Circle of Iron (1978)

Director:

Richard Moore

Writers:

Stirling Silliphant (screenplay) and
Stanley Mann (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

November 1978 (Turkey)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Fantasy

Tagline:

The Challenge Of A Lifetime...

Plot:

A young martial artist, Cord the Seeker, competes for and loses the right to go on a quest for the Book of All Knowlege held by a wizard named Zetan...

Plot Keywords:

Chop Socky | Kung Fu Classic | Bruce Lee | Kung Fu | Psychotronic

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

David Carradine	...	The Blind Man / Monkeyman / Death / Changsha
Jeff Cooper	...	Cord
Christopher Lee	...	Zetan
Roddy McDowall	...	White Robe
Eli Wallach	...	Man-in-Oil
Anthony De Longis	...	Morthond (as Anthony de Longis)
Earl Maynard	...	Black Giant
Erica Creer	...	Tara
Michael M. Vendrell	...	Martial Artist (as Michael Vendrell)
Leo Whang	...	Martial Artist
Donnie Williams	...	Martial Artist
Robert Gardner	...	Martial Artist
Tom Ascensio	...	Martial Artist

Also Known As:

The Silent Flute

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Canada:G (Quebec) | Finland:K-16 | Norway:18 | USA:R | Norway:15 (DVD rating)

Filming Locations:

Bet Shean, Israel

Company:

Sandy Howard/Richard St. Johns Productions

Trivia:

According to a recent biography of Bruce Lee the film was intended to be shot in 1969 with Lee playing the 4 roles of The Blind Man, Monkeyman, Death and Changsha, and the lead role of Cord was offered to Steve McQueen. McQueen however turned down the role after remarking that he wasn't prepared to make Lee a star, and instead it was offered to James Coburn. Disagreements over location shooting (Lee preferred India) led the film to be abandoned until after his death when the rights were acquired by David Carradine. Originally karate champion Joe Lewis was offered the role of Cord but declined as he was unwilling to work with Carradine. Jeff Cooper, a friend of Carradine's, finally took the part and Lewis ended up supervising the re-shooting of some of the fight scenes.

Quotes:

The Blind Man: It's hard to kill a horse with a flute.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004)

THE SILENT FLUTE (Richard Moore, 1978) **1/2

I'd been intrigued by this one for some time due its being based on a story concocted by Bruce Lee and James Coburn; when it emerged as a "Special Edition" via the Blue Underground label, I had considered purchasing the DVD but somehow never got around to it. Eventually, CIRCLE OF IRON (as it's better-known) was even expanded into a fully-loaded 2-Disc Set…but, then, I happened upon the original disc at a local rental outlet and finally decided to check it out.

As it happened, I was somewhat let down by the film: I'm all for exotic action/adventure stuff – a genre which got something of a revival during this era – but, despite the various trimmings (martial arts, mystical overtones, plus a number of rather superfluous cameo appearances by the likes of Roddy MacDowall, Eli Wallach and Christopher Lee), THE SILENT FLUTE came across as invincibly low-brow! Besides, while David Carradine is ostensibly the star (and even gets to play four different parts for no discernible reason!), the hero proper of the narrative was played a beefy protégé of his – Jeff Cooper – whose wooden performance here really drowned the film for me!!

The plot – the winner of a martial arts tournament is assigned the task of seeking the whereabouts of a famous wizard (played by horror legend Lee) who is in possession of an all-powerful book – sounds intriguing on paper but, to be honest, the way this plays out on screen it's not terribly compelling; worse still, the denouement is a real cop-out! That said, the numerous action sequences and Carradine's characterization of a blind shepherd (himself a martial arts champion) who guides Cooper on his danger-fraught journey make the film palatable for the most part.

Despite the obvious low-budget at his disposal, too, one-time-only director Moore (his more typical credit is as a cinematographer) lends the film reasonable visual style – accentuated by the expansive Israeli locations (which constitutes the film's main asset along with Australian composer Bruce Smeaton's beautiful score). As a matter of fact, Moore admits in the disc's Audio Commentary that the main reason that seemed to have gotten him the assignment in the first place was because his background as a cameraman assured (in the eyes of the producers, at least) outstanding visuals!

THE SILENT FLUTE is, ultimately, a hodgepodge of disparate ideas (with its most bizarre element being Wallach's masochistic "Man In Oil" and his diatribe on the virtues of a life without one's own genitalia!) which don't really jell and, consequently, it works only in fits and starts...