In much of his earlier work, Moretti’s protagonist is blatantly autobiographical. Nanni Moretti has often been called the Italian Woody Allen, which, needless to say, is highly reductive, though it does give new viewers a general idea of what to expect: a lot of witty, seemingly improvisational dialogue, a somewhat self-absorbed and neurotic protagonist played by the director, and a loosely structured but realistic narrative. Lee obviously wanted to create something epic, and the obvious setting for this, in his mind, was Rome. Some argue that this was just a ploy to ensure a more international audience.īut it is an undeniable coup-de-cinema to have the greatest then-living martial artist practicing his art in a setting that was once the scene of gladatorial combat. It says something about Rome and its reputation that Lee decided to set his first film as a director there. While The Way of The Dragon is certainly an imperfect film, Lee’s passion never fails to shine through and transcend any artistic limitations. This leads to the film’s most famous scene, where Lee and Norris go head to head in the Colisseum. Things get a little more serious when the mobsters enlist none other than Chuck Norris. Tang, of course, is a kung fu master, and beats wave after wave of mafia henchmen.
Lee plays Tang Lung, who goes to Rome in order to deal with the gangsters extorting money from his relatives’ restaurant. The result was The Way of The Dragon, which Lee wrote, directed and produced and, of course, played the starring role.
The Way of The Dragon (Bruce Lee, 1972)Īfter the record breaking success of Fist of Fury, and the closing of a contract with Golden Harvest, Bruce Lee was in a position to take full control of his creative vision. Despite their seemingly ordinary protagonists, those films often seem to draw on Rome’s ancient heroism and honor that has for centuries vied with extraordinary greed and cruelty.ġ5. Even the more undramatic films set here seem to carry the weight of history on their shoulders.Īfter the second world war, with Rome in ruins again, many of the neorealists, especially Roberto Rosselini and Vittorio De Sica, undertook to articulate the restoration of hope in a battered city.
The sense of history is omnipresent, after all, the sense of the epic. Rome is the home of Cinecittà, the studio that gave rise to the vast majority of Italian films that have lasted the test of time and many Hollywood films have been shot there too.Īpart from that enviable cinematic institution, Rome is of course an inspired and inspiring setting for all kinds of films. While the tourists often prefer Venice, Rome is where the real action is, at least as far as cinema is concerned.