R E V I E W :   Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Reviewed 6/12/01 | Background | Movie Review | DVD Review | Recommendation

Background 

Columbia/TriStar / 2000 / 120 minutes
Directed by Ang Lee
Screenplay by Hui-Ling Wang, James Schamus, Kuo Jung Tsai

Ang Lee's first three films were pleasant, low budget American arthouse affairs, and focused squarely on the characters (Pushing Hands in 1992, The Wedding Banquet in 1993, and Eat Drink Man Woman in 1994). He then began moving more into the mainstream with higher-budgeted (but still critically-acclaimed) films such as Sense and Sensibility in 1995 and The Ice Storm in 1997. His Civil War drama, Ride With the Devil, in 1999 was not so successful.

This film debuted at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2000 to wide acclaim. It opened in Hong Kong cinemas during the summer and finally in North America in December.

It has won various awards (including Academy Awards and Hong Kong Film Awards). What, if anything, the film's box office popularity and general critical acclaim means for other Asian movies is yet to be determined.

Movie: plot, performances, production, rating

Plot: A sword is stolen by an impetuous girl. Star-crossed lovers (also long-time wandering warriors) try to get it back. The death of a teacher must be avenged. The identity of a murdering thief must be uncovered. And people must fly . . .

Performances: Michelle Yeoh is the heart of the film as Yu Shu Lien. Chow Yun-Fat is impassioned as Li Mu Bai. Zhang Ziyi is extremely impressive as the impetuous Jen. Cheng Chen is fine as her lost lover, Lo. Cheng Pei Pei probably steals the movie as the constantly wronged and vengeful Jade Fox.

Production: The film suffers a bit by being approached more as an intellectual challenge than as a labor of love. Ang Lee seems a bit embarassed to publicly admit his affection for martial arts films (like a rich college boy romancing a poor girl from the wrong side of the tracks, he feels the need to educate the genre audience in order to justify his feelings). As an example, he felt that delaying the first fight scene for 15 minutes was necessary "for Western audiences," according to the commentary. He anticipated the film being relegated to art house theaters because of it's being subtitled. In the end this may have hurt the film more than it helped. The fight scenes are captivating, and the performances are suberb. But it's a lot of talk to justify the joy of flying. The cinematography by Peter Pau is exceedingly beautiful in a wide variety of settings. The music by Tan Dun is a bit monochromatic for my taste, but I must admit that it's growing on me.

Rating: PG-13 (equivalent to Category IIB, most likely). Martial arts violence, one scene of explicit violence, one discreet sexual situation.

DVD: look, sound, subtitles, and features

Look: The letterboxed (2.35:1) presentation is excellent. The black levels are deep, colors rich and vibrant, and flesh tones are natural. The source print is less than perfect, which is quite surprising considering the financial (and American studio) backing. On the other hand, some complaints have been voiced about the varying quality of the theatrical prints used, so perhaps it's not so surprising after all.

Sound: The DD 5.1 Mandarin audio track is excellent. The sound is rich and the surround effects are immersive; the soundfield is deep. Also included are DD 2.0 and 5.1 dubbed English and DD 2.0 dubbed French tracks. I sampled the English and French tracks, and the French version sounded better to my ears than the English versions — maybe it's just my inherent dislike of English dubbing that prejudices me.

Subtitles: The yellow removable English subtitles are excellent, well timed and easy to read with nary a grammar or spelling mistake in evidence. Some questions have been raised about the accuracy of the translation, but I only saw the film twice in the cinemas and so cannot comment. Also included are French subtitles.

Features: Twenty-eight chapters can be selected from a multi-page still-frame menu. Two trailers are included (the International and the U.S. versions). An audio commentary track by Ang Lee and James Schamus is more of a lighthearted conversation between the two men rather than a direct commentary on every scene. It would have been more educational and useful if more specific information were provided about the film. As it is, though, it's worth a listen.

A 20-minute promotional piece, "Bravo Making Of Special: Unleashed Dragons" includes behind-the-scenes footage and interviews -- the last 3 minutes is devoted to the soundtrack and repeats some of the first 17 minutes; the 13-minute "A Conversation With Michelle Yeoh" is more like a monologue -- though it's nice to hear her talk about various aspects of the filmmaking process; the nearly 7-minute "Photo Montage" features dynamic camera movements looking at still pictures, set to music from the soundtrack; and, finally, brief filmographies (most like fact sheets with abbreviated film credits) are included for Ang Lee, Chow Yun Fat, Michelle Yeoh, James Schamus, and Yuen Wo Ping.

Buy, rent, or pass?

Buy. Not the greatest film ever made, but seems to improve with multiple viewings. It's also good to have on hand to show friends who don't believe people can fly.

 

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