THE SILENT FLUTE

US, 1978, 95 Minutes, Colour.
David Carradine, Jeff Cooper, Roddy Mc Dowell, Eli Wallach, Christopher Lee.
Directed by Richard Moore.

The Silent Flute (Circle of Iron) is based on a story by Bruce Lee and his friends and pupils James Coburn and prominent Hollywood screenwriter Sterling Silliphant, his martial arts allegory tries to combine the interest in disciplined violence with the attractive verbal paradoxes and journey quests associated with Zen and Eastern 'mystic' movements. David Carradine with his Kung Fu background portrays the guides and foes encountered by the effectively brawny but dramatically limited hero Jeff Cooper. The result is an unusual mixture of fable, adventure and colourful popular self-development material. A mixture of the popularly wise, the contrived and the corny. The film is more likely to appeal to those fonder of symbols than the martial arts.

1. How interesting and entertaining a film? For what audience was it made? Its particular appeal? Audience interest in martial arts, the overtones of Zen, the mystical and self-development aspects of the human person and the martial arts? The psychology behind the mysticism and martial arts? The symbolism? The prologue of the film and its introduction - the land and its unreality, the paradoxical statements from Zen, the contradictions quoted from Cord the hero? The background of Bruce Lee and his composing the story, his outlook on the martial arts? The collaboration of James Coburn the actor and Stirling Silliphant the popular screen writer? The introduction to the land and its look, a blend of the old and the new the emphasis on the East, the use of Middle East locations landscapes, mountains desert, water, trees and forests, the many building ruins? The peaceful island? A world and landscapes of the imagination and fantasy? How did this give a sense of reality and transcendent meaning to the plot and the characters?

3. The significance of the title, its paradox, the beauty of the music, the fact that it could only be heard by the special few? The symbolism of the title? The score and the flute music? The occasions in which it is heard by Cord, by the audience? The visualising of the blind guide playing the flute? The gift of the flute to Cord?

4. The appeal of man's quest and his journey? Continued audience interest in this kind of plot, identification with it? The hero to be identified with on his quest and journey? Themes of goals, visions? The background of Cord as martial arts hero, his presupposition that he must fight to achieve his goal and reach it? The background of the desire to be champion The hero and his self-assertion, tests, lessons, experiences, dreams? These as the basic realistic and symbolic ingredients of a quest? The martial arts setting and audience enjoyment of this? The ethos of the martial arts - as exercise, vigour, a kind of heroism, achievement, competitiveness, controlled violence, self-defence? The presentation of the initial competition, the world in which it was staged, the background of Roman gladiator fights, the decisions of the ruler? The various bouts and their styles? Cord and his participation? His not being allowed to win? The appropriateness of the judgement of the ruler? Cord and his decision to follow the champion, his witnessing his death, his inheriting the victory medallion? The quality of the actor portraying Cord? Physical presence, martial arts prowess, appearance, self-assurance? His ability to act? His diction and speech? How much of the film's strength was on his performance? How convincing was he as hero, during the tests, achieving his goals in his quest?

7. The significance of the blind guide? Cord seeing him fight at night and warding off all aggressors? The lessons that the blind guide taught? The lesson of the monkeys and their mask, cowardice? His reappearance to help Cord understand the meaning of the experience with Tara? His mysterious actions as he guided Cord especially the breaking of the boat after crossing the river, rebuilding the wall in times of attack and danger, elaborate fights with the pursuing warriors, the slapping of the boy confronting his parents? His playing the flute? The arrangement with Cord about questions and answers? The importance of his final explanation of seeing more than was immediately there? The blind man who could not see but who understood and appreciated more? The lesson for Cord? David Carradine, with his television background and Kung Fu, portraying this role of guide?

8. The significance of the tests? The winner of the competition and his being destroyed? Cord's confrontation with the monkeys, his taunting them, his learning the lesson from the blind guide and confronting their cowardice? The interchanges with Chang-sha, watching him fight? The involvement with Tara? The importance of his vow of chastity, the confrontation of the vow, the allurement and seduction of Tara, his succumbing to her? The irony of his waking in the desert? Her crucifixion? The fact that this was not a test but a lesson and his realisation of his decision for chastity, its poor motivation,- the fact that he would possess someone instead of loving her? An awareness of his weakness, sensuality? The importance of the encounter of the man in oil and the discussion of man's sensual nature and the sacrifice of it? The encounter with Death and the grim fight?

9. The final meeting with the Keeper of the Book? It not being as Cord expected? His expectations of fighting and his suspicions? The peace of the island? The happiness of the peace and yet its unreality, stagnation? (A criticism of an all-peaceful Nirvana?) The desire for the book - the inevitability of its being a series of mirrors? The plea of the Keeper for Cord to take his place so that he could return to the world? Cord's decision not to?

10. The significance of Cord's escape from the Island of the Book, his return to the real world, his finding the blind guide? Their embrace? The gift of the flute? what had Cord learnt? What would be his future? Helping others on their quest?

11. The contribution of the martial arts sequences, their staging, spirit, discipline, method? The repercussions on the martial arts hero?

12. The background of Zen - the attraction of Eastern mysticism for the West? Mysterious and paradoxical sayings and their wisdom? The blend of Zen and the martial arts?

13. The significance of the blind guide. His being an alter-ego of the hero? The symbolism of seeing and not seeing and the way this was applied -especially in the experiences in seeing the ferry fan and his wife, his happiness, the destruction of the boat, the pursuit of the warriors the money on the destroyed wall, the spoilt boy?

14. The presentation of the feminine in the fantasy and their life and imagination of the hero? Beauty alluring, sensitising, yet the danger of her being possessed and destroyed? The monsters of the ego - the monkeys, death? Shadow figures like Death that had to be confronted and fought with? The warriors? The appropriateness of this kind of symbolism?

15. How interesting a cinema and visual experience of the journey into self?