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Click above to purchase "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" at
amazon.com
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
review by Zach B.
Rated PG-13
Studio: Columbia/Tri-Star
Running Time: 119 minutes
Starring Chow Yun-Fat, Michelle Yeoh, Zhang Ziyi,
Chang Chen, Luing Sihuing and Cheng Pei Pei
Written by Wang Hui Ling and James Schamus and Tsai
Kuo Jung
Based on the book by Wang Du Lu
Directed by Ang Lee
Retail Price: $26.98
Features: Audio Commentary with Director Ang Lee and
Co-Writer/Executive Producer James Schamus, Bravo Making Of
Special: Unleashing The Dragon, A Conversation With Michelle
Yeoh, Photo Montage, Filmographies, Theatrical Trailers
Specs: 2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen, English Dolby
Digital 5.1, English Dolby Surround, French Dolby Surround,
English Subtitles, French Subtitles, Chapter Search (28
Chapters)
Let's all be honest here, not so many people are into
foreign films. They have their own little niche, their own
little fans and pretty much their own little market. In most
smaller areas (not cities), you're lucky if you have two art
house theaters (I only have one). It's sort of like
independent films, films from other countries are very
unique and are usually in their native language with
subtitles. The only really mainstream foreign film ever was
the good but overrated "Life Is Beautiful", which garnered
many, many awards and spread to a few hundred theaters and
became the top grossing foreign film in the U.S., grossing
around sixty million dollars.
So here comes "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon". Released
in China last July to much critical acclaim, Sony Pictures
Classics snapped up the rights to bring it to the U.S.,
where the film played for a few months in various film
festivals, gaining a lot of buzz before slowly releasing it
in theaters last December. The film then went on to win four
Academy Awards® (and I feel it did not win for Best
Director and Best Picture is that the Best Foreign Film
killed two birds with one stone.) Sony even released two
trailers. One for the casual moviegoer with the action it
features, the other for art house audiences with more of the
story side and critical acclaim. After hearing about the
movie it did sound like it could be like a mainstream
film... and it did become much more than that. "Crouching
Tiger, Hidden Dragon" shattered the "Life Is Beautiful"
record grossing well over one hundred million at the box
office. For a foreign film, that is truly amazing. I was
lucky enough to see the movie opening weekend in New York
City (actual date: December 9th, 2000). I really did enjoy
the film, but after seeing it, I thought the film was not so
mainstream because it was really artsy. But the movie did
well... Sony sold it on the battle scenes to get people into
the theater.
Mu Bai (the excellent Chow Yun-Fat) has an reputation for
being a deadly and soulful warrior, yet has a lot of wisdom
and heart. The film opens with him arriving at the
headquarters of Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh), that being one of
his oldest and most loyal friends. Mu Bai is settling down
to retire, so he is giving away his infamous sword, the
Green Destiny, (which is 400 years old and looks really
light and somewhat weak, yet it is incredibly powerful and
heavy) to Sir Te, a man who has supported and encouraged him
throughout his life. However, after the sword is at the home
of Sir Te, it is stolen by a mysterious masked stranger
known as the Jade Fox. Lien assumes that Te's beautiful
daughter, Jen (Zhang Ziyi) stole it, but we learn that Jen
isn't like any other girl, as she is controlled by the Jade
Fox herself and is a deadly warrior. Jen is also downright
nasty, who wants to be free of the male dominated society.
I really don't know what more I can add to what already
has been said, but I'll do my best. This film has gotten
raves all over, and pretty much it's all been covered. But
here it is anyway. I guess I'll start what got the movie a
lot of buzz in the first place: the action sequences. The
action sequences don't outrank the plot or story
(thankfully), but I wish there were more of them. Still,
what is presented is a real treat. There are about seven or
eight of them throughout the film, and they are really like
nothing you've ever seen before. These stunts and fights are
really, really intense. Many people are going to draw
comparisons to "The Matrix" with them. For one thing, they
were choreographed by Yuen-Wo Ping, the same guy who was
responsible for the sequences in "The Matrix". Anyhow, these
parts defy the laws of gravity and balance without reason.
Characters fly and duke it out with swords and their punches
and kicks. I'm glad these don't last a minute or two, and
with the exception with the final battle with Jade Fox and
the Green Destiny (which was disappointing in length but
still cool), these last a good amount of time and will cause
your jaw to drop. Characters jump so gracefully and run
sideways on walls, it's all really well done and such a joy
to watch. This is what I think is the mainstream part of the
film, and if you're going in for these stunts, you'll be
amazed, but ultimately disappointed at the lack of them.
Next is what I thought that would not appeal to the
mainstream audiences: the story. The story is excellent, but
what I really like about is how deep it is. Based on an
early 20th century novel about the Wuxia, a group of loyal
Chinese warriors, the film was written by James Schamus,
Hui-Ling Wang and Kuo Jung Sai. For you Ang Lee fans, you
know Schamus has been his right hand man, adapting the
screenplay for "The Ice Storm" and writing "Ride With The
Devil". The script is really good, as the plot is laced with
some deep themes of love and the old days of China when it
was ruled by males. The characters are well developed, each
with their own strengths and weaknesses, as well as their
own emotional core. Jen yearns for freedom, Lien wants to
express her love despite what's going on and Bai is a man
who is tired of fighting and simply wants to settle down and
live in solitude. What I didn't like about the script though
is how things shifted, it felt a bit uneven. There was not
so much of a focus on Jade Fox and the sword itself, but
rather what Jen was going through and a pretty long
flashback sequence. This really gives the film depth, but it
would have been great if they made it more even. Yes, I
realized things have to be established, but I felt it was a
bit much.
The production values of the film are first rate. I think
Ang Lee is an extraordinary director, bringing such films as
"Sense and Sensibility", "The Ice Storm" and "Ride With The
Devil" to life. Here he really shows his stuff here, as he
blends the action and themes into one. His vision for this
film is superb, and I think without him it wouldn't have
been so good. The sets and costumes are really unique, I
actually thought I was there back in Imperial China watching
all of this unfold before my eyes. You really feel like
you're there, and it looks really nice, so good art
direction on that part. In part of feeling like you are
there, the performances are great. Chow Yun Fat (people will
recognize him from "Anna and the King" and "The Replacement
Killers", but he's a huge Asian action star) and Michelle
Yeoh (who was in the James Bond film "Tomorrow Never Dies")
has deeply affecting performances, bringing a lot of life
into their characters. The same thing for Zhang Ziyi and
Cheng Pei Pei. The musical score is really well timed and is
sweet yet haunting, perfectly fitting the film, it does
bring a lot to it (the score also won an Oscar®). The
cello solos are performed by Yo Yo Ma, which is really cool
(I like Yo Yo Ma). One aspect of the film which I really
liked was the sound effects and sound design, they are just
booming to death. The fists flying, guns firing kicks rising
and swords clashing... they sound so good and are edited so
well, it's like music to your ears. It makes it all the more
alive, so my kudos to the sound designers (and it sounds
great on the DVD... but more on that later). Finally, the
editing and cinematography (which won an Oscar®). Each
is can be summed up in one word: flawless. The movie is so
well filmed with great camera movements and angles. There
are so many lovely shots, just like the action sequences,
they will amaze you. The editing is great too. As I said, I
felt like I was there watching all of this, thanks to the
cuts the film has. It's all done appropriately and with much
thought. The editing is superb in the action sequences. It's
not shaky or quick or anything, like some movies where you
get so confused and can't tell what's going on. Here you
have a real easy time following the action, setting up good
shots.
This film is nearly perfect, and not perfect as everyone
is going on to be. What brings it down is how the story arc
is presented (see earlier in the review), but it's still all
good. I was sort of surprised how American audiences reacted
with the story part. I though the marketing of the movie was
brilliantly done and well advertised. Still, the story is
deep, and I didn't think so many casual moviegoers were
really going to really understand be enthralled by it (I'm
not sure if they did, maybe I'm not giving people a fair
chance). Yes, they loved the action, but there's so much
beauty to the story, which I feel some found or still may
find boring. Also, so many people mind subtitles. If it's
not in English, it is a big turn off (they re-released "Life
Is Beautiful" into a lousy dub which quickly bombed). But I
am a big advocate of films being presented in their original
languages, so they can be presented they way they were
originally supposed too. Still, if you hate subtitles...
there's an English dub on the disc.
"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" is a revolutionary film,
there is simply nothing like it to ever grace the film
before. While I felt some parts were a bit slow and dragged
on, and the story was not as even as it could have been,
this is one damn good film and is an instant classic.
Presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen, DVD has
retained the visual beauty of the film. The wonderful
interiors of the building and the astonishing outside
landscapes, the video does pack quite a punch. Sadly, it's
not as cleaned up as I would have hoped. I did notice some
slight digital artifacting here and there as well as some
shimmering. But the main disappointment is the amount dirt
and grain on the print. It starts out a bit messy but then
clears up, but there are still marks and scratches which I
found a bit distracting. Besides that, colors are well
saturated and this is a transfer that's pretty nice on the
eyes.
Two words for you: reference quality. Besides the visual
beauty of the film itself, the sound has so much going for
it and a lot of dazzle to give you an incredible experience.
The film is Mandarin Dolby Digital 5.1, English Dolby
Digital 5.1, English Dolby Surround and French Surround. Tan
Dun's beautiful score immerses you deeply in the film, while
surround use through the action sequences are top notch. The
slashes of the Green Destiny, the kicks, the punches and the
whole aura of everything will really get you inside the
film. The fights sound amazing and during the other action
sequences things are really well mixed. The .1 LFE is
brought to good use here. Dialogue is clear and easy to hear
with nothing overlapping it.
On a side note, I did watch some of the English dub and I
must say it's not that bad. I really only like dubs when it
comes to Japanese animation, as I feel with live action
movies the words don't match the actors well and the script
can be totally ruined. The film in theaters of course was
presented in the original Mandarin Chinese language, but if
you can't stand foreign languages, the English dub is
surprisingly good. Personally, I like seeing the movies the
way they were meant to be and how they were envisioned, but
again, if you prefer English, you'll be treated to a good
version here. I felt what I watched of the dub didn't
completely live up to the original script, it's not
"stupefied" for the masses and the English is pretty damn
good. The voice work is nice and it's not horrendous when
matching mouths. So, choose your preference. The film has
English subtitles (that match the Chinese, NOT the English
dub) and French subtitles.
While not feature packed, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden
Dragon" features a substantial amount of extras that's sure
to please any fan of the film. While it's basically a port
of the region 3 version from a few months back, many may be
surprised that there's not more as far as extras considering
how many loved the movie and how successful it really was.
Still, what's here does justice to the movie...
A Audio Commentary with Ang Lee and James Schamus
is provided. I am really happy to have this included on the
disc. Finally, Ang Lee sits down to talk about a film he's
made. Schamus, his long time collaborator joins him
obviously. This is a really good track as I really enjoyed
it. They make some jokes but do give good stories about the
film and seem quite passionate about everything. The choices
they made, the shots... just a lot of things about the film
and they make it really interesting. I was not disappointed
and I'm sure you won't be either. Give it a listen. One of
the best tracks I've heard in a while.
The Bravo Making Of Special: Unleashing The Dragon
lasts about twenty-one minutes and is a pretty good watch.
The "Bravo" beside it may make it seem classy as they are a
great film and arts channel, but this is pretty promoish.
Not to say it's not good, I thought it was above average
most featurettes I've seen. But there is that promo quality
that rings here and there. It features clips from the films,
interviews with Yeoh, Schamus, Fat Lee and some others.
There's also behind the scenes clips. They talk about
various parts of the production, the story and have a lot of
praises to go around. It's well made, but it's still a bit
fluffy.
A Conversation With Michelle Yeoh lasts a solid
fourteen minutes and presented in full frame. Besides the
clips from the films, Yeoh basically talks about the film,
film "legacy", Ang Lee and her experiences on the film. This
does reveal crucical points about the film, so if you
haven't seen the film, don't watch this first! It's good for
a watch once.
Rounding the disc out is a seven minute Photo
Montage, the US Theatrical Trailer, the
International Theatrical Trailer and
Filmographies, which actually do contain information
about the people. Basically, they're your run of the mill
talent files.
Also, inside the keep case there are nice production
notes. On another note, some of you may get annoyed easily
with the menu transistions. They have clips from the film
and you can't skip over them. This does get annoying but I
got used to it after a while.
"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" is sure to be a huge
seller on DVD, and this is certainly a film you'll want in
your collection. Great picture and some awesome sound, there
is also worthwhile supplements to enjoy. If you like deep
articulate stories and/or some great action sequences
(despite there's not much of them when you thinking about
it), "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" is for you. If you
haven't seen it, check it out and see what all the fuss has
been about.
 (4.5/5 - NOT included in
final score)
 (4/5)
 (5/5)
 (2.5/5)
 (3.5/5, NOT an average)
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