Robert Clouse
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Robert Clouse (March 6, 1928 – February 4, 1997) was an American
film director A film director or filmmaker is a person who controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfillment of that Goal, vision. The director has a key role ...
and producer, known primarily for his work in the action/adventure and
martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; ...
genres Genre () is any style or form of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other form ...
. He died on February 4, 1997, in
Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...
of kidney failure. Clouse directed
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 Lee's second English-speaking film starring role (the other being '' Marlowe''),
1973 Events January * January 1 – The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 14 - The 16-0 19 ...
's ''
Enter the Dragon ''Enter the Dragon'' ( zh, t=龍爭虎鬥) is a 1973 martial arts film directed by Robert Clouse and written by Michael Allin. The film stars Bruce Lee, John Saxon, Ahna Capri, Bob Wall, Shih Kien and Jim Kelly. ''Enter the Dragon'' was ...
''. After Lee's death, Clouse completed Lee's final film, '' The Game of Death'', and released it as ''
Game of Death ''Game of Death'' () is an incomplete Hong Kong martial arts film, of which portions were filmed between September and October 1972, and was planned and scheduled to be released by 1973, directed, written, produced by and starring Bruce Lee. Th ...
'' in 1978 with a new storyline and cast. Other projects included '' Black Belt Jones'' (1974), '' Darker than Amber'' (1970), '' China O'Brien'' (1990),
Jackie Chan Fang Shilong (born Chan Kong-sang; 7 April 1954), known professionally as Jackie Chan,; is a Hong Kong actor and filmmaker, known for his slapstick, acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, and innovative stunts, which he typically perf ...
's ''
The Big Brawl ''The Big Brawl'' (, also released as ''Battle Creek Brawl'') is a 1980 martial arts action comedy film which marked Jackie Chan's first attempt to break into the American movie Hollywood market. A joint Hong Kong and American co-production, it ...
'' (1980), '' Gymkata'' (1985), ''
The Ultimate Warrior Warrior (born James Brian Hellwig; June 16, 1959 – April 8, 2014) was an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, Bodybuilding, bodybuilder and Motivational speaker, motivational speaker. Best known by his ring name The Ultima ...
'' (1975), and others.


Early life

Before becoming a director, Clouse worked as a still photographer for
CBS Television CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...
and served in the U.S. Army during the
Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...
. Despite rumors to the contrary, he was not deaf.


Short films (1960s)

Clouse was also nominated, twice, for an Oscar for his short films '' The Legend of Jimmy Blue Eyes'' (1964) and ''The Cadillac'' (1962). At the 1964
Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...
, his film ''The Legend of Jimmy Blue Eyes'' was also nominated for the
Palme d'Or The (; ) is the highest prize awarded to the director of the Best Feature Film of the Official Competition at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the festival's organizing committee. Previously, from 1939 to 1954, the festiv ...
for Best Short Film. For ''The Legend of Jimmy Blue Eyes'', Clouse was awarded a
Golden Globe The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Januar ...
and an award at the
Edinburgh Film Festival The Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF), established in 1947, is the world's oldest continually running film festival. EIFF presents both UK and international films (all titles are World, international, European or UK Premieres), in al ...
.


1970s

Clouse made his feature directorial debut with '' Dreams of Glass'', a love story between an Asian girl and white boy, starring John Denos and Caroline Barrett. He then followed that film with '' Darker Than Amber'' (1970) (based on the John D. MacDonald novel of the same name) and starring Rod Taylor as the protagonist, Travis McGee. Both films were completed and released in 1970, however ''Darker than Amber'' was released in theatres before ''Dreams of Glass'' arrived. In 1971, Clouse directed an episode of the action-crime TV show '' Ironside'', entitled "Gentle Oaks" (1971). Ironside also featured
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 ...
as Leon Soo, a Karate/Aikido/Judo instructor in a martial arts school (in the episode "Tagged for Murder" (1967)), an icon with whom Clouse would later collaborate for much of his career. In 1973, he directed ''
Enter the Dragon ''Enter the Dragon'' ( zh, t=龍爭虎鬥) is a 1973 martial arts film directed by Robert Clouse and written by Michael Allin. The film stars Bruce Lee, John Saxon, Ahna Capri, Bob Wall, Shih Kien and Jim Kelly. ''Enter the Dragon'' was ...
''. After that film, Clouse directed '' Black Belt Jones'' (1974). The rest of the 1970s for Clouse would yield the films '' Golden Needles'' (1974), ''
The Ultimate Warrior Warrior (born James Brian Hellwig; June 16, 1959 – April 8, 2014) was an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, Bodybuilding, bodybuilder and Motivational speaker, motivational speaker. Best known by his ring name The Ultima ...
'' (1975) (director and screenwriter), '' The Pack'' (1977) (director and screenwriter), '' The Amsterdam Kill'' (1977) (director and screenwriter), ''
Game of Death ''Game of Death'' () is an incomplete Hong Kong martial arts film, of which portions were filmed between September and October 1972, and was planned and scheduled to be released by 1973, directed, written, produced by and starring Bruce Lee. Th ...
'' (1978), '' The London Connection'' (1979), and two episodes of ''
Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color The Walt Disney Company has produced an anthology series, anthology television series since 1954 under several titles and formats. The program's current title, ''The Wonderful World of Disney'', was used from 1969 to 1979 and again from 1991 onwa ...
''.


''Enter the Dragon''

In 1973, Clouse collaborated with Bruce Lee and directed his most iconic, immortal and memorable film, ''Enter the Dragon'', working with
Jim Kelly James Edward Kelly (born February 14, 1960) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons with the Buffalo Bills. He also spent two seasons with the Houston Gamblers o ...
for the first time, with whom he would collaborate again in his following film, ''Black Belt Jones'' (1974). ''Enter the Dragon'' was well received by critics upon its release, grossed an estimated $25,000,000 in North America, and an estimated $90,000,000 worldwide on a tight budget of just $850,000. It was also considered by many as one of the best films of 1973. In 1999, ''Enter the Dragon'' grossed more than $200,000,000 worldwide and in 2004, ''Enter the Dragon'' was deemed "culturally significant" in the United States and selected for preservation in the
National Film Registry The National Film Registry (NFR) is the United States National Film Preservation Board's (NFPB) collection of films selected for preservation (library and archival science), preservation, each selected for its cultural, historical, and aestheti ...
. Clouse would collaborate with several actors from ''Enter the Dragon'' on his later films, including Bruce Lee (at least archival footage of Bruce Lee, in ''Game of Death'' (1978)), Jim Kelly in ''Black Belt Jones'' (1974), Robert Wall in both ''Game of Death'' (1978),
Keye Luke Keye Luke (; June 18, 1904 – January 12, 1991) was a Chinese-born American actor, and a founding member of the Screen Actors Guild. He portrayed Lee Chan, the "Number One Son" in the Charlie Chan films, the original Kato in the 1939–1941 ...
(who provided the voice of Mr. Han in ''Enter the Dragon'' (1973)) in ''The Amsterdam Kill'' (1977), and Bolo Yeung in '' Ironheart'' (1992).


''Game of Death''

In 1978, Clouse re-teamed with Bruce Lee again for ''Game of Death'' (1978) (director and screenwriter), having to finish the footage in creative ways after Lee's death. For that film, he made a trip to
Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...
, where Golden Harvest's
Raymond Chow Raymond Chow Man-wai ( zh, t=鄒文懷; 8 October 1927 – 2 November 2018) was a Hong Kong film producer, and presenter. He was responsible for successfully launching martial arts and the Hong Kong cinema onto the international stage. As ...
hired him in order to direct a "comeback" film for Lee, despite the fact that Lee had died in 1973, five years earlier. Clouse was provided incomplete footage from Lee's original version of ''The Game of Death'' that had already been filmed, but ultimately made the creative decision to use a small portion of that footage, primarily due to the fact that the film's plot and story had been re-done many times in a multitude of Hong Kong cinema films after Lee's death. By enlisting some of Lee's friends, including Bob Wall and
Sammo Hung Samuel "Sammo" Hung Kam-bo ( zh, t=洪金寶, j=Hung4 Gam1-bou2; born 7 January 1952) is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist, film producer and Film director, director, known for his work in martial arts films, Hong Kong action cinema, and as a figh ...
, editing in footage from other Bruce Lee movies (as well as using the originally shot ''The Game of Death'' footage), and relying on a number of Bruce Lee stand-ins and look-alikes, Clouse was able to make the film.


1980s

During the 1980s, Clouse directed a TV movie entitled ''The Kids Who Knew Too Much'' (1980) (based on one of the episodes he directed for the TV show, ''
Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color The Walt Disney Company has produced an anthology series, anthology television series since 1954 under several titles and formats. The program's current title, ''The Wonderful World of Disney'', was used from 1969 to 1979 and again from 1991 onwa ...
'') and decided to take a chance with
Jackie Chan Fang Shilong (born Chan Kong-sang; 7 April 1954), known professionally as Jackie Chan,; is a Hong Kong actor and filmmaker, known for his slapstick, acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, and innovative stunts, which he typically perf ...
for ''
The Big Brawl ''The Big Brawl'' (, also released as ''Battle Creek Brawl'') is a 1980 martial arts action comedy film which marked Jackie Chan's first attempt to break into the American movie Hollywood market. A joint Hong Kong and American co-production, it ...
'' (1980) (director and screenwriter), which Chan stated was a failure because he didn't get a chance to direct the action scenes the way he wanted to. In the 1980s, Clouse also directed '' Force: Five'' (1981; which he co- wrote). He followed that film with '' Deadly Eyes'' (1982) and also directed an episode of '' The Master'' called "Max" (1984). His last film of the 1980s was '' Gymkata'' (1985). In 1985, he launched The Hawk Corporation, with
Republic Pictures Republic Pictures is currently an acquisition-only label owned by Paramount Pictures. Its history dates back to Republic Pictures Corporation, an American film studio that originally operated from 1935 to 1967, based in Los Angeles, California ...
, who had access to 31 home video projects, giving them a 24% stake in the new company, and Clouse controlling a 52% share in the new company, in order to launch all direct-to-video projects.


1990s

In the 1990s, his final decade of directing films, Clouse directed '' China O'Brien'' (1990), and its
direct-to-video Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, television series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strat ...
sequel, '' China O'Brien II'' (1990). Clouse's final film was '' Ironheart'' (1992), a film for Bolo Yeung, and which was created as a showcase for the film's producer, Britton K. Lee. He was portrayed by director Rob Cohen in '' Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story''.


TV work

Clouse was one of the directors of the television series '' The Master'', which was broadcast in 1984 and featured a
ninja A , or was a spy and infiltrator in pre-modern Japan. The functions of a ninja included siege and infiltration, ambush, reconnaissance, espionage, deception, and later bodyguarding.Kawakami, pp. 21–22 Antecedents may have existed as ear ...
called "Okasa", a recurring character played by Sho Kosugi. The episode of '' The Master'' he directed was entitled "Max" (1984). He directed episodes of
Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color The Walt Disney Company has produced an anthology series, anthology television series since 1954 under several titles and formats. The program's current title, ''The Wonderful World of Disney'', was used from 1969 to 1979 and again from 1991 onwa ...
in the late 1970s and early 1980s - "The Kids Know Too Much" (1980) and "The Omega Connection" (1979). In the 1970s, he also directed an episode of '' Ironside'' entitled "Gentle Oaks".


Writing work

Clouse wrote the screenplay (or story) for most of his films, including '' Dreams of Glass'' (1970), ''
The Ultimate Warrior Warrior (born James Brian Hellwig; June 16, 1959 – April 8, 2014) was an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, Bodybuilding, bodybuilder and Motivational speaker, motivational speaker. Best known by his ring name The Ultima ...
'' (1975), '' The Pack'' (1977), '' The Amsterdam Kill'' (1977), ''
Game of Death ''Game of Death'' () is an incomplete Hong Kong martial arts film, of which portions were filmed between September and October 1972, and was planned and scheduled to be released by 1973, directed, written, produced by and starring Bruce Lee. Th ...
'' (1978; also credited as Jan Spears), ''
The Big Brawl ''The Big Brawl'' (, also released as ''Battle Creek Brawl'') is a 1980 martial arts action comedy film which marked Jackie Chan's first attempt to break into the American movie Hollywood market. A joint Hong Kong and American co-production, it ...
'' (1980), '' Force: Five'' (1981), '' China O'Brien'' (1990) and '' China O'Brien II'' (1990). He wrote the screenplays for '' Something Evil'' (1972). and '' Happy Mother's Day, Love George'' (1973).


Death

Clouse died on February 4, 1997, of
kidney failure Kidney failure, also known as renal failure or end-stage renal disease (ESRD), is a medical condition in which the kidneys can no longer adequately filter waste products from the blood, functioning at less than 15% of normal levels. Kidney fa ...
. His remains were
cremated Cremation is a method of Disposal of human corpses, final disposition of a corpse through Combustion, burning. Cremation may serve as a funeral or post-funeral rite and as an alternative to burial. In some countries, including India, Nepal, and ...
and scattered into the
Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...
.


Bruce Lee biography

Clouse also wrote and published a biography on Lee, entitled ''Bruce Lee: The Biography'' which was published in 1989 by Unique Publications. The book's description recites "Finally, the truth can be told about Bruce Lee's remarkable life and tragic death. Close personal friend and director of Bruce's greatest movie, Robert Clouse, reveals his first-hand memories of Bruce and includes interviews with Bruce's family, friends and colleagues in order to tell us the true story of how Bruce lived and died. Also included are numerous photos, many never before made available to the public." The book was also used as one of the source materials for Rob Cohen's film, '' Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story'' (1993). An excerpt from the book, in Clouse's voice, reads:
My direct contact with Bruce Lee occurred between November 1972 and June 1973 when I started pre-production of the film Enter The Dragon and through the post-production period when Bruce came to the Warner Brothers Studio in
Burbank, California Burbank is a city in the southeastern end of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Burbank had a Census-estimated population of 102,755 as of 2023. The city was ...
, to complete some dubbing of dialogue that had been poorly recorded in Hong Kong. Many of the people I interviewed for this book I had known from that time, but many others I met for the first time during research of Bruce Lee. My perceptions of Bruce were dented and bent from what I knew about him; others were destroyed. Piecing together the portrait is imprecise, but the attempt goes on.


Filmography


Films


Television


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Clouse, Robert 1928 births 1997 deaths 20th-century American screenwriters American action film directors Deaths from kidney failure in the United States Film directors from Iowa Military personnel from Iowa People from Denison, Iowa Screenwriters from Wisconsin United States Army personnel of the Korean War