Hong Kong wuxia films, or martial arts fantasies, traditionally squeeze poor acting, slapstick humor, and silly story lines between elaborate fight scenes in which characters can literally fly. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon has no shortage of breathtaking battles, but it also has the dramatic soul of a Greek tragedy and the sweep of an epic romance. This is the work of director Ang Lee, who fell in love with movies while watching wuxia films as a youngster and made Crouching Tiger as a tribute to the form. To elevate the genre above its B-movie roots and broaden its appeal, Lee did two important things. First, he assembled an all-star lineup of talent, joining the famous Asian actors Chow Yun-fat and Michelle Yeoh with the striking, charismatic newcomer Zhang Ziyi. Behind the scenes, Lee called upon cinematographer Peter Pau (The Killer, The Bride with White Hair) and legendary fight choreographer Yuen Wo-ping, best known outside Asia for his work on The Matrix. Second, in adapting the story from a Chinese pulp-fiction novel written by Wang Du Lu, Lee focused not on the pursuit of a legendary sword known as "The Green Destiny," but instead on the struggles of his female leads against social obligation. In his hands, the requisite fight scenes become another means of expressing the individual spirits of his characters and their conflicts with society and each other.
The filming required an immense effort from all involved. Chow and Yeoh had to learn to speak Mandarin, which Lee insisted on using instead of Cantonese to achieve a more classic, lyrical feel. The astonishing battles between Jen (Zhang) and Yu Shu Lien (Yeoh) on the rooftops and Jen and Li Mu Bai (Chow) atop the branches of bamboo trees required weeks of excruciating wire and harness work (which in turn required meticulous "digital wire removal"). But the result is a seamless blend of action, romance, and social commentary in a populist film that, like its young star Zhang, soars with balletic grace and dignity. --Eugene Wei
Spotlight customer reviews:
Customer Rating: Summary: CROUCHING TIGER UN-HIDDEN SUBTITLES!!!!!!!!!!!!! Comment: I was expecting so much out of this movie because of all the hype following it. I am an avid reader and do not normally mind subtitled movies (ie.. Pan's Labyrinth and Kung-Fu Hustle.. BTW, Kung-Fu Hustle is LOTS OF FUN!) but there were PARAGRAPH AFTER PARAGRAPH, NOT SENTENCES, OF DIALOG.. FAR TOO MANY SUBTITLES GOING ON AND ON FOREVER, AND GOING BY QUICKLY, that I could not figure out who was who or what was what in this movie. I lost the plot in the first half hour. I was so busy trying to read that my contacts kept drying out and I could not enjoy anything else going on in the film. If you're a martial arts purist, maybe you would enjoy it more than myself. Also, maybe I could have enjoyed it more dubbed in English. Customer Rating: Summary: Sucky Ending Comment: This movie was good until the ending which made no sense and sucked. Also all the people just "flying" around seemed kinda silly... And I like kung fun movies, but this one was a little over the top unbelievable... Customer Rating: Summary: The first of the new wave of martial arts flicks. Comment: How do you sum up Crouching?
Brilliant, touching, amazing!!!
Incredible acrobatics, incredible scenery, an awesome script and great actors and martial artists.
What's not to like about this movie?
Not my favorite, I liked Hero and Curse of the Golden Flower better but for different reasons.
Still, a must see if your new to the recent wave of martial arts flicks.
A word of advice, watch it with the subtitles on and not the English voiceovers as they are terribly done.
Customer Rating: Summary: Exquisite fantasy Comment: Crouching Tiger is not really a Kung Fu movie. The fight sequences are so stylized and interjected with such gravity defying feats such flying and fantastical jumping, and flips; the fight scenes become almost a 3D ballet. I liked it, but don't come into this movie expecting Bruce Lee action sequences. The fight scenes are more of a dance. The fights are mainly sword fights, although there are a few hand-to-hand battles as well. The acting is superb. The story line is more of a fairy tale than straight fiction, but the movie works superbly well. Michelle Yeoh's physical acting are displayed well as well as her emotional range. Chow is great as the swordsman and Zhang Ziyi is very good as well.
The movie tells the story of several stories of love, of revenge, of loyalties, and of duty. It concerns duty to one's family, to society and to one's self. A fairy tale is used to tie the plot lines together. The movie has a great medieval setting. The scenery switches from deserts, to Peking, to bamboo forests and mountains. In every case, the views are breathtaking. The bamboo forest fight is very strange, but it works.
My wife didn't like the movie because if its fantastical elements, but it is one of the best movies I have seen for a long time. Most kung fu movie have their fantastical elements.
I don't know much about the superbit technology, but my DVD looks great and the sound is good too.
Customer Rating: Summary: a must see for sure Comment: I had the opportunity to see this film when it first came out in the movie theater in 2000 and it immediately became my favorite movie since I love martial arts, philosophy and visual arts.. and this movie combines them all. It had the best choreography I had ever seen back then, reflected on eastern martial arts philosopy, nature, buddism wisdom as well as western metaphysical thoughts..
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