before his untimely Death, Bruce Lee and his student, James Coburn, created a Story for film. it was meant to help introduce western audiences to some of the tenets in eastern philosophy. the original title was "the Silent Flute".
years later, David Carradine obtained the rights, and aided by writers Sterling Silliphant and Stanley Mann, the film was finally made.
with the immediately forgettable Jeff Cooper in the Protagonist role, and heavyweight supporting done by Christopher Lee, Eli Wallach and Roddy McDowell, it is David Carradine's performances as 4 characters that carries the Story.
our Hero begins by entering a Tournament of fighters, each seeking to win the prize, a Quest to find the Book of All Knowledge. when asked his Style, Cord answers "no Style", alluding to Sifu Lee's own Jeet Kune Do. he wins , of course, otherwise it woud be a 10 minute movie.
the Journey consists of many trials, from Combat to Ethics to Spirit...many might not be readily apparent to some viewers, in part due to Coopers pitiful acting/fighting abilities as well as flaws in the writing done as the movie was being made. Caradine does well as our hero's Guide in the part of the Blind Flute Player, not as well in the Adversarial roles ...the pity here is that Carradine is the closest thing we get to a Martial Artist.
you can tell what the Imagery aims for, allegory and metaphor abound. and there are some good Moments...when the Blind Flute Player asks Cord who he is and upon hearing it scoffs and says "even your name is a noise"...Cord realizes that the Blind Man knows everything that is going to happen a few seconds before it does and states "you've been thru this before" and the Blind Man answers, "how many times.." and slaps his open palm against Cord's cheek (giving the Answer to the old Riddle, what is the sound of one hand clapping). there's also a fantastic line from Carradine " it is difficult to kill a horse with a flute"
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