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The Hong Kong producer Raymond Chow is at the origin of the celebrity Bruce Lee, among others. REUTERS / Bobby Yip / File Photo
Producer Raymond Chow, who died at the age of 91, started and followed Bruce Lee's career and opened the doors of American cinema to Jackie Chan. He was considered one of the greatest figures of Hong Kong cinema.
It is with the ambition to make known to the general public the martial arts cinema that Raymond Chow creates his own studios Golden Harvest in 1970. He reproaches his former employer his rigidity and his lack of budget, preventing the films of Kung Fu to reach a maximum of viewers.
One of his first productions is The Big Boss with Bruce Lee in 1971.
For three years the success is linked with the young actor headlining: The Fury of the Dragon (1972) and Operation Dragon (1973) become reference martial arts movies. But Bruce Lee died suddenly in 1973. The Hong Kong film industry was orphaned.
Raymond Chow brings in the light a young actor: Jackie Chan. His films between action and comedy make him a superstar in Asia. Thanks to Raymond Chow, he also exported to the West and made his breakthrough on the American market with The Big Brawl ( The Chinese , in French) in 1980.
Raymond Chow, these are also the Ninja Turtles . The adaptation of an American comic book on the big screen. Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo and Raphael, the four super-power turtles hidden in the sewers of New York end up making the martial arts movies accessible to all. Mission accomplished for Raymond Chow, who has produced a total of more than 170 films.
Among the tributes, the one of the daughter of Bruce Lee thanking the producer for having given a chance to the young actor of the time and to have helped him to realize his dreams.