Cleopatra Wong is a fictional character created in 1978 by Filipino filmmaker and producer Bobby A. Suarez, who featured her in three feature-length movies: ''

They Call Her Cleopatra Wong ''They Call Her... Cleopatra Wong'' (also known as ''Cleopatra Wong'' and ''Female Big Boss'') is a 1978 Philippine-Singaporean international co-production film directed by Bobby A. Suarez and co-written by Suarez and Romeo N. Galang. It feature ...

'' in 1978, ''Dynamite Johnson'' (a.k.a. ''Bionic Boy II'') in 1979, and ''Devil’s Angels'' (a.k.a. ''Devil’s Three'') in 1980. She was portrayed by Singapore actress

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Fictional character biography

The Singapore-based fictional

Interpol The International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL (abbreviated as ICPO–INTERPOL), commonly known as Interpol ( , ; stylized in allcaps), is an international organization that facilitates worldwide police cooperation and crime cont ...

agent has been used in an early

film franchise A film franchise has been described as a film series which not only continued the narrative through sequels and prequels, but also included expansion through ancillary intertexts which could include spinoffs, remakes and reboots. These formats di ...

hailing from Southeast Asia, and has remained the only film franchise featuring a Singaporean as the central figure. In ''Dynamite Johnson'', the character Cleopatra Wong joined forces with Bionic Boy, another recurring character also created by Bobby A. Suarez. The Cleopatra Wong films are renowned for bringing together elements pertaining both to the Western spy movie genre and to the Asian martial arts film genre, with the use of numerous gadgets and a variety of exotic locations, as well as for the central character to display top class skills with men, motorbikes, automatic pistols, and even longbow armed with dangerously explosive arrows. Cleopatra Wong's original

tagline In entertainment, a tagline (alternatively spelled tag line) is a short text which serves to clarify a thought for, or is designed with a form of, dramatic effect. Many tagline slogans are reiterated phrases associated with an individual, so ...

in 1978 was: ''She purrs like a kitten... Makes love like a siren... Fights like a panther''.

Inspiration

The fictional character of Cleopatra Wong was inspired by other fictional characters such as

James Bond The ''James Bond'' franchise focuses on James Bond (literary character), the titular character, a fictional Secret Intelligence Service, British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels ...

created in 1953 and

Cleopatra Jones ''Cleopatra Jones'' is a 1973 American blaxploitation film directed by Jack Starrett. Tamara Dobson stars as an undercover government agent who uses the day job of supermodel as her cover and an excuse to travel to exotic places. Bernie Casey, ...

created in 1973. She was dubbed by the press "Asia's female James Bond". Her creation also took inspiration from the roles played by

Bruce Lee Bruce Lee (born Lee Jun-fan; November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973) was an American-born Hong Kong martial artist, actor, filmmaker, and philosopher. He was the founder of Jeet Kune Do, a hybrid martial arts philosophy which was formed from ...

in ''

The Big Boss ''The Big Boss'' (; originally titled as ''Fists of Fury'' in the United States) is a 1971 Hong Kong martial arts film directed by Lo Wei (who also wrote the film) and Wu Chi-hsiang. Bruce Lee stars in his first major film in a lead role, and ...

'' (1971), ''

Fist of Fury ''Fist of Fury'' () is a 1972 Hong Kong martial arts film directed by Lo Wei and produced by Raymond Chow. The film stars Bruce Lee in his major role after '' The Big Boss'' (1971). Bruce Lee also worked as the film's action choreographer. ...

'' (1972) and ''

Way of the Dragon ''The Way of the Dragon'' (, originally released in the United States as ''Return of the Dragon'') is a 1972 Hong Kong martial arts comedy film co-produced and directed by Bruce Lee, who also stars in the lead role. This is Lee's only complet ...

'' (1972), to such an extent that Cleopatra Wong was nicknamed the "Female Big Boss", and that Doris Young who acted the part was given by Bobby A. Suarez the screen name "Marrie Lee", thus sharing Bruce Lee's surname.

Name

The name of the character was a combination of the first name Cleopatra taken from its American

blaxploitation In American cinema, Blaxploitation is the film subgenre of action movie derived from the exploitation film genre in the early 1970s, consequent to the combined cultural momentum of the black civil rights movement, the black power movement, ...

predecessor Cleopatra Jones, and of the Asian surname Wong, an extremely widespread name among Chinese population or populations of Chinese descent. The character's name served as the main marketing tool to promote the first installment of the media franchise. The use of the phrase "they call her…" was in line with the trend of the day, as in the 1970s there was a vogue for titles of that sort, including spaghetti westerns ''

They Call Me Trinity ''They Call Me Trinity'' () is a 1970 spaghetti Western comedy film written and directed by Enzo Barboni (under the pseudonym of E.B. Clucher) and produced by Italo Zingarelli. The film stars the duo of Terence Hill and Bud Spencer as half-brot ...

'' and '' They Call Me Renegade'', Swedish action-thriller '' They Call Her One Eye'', Sidney Poitier-starring drama ''

They Call Me Mister Tibbs! ''They Call Me Mister Tibbs!'' is a 1970 American DeLuxe Color crime drama film directed by Gordon Douglas (director), Gordon Douglas. The second installment in a trilogy, the release was preceded by ''In the Heat of the Night (film), In the H ...

'', and even a Filipino martial arts knock-off, ''They Call Him Chop Suey'', which was written and directed by Bobby A. Suarez himself in 1976, two years before he created Cleopatra Wong.

Films

Cultural impact

Cinematically, Cleopatra Wong has been an influence within the spy as well as martial arts genres, becoming an icon of popular culture. A major testament to Cleopatra Wong’s prominence in popular culture was made public when

Quentin Tarantino Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American filmmaker, actor, and author. Quentin Tarantino filmography, His films are characterized by graphic violence, extended dialogue often featuring much profanity, and references to ...

, talking about the character played by

Uma Thurman Uma Karuna Thurman (born April 29, 1970) is an American actress. She has performed in a variety of films, from romantic comedies and dramas to science fiction and action films. Following her appearances on the December 1985 and May 1986 cover ...

in his ''

Kill Bill ''Kill Bill: Volume 1'' is a 2003 American martial arts action film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. It stars Uma Thurman as the Bride, who swears revenge on a group of assassins ( Lucy Liu, Daryl Hannah, Vivica A. Fox and Michael ...

'' series declared: Cleopatra Wong's influence on film was also documented by

Mark Hartley Mark Hartley is an Australian film director, editor, and screenwriter. He is best known for his documentary films, including '' Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation!'' (2008), and his 2013 remake of the 1978 film '' Patri ...

's feature-length documentary ''Machete Maidens Unleashed!'' released in 2010. Moreover, Cleopatra Wong's influence extended beyond film, reaching out to the music industry, when Australian musician and composer Amanda Brown, following the breakup of

The Go-Betweens The Go-Betweens were an Australian indie rock band formed in Brisbane, Queensland, in 1977. The band was co-founded and led by singer-songwriters and guitarists Robert Forster (musician), Robert Forster and Grant McLennan, who were its only co ...

, formed with former Go-Betweens drummer Lindy Morrison as well as with

Michael Armiger Michael William Armiger is an English-born Australian guitarist and teacher. He has been a member of various groups including Paul Kelly Band (1983–84), Paul Kelly and the Coloured Girls (1985–86), John Kennedy's Love Gone Wrong (1987– ...

on bass guitar, Colin Bloxsom and Mark Moffatt, a band called Cleopatra Wong which was active from 1991 to 1992. Marrie Lee "will never forget" the Singapore film critic who wrote that she was "Cleopatra Wrong".

Franchise

In 2000, the Cleopatra Wong franchise was held by Cleopatra Wong International, a company founded by

Raphaël Millet Raphaël Millet is a French writer, critic, producer and director of cinema and television, as well as an organiser and programmer of photographic and cultural events. Studies Having completed his secondary education at lycée Henri-IV in Pari ...

and former actress Doris Young (a.k.a.

) and incorporated in Singapore, in order both to preserve the heritage of the character and to revive it.

References

Bibliography

External links

Cleopatra Wong official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wong, Cleopatra Film characters introduced in 1978 Female characters in film Fictional spies in films Fictional Singaporean people