Bruce Lee’s nunchaku skills set a benchmark for all to follow and that influence continues to this day. However for a long time his skills were hidden from the UK public.
In the UK, Enter The Dragon was given an ‘X’ rated certificate by the British Board of Film Classification, the BBFC, with scene cuts for the cinema release on the 13 of January 1974. An ‘X’ rating meant that in the BBFC’s opinion the film was only suitable for those over 18 years old.
Later in 1979, James Ferman Director of the BBFC and chief censor recalled the film so that five sequences could be cut from the film because of violence, one of these was the sequence in which Bruce Lee uses nunchaku.
In 2001 twenty Eight years later “Enter the Dragon” was resubmitted in its uncut form and, in accordance with the BBFC’s revised policy, was given an ’18’ rating, importantly without cut scenes.
In spite of such attempts to hide the Nunchakus from the public many practiced using them in many martial arts clubs.
Forty-Six years after James Ferman made the monstrous cuts and eighteen years since the film was allowed to be released uncut, the key scene that really defined Bruce Lee’s precision, speed and accuracy was used as an ultimate benchmark of perfection on the Jonathan Ross talk show on Sunday night on the ITV Channel, a UK television channel.
One of Jonathan’s guests was the celebrated baker Paul Hollywood, who revealed he had studied martial arts about 30 years earlier with his Uncle, and had become proficient with the Nunchaku and enjoyed the discipline. Jonathan showed the clip of Bruce Lee from Enter The Dragon using the Nunchaku and then asked Paul to try and recall how to do it. Much like riding a bike Paul Hollywood rose to the occasion giving a decent Nunchaku performance, which was well received by the audience.
To some this just a bit of entertaining television. To others who really appreciate the works and skills of Bruce Lee it is a milestone, in the fact that an Asian movie celebrity remains the benchmark and inspiration in this area, in spite of being hidden from the UK population for so long. Now it is credited as one of the top iconic action pieces on film. Moreover, the scene is used as the ultimate visual imagery of efficiency in using this ancient Asian weapon.
Enjoy the footage.
Note: – Ferman was also well known for his keenness to remove references to illegal weapons, with the result that sequences involving nunchakus, no matter how innocuous or comical, were cut from many films prior to receiving a certificate. The prime casualty of the ruling were martial arts films such as Enter the Dragon starring Bruce Lee.
It wasn’t until 2001 before Enter The Dragon was finally released uncut. On 24 December 2002; Ferman was admitted to Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead, London, with acute pneumonia. He died later that day closing a chapter on British film censorship.
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