiences would have been much more satisfied with the result.
Written by,
Tyler Wiest
Defining Cinema Producer and Editor
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