The Grand Illusion

When Bruce Lee died in 1974 at the peak of his superstardom, he had completed only four feature films. But within hours of his funeral, Hong Kong movie studios began to produce hundreds of unauthorized biopics, sequels, prequels, spin-offs, and rip-offs starring a competing series of Lee lookalikes. Over the next decade, fueled by both deception and demand, ‘Bruceploitation’ would become a staple of global cinema.

Director David Gregory—who’d previously explored film’s transgressive edges in his award-winning documentaries LOST SOUL: THE DOOMED JOURNEY OF RICHARD STANLEY'S ISLAND OF DR. MOREAU and FLESH & BLOOD: THE REEL LIFE & GHASTLY DEATH OF AL ADAMSON—now examines this uniquely ‘70s phenomenon through interviews with Bruce Li, Bruce Le, Bruce Liang and Dragon Lee, and a host of other martial arts legends that, for the first time, reveal the history, controversy, and legacy behind one of the most bizarre and successful genres in movie history.

Part of Kung Fu Clubhouse’s Bruceploitation Bonanza!

Those attending the showing on Tuesday, April 30th will have a chance to win a ticket to the screening of DRAGON SUPERMAN at this year’s Seattle International Film Festival!

“A zippy, smartly-cut story of the absolute moral depths the film industry can sink to, all while forming a genuinely heartfelt love letter to kung fu genre movies.” Ben Robins, HeyUGuys

“Considerable fun… this high-kicking flashback should appeal to the same fans who previously enjoyed such prior psychotronic excavations as Not Quite Hollywood, Electric Boogaloo or this director’s own prior investigations of cult figures Al Adamson and Richard Stanley.” Dennis Harvey, Variety