Circle of Iron

Circle of Iron is a 1978 martial arts fantasy film directed by Richard Moore and co-written by Stirling Silliphant and Stanley Mann, starring David Carradine, Christopher Lee, Jeff Cooper, Roddy McDowall, Eli Wallach, Anthony De Longis, Earl Maynard and Erica Creer. Filming began on 28 October 1977 and ended on 20 December 1977.

The Silent Flute

The Silent Flute, which was the original title of the story conceived by Bruce Lee, James Coburn and Stirling Silliphant in 1969. Bruce Lee envisioned his film as an entertaining introduction to Eastern philosophy, as well as martial arts. As he wrote in a preface to the script:

The story illustrates a great difference between Oriental and Western thinking. This average Westerner would be intrigued by someone's ability to catch flies with chopsticks, and would probably say that has nothing to do with how good he is in combat. But the Oriental would realize that a man who has attained such complete mastery of an art reveals his presence of mind in every action...True mastery transcends any particular art.

After Lee abandoned the project, the original script was rewritten, replacing some violent scenes with comedic themes.The movie Circle of Iron was released on DVD on September 28, 2004, and on Blu-ray on May 19, 2009, by Blue Underground. Extras include also "Bruce Lee's The Silent Flute: A History By Davis Miller & Klae Moore," and First Draft Script by Bruce Lee, James Coburn & Stirling Silliphant (DVD-ROM).

Other Websites

• Circle of Iron on IMDb