Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
***1/2
Rated on a 4-star
scale
Screening venue: Odeon (Manchester City Centre)
Released in the UK by Columbia TriStar on January 5, 2001; certificate PG;
120 minutes; countries of origin China/Hong Kong/Taiwan/USA; aspect ratio
2.35:1
Directed by Ang Lee; produced by Li-Kong
Hsu, William Kong, Ang Lee.
Written by James Schamus, Kuo Jung Tsai, Hui-Ling Wang;
based on the book by Du Lu Wang.
Photographed by Peter Pau; edited by Tim
Squyres.
CAST.....
Chow Yun-Fat..... Li Mu Bai
Michelle Yeoh..... Yu Shu Lien
Ziyi Zhang..... Jen Yu
Chen Chang..... Lo
Sihung Lung..... Sir Te
Pei-pei Chang..... Jade Fox
Fazeng Li..... Governor Yu
Xian Gao..... Bo
"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"
is a movie made with such grace, beauty and passion that the effect is somewhat
disorientating. The filmmaker, Ang Lee, has made serious comedies ("Wedding
Banquet", "Sense and Sensibility"), thoughtful dramas ("The Ice Storm") and
even a Civil War epic ("Ride With the Devil"). Now he gives us a martial
arts picture.
There are familiar elements throughout. The male
hero, played by Oriental action star Chow Yun-Fat, is a legendary warrior
on a passionate quest, attempting to recover his stolen sword and avenge
the death of his master. He and the female hero (Michaelle Yeoh) are both
experts at fighting, and there is much respectful talk about their hallowed
craft. There are old scores brought up, new double-crossings perpetrated,
instances of witchcraft and malevolence, displays of nobility and bravery
-- and there is fighting.
We're used to seeing this kind of thing depicted
with strained faces, accompanied by ridiculously melodramatic drum sounds,
while both heroes and villains let out shrieks, and speak through bad dubbing
tracks. That's not the sort of thing we'd expect from Lee, nor do we get
it. "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" is directed with a tender, dramatic
touch; when the characters talk about their beliefs, the words come out with
the same sincerity and intensity as they do in the films of Akira Kurosawa.
This is chop-socky material elevated to art.
Because the movie feels so much like a drama,
I felt at arms length for a great percentage of its running time -- what
I was getting at in my opening comment is that the distinguished nature of
the style leads us to expect that the story is going to coil and spring in
some grand, unexpected way. It is not until late on in the piece, when the
structure has become clear, that we realise Lee's aim is simply to approach
familiar material in an unfamiliar way, and we can relax and let the story
reach us. A second viewing might help me appreciate the picture more, as
might have a little less pre-release hype.
Striking us instantly and unmistakably are the
scenes of action, beautifully choreographed by the same guy who trained the
actors in "The Matrix", and none of them created through CGI. There is, for
example, a breathtaking early moment in which the actors chase each other
along rooftops, gliding over ceilings and skipping down walls in almost musical
rhythm. And a hypnotic battle in which two opponents drift past each other
while gripping onto tree branches as they sway in the breeze.
Spectacular.
COPYRIGHT© 2001 Ian
Waldron-Mantgani
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