If you've heard anything about this film its the 'better fight scenes than The Matrix' line that rather diminishes the potency of the work. Sure, the wire-work is impressive and the choreography of the combat amongst the best I've seen, but its the combined strengths of the other elements that elevate this work above the crowd. In brief: Characterisation Lee can hold the camera so long on his protagonists because he has provided them with a host of conflicting motivations - so many of the fights are driven by unresolved passion, rage and pride and while watching them unfurl you can sense each of these struggling for the upper hand within the combatants. Narrative At first I had a problem with the long digression in the desert - the central story seems to go for a 5-fag break - but on reflection I think it works, like Proust being transported by his Madellines. After watching it, try and jot down the plot and you'll find that the straightjacket of causality is removed - we're following the evolution of characters not events. Cinematography It looks great. The landscapes have been sitting there for millenia waiting to preen at a widescreen camera. At the other end of the scale, the extreme close-ups of Zhang Ziyi draw out her exquisite beauty but even here the film is not simply indulging the male gaze - each time we revisit that face we look ever closer for an indication of whether it suggests good or evil. My favourites though are the two-shots with Yun-Fat Chow and Michelle Yeoh - the camera ekes out every nuance of reticence and propriety and the composition is inspired. Sound Lee thankfully dispenses with bifforama fight sounds and the choice of cello as the main instrument seems so in accord with the male/female conflict of the title. Performances The central characters work hard (especially when they are not working hard) and it pays off - each of the four central characters have a strong presence but instead of cancelling each other out they combine to enhance the lure of the film. The feel of the film (For want of a better term) For all its hooks in the Far East, CTHD has strong resonances with Western culture, particularly the Jade Fox character who personifies the wicked witch of childhood nightmares. The duality of male/female qualities in characters of both sexes is held in tension throughout, alongside that which exists between fantasy and reality. The initial flying sequences took me a bit by suprise but gradually their appropriateness struck me - the fighters are earth-bound yet forever having the potential to transcend this limitation, if only for brief moments. Jen's final gesture might be interpreted as a refusal to acknowledge such limitations.
Caveats I have some residual concern that the treatment of death in this film made it unsuitable for a younger audience - not that the film is ultra-violent, in fact the opposite, with an almost cartoon-like avoidance of the consequences of extreme combat (in particular the Dark Cloud ambush which seemed to leave in its wake a suprisingly corpse-free zone). I could make an argument for this approach fitting with the sentiments of the film but Lee's Ride with the Devil does not shirk from showing why we refer to valour as 'guts' and I would have hoped for a similar frankness here.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Production Year: 2003 - Martial Arts - Director: Paul Hunter - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: Chow Yun-Fat, Seann William Scott, James King, Karel Roden
Production Year: 1981 - Martial Arts - Director: Kenji Misumi, Robert Houston - Original Language: English - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring: Kayo Matsuo, Minoru Ohki, Akiji Kobayashi, Shin Kishida, Masahiro Tomikawa, Tomisaburo Wakayama
Martial Arts - Original Language: English - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring: Bruce Lee, Sho Kosugi, James Ryan, Jim Kelly, Jimmy Wang Yu, Bolo Yeung, Christopher Lee
Production Year: 1991 - Martial Arts - Director: Tsui Hark - Original Language: Cantonese - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring: Donnie Yen, Jet Lee, Rosamund Kwan, Yuen Biao, Mok Sui Chung
Very good opinion, well done indeed :) My brother went to see the film and said it was a bit weird - I don't think he was expecting the subtitles! Thanks for a good read :)
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragonis so many things: an historical epic on a grand scale, an ... more
Asian martial-arts flick with both great effectsandfantastic fighting (choreographed byThe Matrix's guru Yuen Wo Ping), a story of magic, revenge and power played w...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
In the most-talked about movie of the year, Director Ang Lee (Sense and Sensibility) ... more
brings together a breathtaking combination of high-flying action (choreographed by Yeun Wo Ping - The Matrix) and stunning visual effects, woven around a story of humo...
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragonis so many things: an historical epic on a grand scale, an ... more
Asian martial-arts flick with both great effectsandfantastic fighting (choreographed byThe Matrix's guru Yuen Wo Ping), a story of magic, revenge and power played w...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Amazing martial arts fighting sequences (choreographed by Yuen wo Ping - The Matrix) ... more
stunning special effects action adventure and romance have made Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon the most talked about movie of the year. Martial arts masters Li Mu B...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
![Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon [DVD] [2001]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78543493.jpg "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon [DVD] [2001]")
Feb 3rd, 2001
very helpful by (100%):
