With Oscar season approaching and Bong Joon-ho’s ‘Parasite’ garnering the Oscar buzz usually unseen amongst foreign language films, it prompted me to look back through the years to examine which non-English films, apart from last year’s “Roma” managed to garner such Oscar buzz. Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon released nineteen years ago. At the time, it was the highest-grossing overseas film in the Us. It captured the attention of fans as well as the Academy. Along with Alfonso Cuaron’s “Roma”, “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” remains the most nominated (10) and awarded foreign film (4) at the Oscars.
Director Ang Lee’s movie is a wuxia set in the Qing dynasty. It is the story of warriors Li Mu Bai and Yu Shu Lien, and the Green Destiny. Li Mu Bai is a renowned warrior who wishes to pass on his sword- The Green Destiny. The one regret...
Director Ang Lee’s movie is a wuxia set in the Qing dynasty. It is the story of warriors Li Mu Bai and Yu Shu Lien, and the Green Destiny. Li Mu Bai is a renowned warrior who wishes to pass on his sword- The Green Destiny. The one regret...
- 11/28/2019
- by Reubyn Coutinho
- AsianMoviePulse
Ang Lee’s martial arts film “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” was a critical and commercial success upon release in 2000, garnering numerous awards and grossing over $200 million. It is now considered a modern classic and led to a boost in popularity of Chinese wuxia films. Now, an all-new 4K restoration of “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” will soon debut on Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD. Watch an exclusive clip of Ang Lee discussing his film and how martial arts movies owe a debt to musicals.
Read More: Watch: The Battle Begins In New Trailer For Netflix’s ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword Of Destiny’
The new release will be loaded with all-new bonus content in both releases. The Blu-ray release will include six never-before-seen deleted scenes, all-new retrospective interviews with director Ang Lee, producer James Schamus and editor Tim Squyres, an archival making-of featurette and the “A Love Before Time” music video.
Read More: Watch: The Battle Begins In New Trailer For Netflix’s ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword Of Destiny’
The new release will be loaded with all-new bonus content in both releases. The Blu-ray release will include six never-before-seen deleted scenes, all-new retrospective interviews with director Ang Lee, producer James Schamus and editor Tim Squyres, an archival making-of featurette and the “A Love Before Time” music video.
- 8/22/2016
- by Vikram Murthi
- Indiewire
After 15 years, the sequel to the popular martial arts action classic Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon has finally come out. Is Sword of Destiny worth the wait?
When Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was released in the Us in 2001, it was extremely well received by fans and critics, becoming the first foreign film to surpass $100 million dollars in America. It was nominated for Best Picture honors and Ang Lee was nominated for Best Director. It won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. In the years immediately following the film, there was a lot of interest in a sequel. However, the follow-up film was delayed and delayed again, and when filming was finally announced, there was not a lot of excitement or online buzz about it. The honeymoon was over. Now, 15 years after the success of the first film, the sequel Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny...
When Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was released in the Us in 2001, it was extremely well received by fans and critics, becoming the first foreign film to surpass $100 million dollars in America. It was nominated for Best Picture honors and Ang Lee was nominated for Best Director. It won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. In the years immediately following the film, there was a lot of interest in a sequel. However, the follow-up film was delayed and delayed again, and when filming was finally announced, there was not a lot of excitement or online buzz about it. The honeymoon was over. Now, 15 years after the success of the first film, the sequel Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny...
- 2/27/2016
- by feeds@cinelinx.com (Rob Young)
- Cinelinx
Plot: A cruel warlord (Jason Scott Lee) vows to steal the infamous Green Destiny, the sword of the late Li Mu Bai. His former lover, Yu Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh) vows to guard it with her life, and finds unlikely help from another former flame, the stoic Silver Wolf (Donnie Yen). Review: Despite being a worldwide hit, people weren't exactly clamouring for a Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon sequel, mostly due to... Read More...
- 2/27/2016
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
Sound on Sight undertook a massive project, compiling ranked lists of the most influential, unforgettable, and exciting action scenes in all of cinema. There were hundreds of nominees spread across ten different categories and a multi-week voting process from 11 of our writers. The results: 100 essential set pieces, sequences, and scenes from blockbusters to cult classics to arthouse obscurities.
Sword fights, like one-on-one fights, target the emotion and power of each individual fighter, but are amplified by the extension of their weapon. Whereas one-on-one fights test the might and bronze of our competitors, sword fights add an extra element of intelligence and skill. A fighter can scrape by through luck in a brawl of fists, but a sword (and knife) fight exposes the true strengths and weaknesses of its opponents.
10. Rob Roy (1995) – No quarter asked, no quarter given
Roger Ebert called the final duel between Rob Roy (Liam Neeson, in a...
Sword fights, like one-on-one fights, target the emotion and power of each individual fighter, but are amplified by the extension of their weapon. Whereas one-on-one fights test the might and bronze of our competitors, sword fights add an extra element of intelligence and skill. A fighter can scrape by through luck in a brawl of fists, but a sword (and knife) fight exposes the true strengths and weaknesses of its opponents.
10. Rob Roy (1995) – No quarter asked, no quarter given
Roger Ebert called the final duel between Rob Roy (Liam Neeson, in a...
- 5/27/2015
- by Shane Ramirez
- SoundOnSight
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 2: The Green Destiny has its star. China’s most bankable action hero Donnie Yen has signed on to play the lead role in the long-planned, oft-delayed sequel to the critically lauded hit Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000). Yen will be playing Silent Wolf in the movie, which is based on a novel, just as the first one was. Michelle Yoeh will be returning for the sequel, once again portraying Yu Shu Lien.
It's not clear at this point as to whether or not Chow Yun-Fat, who starred in the first film, will be returning for the sequel as Master Li Mu Bai. (If he could make Dragonball Evolution, surely he could find time for this!) His character plays a pivotal role in the book, so hopefully, he’ll be back. However, for the moment, it seems like Yen will be picking up the slack as the main hero of the story.
It's not clear at this point as to whether or not Chow Yun-Fat, who starred in the first film, will be returning for the sequel as Master Li Mu Bai. (If he could make Dragonball Evolution, surely he could find time for this!) His character plays a pivotal role in the book, so hopefully, he’ll be back. However, for the moment, it seems like Yen will be picking up the slack as the main hero of the story.
- 4/8/2014
- by feeds@cinelinx.com (Rob Young)
- Cinelinx
Yippee-ki-yay! It's action-movie time! From Die Hard to Deliverance, here's what the Guardian and Observer's critics think are the 10 best ever made. Let us know what you think in the comments below
• Top 10 romantic movies
Peter Bradshaw on action movies
In some ways, it should be the quintessential cinema genre. After all, what does the director shout at the beginning of a take? Action – at times a euphemism for violence and machismo – evolved into a recognisable genre in the 80s. Gunplay and athleticism resurfaced in a sweatier and more explicitly violent form, with movies such as Sylvester Stallone's First Blood. The hardware was all-important, and the metallic sheen of the guns was something to be savoured alongside the musculature of the heroes. The genre spawned the action hero. These were not pretty-boys there to melt female hearts: they were there to get a roar of approval from the guys.
• Top 10 romantic movies
Peter Bradshaw on action movies
In some ways, it should be the quintessential cinema genre. After all, what does the director shout at the beginning of a take? Action – at times a euphemism for violence and machismo – evolved into a recognisable genre in the 80s. Gunplay and athleticism resurfaced in a sweatier and more explicitly violent form, with movies such as Sylvester Stallone's First Blood. The hardware was all-important, and the metallic sheen of the guns was something to be savoured alongside the musculature of the heroes. The genre spawned the action hero. These were not pretty-boys there to melt female hearts: they were there to get a roar of approval from the guys.
- 10/10/2013
- The Guardian - Film News
Honestly, I had no idea that a Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon sequel was in the works. Did anyone else know about this? When was this even announced?
I may be out of the loop but it appears that at least one person knew about this, and that person is Harvey Weinstein, one half of The Weinstein Company, who are gearing up to film a sequel to Ang Lee’s film this May. Apparently, the studio has fought with Sony for the past little while over the rights to the books that Lee’s film was based on. Turns out Harvey won that battle (no surprise) and now he’s going ahead and putting out a sequel.
With a script from John Fusco, who wrote The Forbidden Kingdom, and based on the novel Silver Vase, Iron Knight, the story is set to focus on Yu Shu Lien, which was Michelle Yeoh...
I may be out of the loop but it appears that at least one person knew about this, and that person is Harvey Weinstein, one half of The Weinstein Company, who are gearing up to film a sequel to Ang Lee’s film this May. Apparently, the studio has fought with Sony for the past little while over the rights to the books that Lee’s film was based on. Turns out Harvey won that battle (no surprise) and now he’s going ahead and putting out a sequel.
With a script from John Fusco, who wrote The Forbidden Kingdom, and based on the novel Silver Vase, Iron Knight, the story is set to focus on Yu Shu Lien, which was Michelle Yeoh...
- 1/25/2013
- by Matt Joseph
- We Got This Covered
When i go into a Chow Yun Fat movie, the first thing i think is “How many people will he kill in this movie”, the guy is just the greatest when it comes to Gun play movies.
Chow Yun Fat was born May 18, 1955. He is best known in Asia for his collaboration with filmmaker John Woo in heroic bloodshed genre films A Better Tomorrow, The Killer, and Hard Boiled.
Chow was born in Hong Kong, to a mother who was a cleaning lady and vegetable farmer, and a father who worked on a Shell Oil Company tanker. Of Hakka origins, he grew up in a farming community on Lamma Island in a house with no electricity.
He woke up at dawn each morning to help his mother sell herbal jelly and Hakka tea-pudding on the streets and in the afternoons he went to work in the fields.
His family moved...
Chow Yun Fat was born May 18, 1955. He is best known in Asia for his collaboration with filmmaker John Woo in heroic bloodshed genre films A Better Tomorrow, The Killer, and Hard Boiled.
Chow was born in Hong Kong, to a mother who was a cleaning lady and vegetable farmer, and a father who worked on a Shell Oil Company tanker. Of Hakka origins, he grew up in a farming community on Lamma Island in a house with no electricity.
He woke up at dawn each morning to help his mother sell herbal jelly and Hakka tea-pudding on the streets and in the afternoons he went to work in the fields.
His family moved...
- 10/30/2012
- by kingofkungfu
- AsianMoviePulse
Make A Wish
“Wo Hu Cang Long”, also known as “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”, is director Ang Lee’s greatest crowning achievement. It came out in 2000 to receive critical acclaim from all four corners of the globe. It managed to snag an impressive total of 4 out of a possible 10 Academy Awards including Best Foreign Film, Best Cinematography and Best Art Direction. It’s a “must-own” that any serious cinephile should have in their prized collection.
The story begins when our hero, Li Mu Bai, pays a visit to an old travelling companion, Yu Shu Lien (played by the ageless Michelle Yeoh). Li Mu Bai (Chow Yun Fat) is the owner of a priceless sword called The Green Destiny. Mu Bai has been able to make just use of such a weapon for most of his life. But in doing so, he had to sacrifice passion in exchange for meditation and ultimately,...
“Wo Hu Cang Long”, also known as “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”, is director Ang Lee’s greatest crowning achievement. It came out in 2000 to receive critical acclaim from all four corners of the globe. It managed to snag an impressive total of 4 out of a possible 10 Academy Awards including Best Foreign Film, Best Cinematography and Best Art Direction. It’s a “must-own” that any serious cinephile should have in their prized collection.
The story begins when our hero, Li Mu Bai, pays a visit to an old travelling companion, Yu Shu Lien (played by the ageless Michelle Yeoh). Li Mu Bai (Chow Yun Fat) is the owner of a priceless sword called The Green Destiny. Mu Bai has been able to make just use of such a weapon for most of his life. But in doing so, he had to sacrifice passion in exchange for meditation and ultimately,...
- 9/7/2012
- by The0racle
- AsianMoviePulse
From The Vaults
“Wo Hu Cang Long”, also known as “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”, is director Ang Lee’s greatest crowning achievement. It came out in 2000 to receive critical acclaim from all four corners of the globe. It managed to snag an impressive total of 4 out of 10 Academy Awards including Best Foreign Film, Best Cinematography and Best Art Direction. It’s a “must-own” that any serious cinephile should have in their prized collection.
The story begins when our hero, Li Mu Bai, pays a visit to an old travelling companion, Yu Shu Lien (played by the ageless Michelle Yeoh). Li Mu Bai (Chow Yun Fat) is the owner of a priceless sword called The Green Destiny. Mu Bai has been able to make just use of such a weapon for most of his life. But in doing so, he had to sacrifice passion in exchange for meditation and ultimately, love for friendship.
“Wo Hu Cang Long”, also known as “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”, is director Ang Lee’s greatest crowning achievement. It came out in 2000 to receive critical acclaim from all four corners of the globe. It managed to snag an impressive total of 4 out of 10 Academy Awards including Best Foreign Film, Best Cinematography and Best Art Direction. It’s a “must-own” that any serious cinephile should have in their prized collection.
The story begins when our hero, Li Mu Bai, pays a visit to an old travelling companion, Yu Shu Lien (played by the ageless Michelle Yeoh). Li Mu Bai (Chow Yun Fat) is the owner of a priceless sword called The Green Destiny. Mu Bai has been able to make just use of such a weapon for most of his life. But in doing so, he had to sacrifice passion in exchange for meditation and ultimately, love for friendship.
- 12/19/2011
- by The0racle
- AsianMoviePulse
Who expected "Kung Fu Panda" to be as charming as it was? Dreamworks had a shaky history of 3-D films that were big on star power and small on substance, but one barely noticed all the celebrity voices in between the tightly polished jokes and immaculate animation. Especially fun was how the movie paid righteous tribute to kung fu tradition, from the deftly choreographed fight scenes to the standard character types like the wise guru, the hot-headed proteges and of course, poor clueless Po.
Po whipped himself into fighting shape by film's end, and the upcoming sequel will see where he's gone since. But how would he stack up against characters from kung fu lore? Fighting films used to be huge in American pop culture, but faded out as guns and gratuitous violence went en vogue. Here's where we think he'd end up in a battle royale against some of history's greatest kung fu fighters,...
Po whipped himself into fighting shape by film's end, and the upcoming sequel will see where he's gone since. But how would he stack up against characters from kung fu lore? Fighting films used to be huge in American pop culture, but faded out as guns and gratuitous violence went en vogue. Here's where we think he'd end up in a battle royale against some of history's greatest kung fu fighters,...
- 5/27/2011
- by Jeremy Gordon
- MTV Movies Blog
Adapting movies into musicals is nothing new, but it seems to be reaching a new high. We've already told you that "Once" is getting the stage treatment, but we all agreed the low key musical was probably a natural fit for the stage. But what about a movie like "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon?" Can you see Master Li Mu Bai stopping to belt out a number?
Actually, yes, we can too. And the plan for that is actually in the works. According to The New York Observer, the Weinstein Company is digging through their movie collection hoping to adapt several of their productions to Broadway. On the top of the list are "Finding Neverland," "Chocolat," "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "Cinema Paradiso" with more to follow.
It's an eclectic selection of films, but an oddly appropriate one. "Finding Neverland" is a small and intimate story, and much of it takes...
Actually, yes, we can too. And the plan for that is actually in the works. According to The New York Observer, the Weinstein Company is digging through their movie collection hoping to adapt several of their productions to Broadway. On the top of the list are "Finding Neverland," "Chocolat," "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "Cinema Paradiso" with more to follow.
It's an eclectic selection of films, but an oddly appropriate one. "Finding Neverland" is a small and intimate story, and much of it takes...
- 3/31/2011
- by Elisabeth Rappe
- NextMovie
Ang Lee, 2000
In 2000, a knockout blow for the venerable martial arts movie was visited upon unsuspecting western audiences by Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Ang Lee's exhilarating addition to the genre. Hardened critics at Cannes greeted fight scenes with excited applause. People who'd have never dreamed of watching martial arts found themselves debating the finer points of wuxia, the fighting style that allows its practitioners to defy gravity and soar above rooftops.
Shot with Chinese actors speaking Mandarin, but co-written by Us writer James Schamus, Crouching Tiger was received indifferently in Asia but proved immensely popular in the west, winning four Oscars and becoming the highest-grossing foreign-language film in American history. No wonder: you could lose the subtitles and still be transfixed by the film's visual delights. The scenery, taking in Qing-dynasty Beijing, the ghost city of Xinjiang and other extraordinary Chinese locations, is magnificent. The fight scenes are choreographed with exquisite grace by Yuen Woo-ping,...
In 2000, a knockout blow for the venerable martial arts movie was visited upon unsuspecting western audiences by Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Ang Lee's exhilarating addition to the genre. Hardened critics at Cannes greeted fight scenes with excited applause. People who'd have never dreamed of watching martial arts found themselves debating the finer points of wuxia, the fighting style that allows its practitioners to defy gravity and soar above rooftops.
Shot with Chinese actors speaking Mandarin, but co-written by Us writer James Schamus, Crouching Tiger was received indifferently in Asia but proved immensely popular in the west, winning four Oscars and becoming the highest-grossing foreign-language film in American history. No wonder: you could lose the subtitles and still be transfixed by the film's visual delights. The scenery, taking in Qing-dynasty Beijing, the ghost city of Xinjiang and other extraordinary Chinese locations, is magnificent. The fight scenes are choreographed with exquisite grace by Yuen Woo-ping,...
- 10/19/2010
- by Killian Fox
- The Guardian - Film News
For his first Chinese-language assignment since 1994's "Eat Drink Man Woman", Ang Lee tries a little martial arts on for size with jaw-droppingly exhilarating results.
A sweeping romantic epic with a strong feminist backbone, the thoroughly entertaining "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" also happens to boast a generous offering of seriously kick-ass action sequences that make "The Matrix" seem downright quaint by comparison.
With a cast headed by genre superstars Chow Yun-Fat and Michelle Yeoh, the film is poised to conquer virtually every territory it plays in, although it could probably stand a slight trimming for North American consumption.
Screened out of competition (luckily for the others), this impressive effort from Sony Pictures Entertainment's fledgling Asian production division is set in the early 19th century, during the last great years of the mighty Qing dynasty.
Deciding to hang up his trusty sword - the mythical Green Destiny - legendary warrior Li Mu Bai (Chow) entrusts the ancient weapon to Yu Shu Lien (Yeoh), his equally skilled female partner in crime-fighting. They also share a undeclared love for each other.
It is agreed that she'll deliver the sword as a gift to Sir Te, a revered Beijing elder, and it is there she encounters the strong willed En (Gang Zip Ii), a young woman who is about to be married off, but who envies Yu's independence.
When the Green Destiny is stolen, Yu's detective work leads her to none other than the young girl, who proves to be an enormously skilled fighter trained in the ways of combat by the notorious but evasive Jade Fox.
The scenario allows for some astoundingly choreographed (courtesy of "Matrix" man Yuen Wo Ping) face-offs between the two women that simply have to be seen to be believed.
Incorporating some digital know-how from Cine Asia and Manex Visual Effects, Lee has his warriors taking their gravity-defying battles along walls, across rooftops or from treetop to treetop, making like Ninja Peter Pans.
And in between the well-placed action, there's a simple, moving poetry both in cinematographer Peter Pau's lush visuals and in the words, with writers James Schamus, Wang Hui Ling and Tsai Kuo Jung working from Wang Du Lu's novel of the same name.
Lee's cast is nimbly up to both the action and the acting, with Yeoh and Yun-Fat given the kind of opportunity to emote that hasn't to date been afforded them in their American films.
As the highly defiant Jen Yu, college student Zhang Ziyi ("The Road Home") is assured a rewarding future in front of the cameras. Her potent combination of impassioned defiance and youthful innocence help give "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" both its quiet beauty and its considerable firepower.
CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON
Columbia/Warner Bros.
Columbia Pictures Film Production Asia and Sony Pictures Classics
present in association with Good Machine International and Edko Films, Zoom Hunt production in collaboration with China Film Co-Production Corp. and Asia Union Film & Entertainment Ltd.
An Ang Lee film
Credits:
Director: Ang Lee
Screenwriters: James Schamus, Wang Hui Ling, Tsai Kuo Jung
Based on the novel "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" by: Wang Du Lu
Producers: Bill Kong, Hsu Li Kong, Ang Lee
Executive producers: James Schamus, David Linde
Director of photography: Peter Pau
Production designer/Costume designer: Tim Yip
Editor: Tim Squyres
Action choreographer: Yuen Wo Ping
Music: Tan Dun
Cast:
Li Mu Bai: Chow Yun-Fat
Yu Shu Lien: Michelle Yeoh
Jen Yu: Zhang Ziyi
Lo: Chang Chen
Sir Te: Lung Sihung
Jade Fox: Cheng Pei Pei
Running time - 120 minutes...
A sweeping romantic epic with a strong feminist backbone, the thoroughly entertaining "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" also happens to boast a generous offering of seriously kick-ass action sequences that make "The Matrix" seem downright quaint by comparison.
With a cast headed by genre superstars Chow Yun-Fat and Michelle Yeoh, the film is poised to conquer virtually every territory it plays in, although it could probably stand a slight trimming for North American consumption.
Screened out of competition (luckily for the others), this impressive effort from Sony Pictures Entertainment's fledgling Asian production division is set in the early 19th century, during the last great years of the mighty Qing dynasty.
Deciding to hang up his trusty sword - the mythical Green Destiny - legendary warrior Li Mu Bai (Chow) entrusts the ancient weapon to Yu Shu Lien (Yeoh), his equally skilled female partner in crime-fighting. They also share a undeclared love for each other.
It is agreed that she'll deliver the sword as a gift to Sir Te, a revered Beijing elder, and it is there she encounters the strong willed En (Gang Zip Ii), a young woman who is about to be married off, but who envies Yu's independence.
When the Green Destiny is stolen, Yu's detective work leads her to none other than the young girl, who proves to be an enormously skilled fighter trained in the ways of combat by the notorious but evasive Jade Fox.
The scenario allows for some astoundingly choreographed (courtesy of "Matrix" man Yuen Wo Ping) face-offs between the two women that simply have to be seen to be believed.
Incorporating some digital know-how from Cine Asia and Manex Visual Effects, Lee has his warriors taking their gravity-defying battles along walls, across rooftops or from treetop to treetop, making like Ninja Peter Pans.
And in between the well-placed action, there's a simple, moving poetry both in cinematographer Peter Pau's lush visuals and in the words, with writers James Schamus, Wang Hui Ling and Tsai Kuo Jung working from Wang Du Lu's novel of the same name.
Lee's cast is nimbly up to both the action and the acting, with Yeoh and Yun-Fat given the kind of opportunity to emote that hasn't to date been afforded them in their American films.
As the highly defiant Jen Yu, college student Zhang Ziyi ("The Road Home") is assured a rewarding future in front of the cameras. Her potent combination of impassioned defiance and youthful innocence help give "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" both its quiet beauty and its considerable firepower.
CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON
Columbia/Warner Bros.
Columbia Pictures Film Production Asia and Sony Pictures Classics
present in association with Good Machine International and Edko Films, Zoom Hunt production in collaboration with China Film Co-Production Corp. and Asia Union Film & Entertainment Ltd.
An Ang Lee film
Credits:
Director: Ang Lee
Screenwriters: James Schamus, Wang Hui Ling, Tsai Kuo Jung
Based on the novel "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" by: Wang Du Lu
Producers: Bill Kong, Hsu Li Kong, Ang Lee
Executive producers: James Schamus, David Linde
Director of photography: Peter Pau
Production designer/Costume designer: Tim Yip
Editor: Tim Squyres
Action choreographer: Yuen Wo Ping
Music: Tan Dun
Cast:
Li Mu Bai: Chow Yun-Fat
Yu Shu Lien: Michelle Yeoh
Jen Yu: Zhang Ziyi
Lo: Chang Chen
Sir Te: Lung Sihung
Jade Fox: Cheng Pei Pei
Running time - 120 minutes...
For his first Chinese-language assignment since 1994's "Eat Drink Man Woman", Ang Lee tries a little martial arts on for size -- with jaw-droppingly exhilarating results.
A sweeping romantic epic with a strong feminist backbone, the thoroughly entertaining "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" also happens to boast a generous offering of seriously kick-ass action sequences that make "The Matrix" seem downright quaint by comparison.
With a cast headed by genre superstars Chow Yun-Fat and Michelle Yeoh, the film is poised to conquer virtually every territory it plays in, although it could probably stand a slight trimming for North American consumption.
Screened out of competition (luckily for the others), this impressive effort from Sony Pictures Entertainment's fledgling Asian production division is set in the early 19th century, during the last great years of the mighty Qing dynasty.
Deciding to hang up his trusty sword -- the mythical Green Destiny -- legendary warrior Li Mu Bai (Yun-Fat) entrusts the ancient weapon to Yu Shu Lien (Yeoh), his equally skilled female partner in crime-fighting. They also share a undeclared love for each other.
It is agreed that she'll deliver the sword as a gift to Sir Te, a revered Beijing elder, and it is there she encounters the strong willed En (Gang Zip Ii), a young woman who is about to be married off but envies Yu's independence.
When Green Destiny is stolen, Yu's detective work leads her to none other than the young girl, who proves to be an enormously skilled fighter trained in the ways of combat by the notorious but evasive Jade Fox.
The scenario allows for some astoundingly choreographed (courtesy of "Matrix" man Yuen Wo Ping) face-offs between the two women that simply have to be seen to be believed.
Incorporating some digital know-how from Cine Asia and Manex Visual Effects, Lee has his warriors taking their gravity-defying battles along walls, across rooftops or from treetop to treetop, making like Ninja Peter Pans.
And in between the well-placed action, there's a simple, moving poetry both in cinematographer Peter Pau's lush visuals and in the words, with writers James Schamus, Wang Hui Ling and Tsai Kuo Jung working from Wang Du Lu's novel of the same name.
Lee's cast is nimbly up to both the action and the acting, with Yeoh and Yun-Fat given the kind of opportunity to emote that hasn't been afforded them in their American films.
As the highly defiant En, college student Ii ("The Road Home") is assured a rewarding future in front of the cameras. Her potent combination of impassioned defiance and youthful innocence help give "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" both its quiet beauty and its considerable firepower.
Crouching Tiger,
Hidden Dragon
Columbia/Warner Bros.
Columbia Pictures Film Production Asia and Sony Pictures Classics present in association with Good Machine International and Edko Films, Zoom Hunt production in
collaboration with China Film
Co-Production Corp. and Asia Union Film & Entertainment Ltd.
An Ang Lee film
Director: Ang Lee
Screenwriters: James Schamus, Wang Hui Ling, Tsai Kuo Jung
Based on the novel "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" by: Wang Du Lu
Producers: Bill Kong, Hsu Li Kong,
Ang Lee
Executive producers: James Schamus, David Linde
Director of photography: Peter Pau
Production designer/
costume designer: Tim Yip
Editor: Tim Squyres
Action choreographer: Yuen Wo Ping
Music: Tan Dun
Cast:
Li Mu Bai: Chow Yun-Fat
Yu Shu Lien: Michelle Yeoh
En: Gang Zip Ii
Lo: Chang Chen
Sir Te: Lung Sihung
Jade Fox: Cheng Pei Pei
Running time -- 120 minutes...
A sweeping romantic epic with a strong feminist backbone, the thoroughly entertaining "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" also happens to boast a generous offering of seriously kick-ass action sequences that make "The Matrix" seem downright quaint by comparison.
With a cast headed by genre superstars Chow Yun-Fat and Michelle Yeoh, the film is poised to conquer virtually every territory it plays in, although it could probably stand a slight trimming for North American consumption.
Screened out of competition (luckily for the others), this impressive effort from Sony Pictures Entertainment's fledgling Asian production division is set in the early 19th century, during the last great years of the mighty Qing dynasty.
Deciding to hang up his trusty sword -- the mythical Green Destiny -- legendary warrior Li Mu Bai (Yun-Fat) entrusts the ancient weapon to Yu Shu Lien (Yeoh), his equally skilled female partner in crime-fighting. They also share a undeclared love for each other.
It is agreed that she'll deliver the sword as a gift to Sir Te, a revered Beijing elder, and it is there she encounters the strong willed En (Gang Zip Ii), a young woman who is about to be married off but envies Yu's independence.
When Green Destiny is stolen, Yu's detective work leads her to none other than the young girl, who proves to be an enormously skilled fighter trained in the ways of combat by the notorious but evasive Jade Fox.
The scenario allows for some astoundingly choreographed (courtesy of "Matrix" man Yuen Wo Ping) face-offs between the two women that simply have to be seen to be believed.
Incorporating some digital know-how from Cine Asia and Manex Visual Effects, Lee has his warriors taking their gravity-defying battles along walls, across rooftops or from treetop to treetop, making like Ninja Peter Pans.
And in between the well-placed action, there's a simple, moving poetry both in cinematographer Peter Pau's lush visuals and in the words, with writers James Schamus, Wang Hui Ling and Tsai Kuo Jung working from Wang Du Lu's novel of the same name.
Lee's cast is nimbly up to both the action and the acting, with Yeoh and Yun-Fat given the kind of opportunity to emote that hasn't been afforded them in their American films.
As the highly defiant En, college student Ii ("The Road Home") is assured a rewarding future in front of the cameras. Her potent combination of impassioned defiance and youthful innocence help give "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" both its quiet beauty and its considerable firepower.
Crouching Tiger,
Hidden Dragon
Columbia/Warner Bros.
Columbia Pictures Film Production Asia and Sony Pictures Classics present in association with Good Machine International and Edko Films, Zoom Hunt production in
collaboration with China Film
Co-Production Corp. and Asia Union Film & Entertainment Ltd.
An Ang Lee film
Director: Ang Lee
Screenwriters: James Schamus, Wang Hui Ling, Tsai Kuo Jung
Based on the novel "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" by: Wang Du Lu
Producers: Bill Kong, Hsu Li Kong,
Ang Lee
Executive producers: James Schamus, David Linde
Director of photography: Peter Pau
Production designer/
costume designer: Tim Yip
Editor: Tim Squyres
Action choreographer: Yuen Wo Ping
Music: Tan Dun
Cast:
Li Mu Bai: Chow Yun-Fat
Yu Shu Lien: Michelle Yeoh
En: Gang Zip Ii
Lo: Chang Chen
Sir Te: Lung Sihung
Jade Fox: Cheng Pei Pei
Running time -- 120 minutes...
- 5/17/2000
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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