EF Classics: Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon

“Only by letting go can we truly possess what is real.” (-Li Mu Bai)

Context (Yǔ jìng 语境) – In 2000 Ang Lee’s mystical masterpiece transcended oceanic boundaries by becoming the highest grossing foreign language film ever in the United States (128 mil, domestic), and winning 4 Academy awards. Other winners that year included Gladiator, Traffic, Almost Famous, and Erin Brockovich.

Synopsis (Gàiyào 概要) (Contains Spoilers)- Set in pre-industrial China (year unspecified) the story centers around two romances: one unrequited and one consummated. The prior is between Li Mu Bai (Chow Yun-Fat)) and Yu Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh). Master Li Mu Bai is introduced as a skilled warrior who now wishes to retire. Thus, he gifts his famous sword, The Green Sword of Destiny to a friend for safekeeping. However, it is promptly stolen by a swindling young aristocrat named Jen (Zhang Ziyi) who wishes to escape her arranged marriage to pursue a life of adventure, i.e., stealing famous swords just for kicks.

Jen’s quest for freedom intensifies once she meets the fiery desert bandit, Lo “Dark Cloud” (Chang Chen). The two soon become lovers. Prior to this, however, Jen meets Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh), a famous warrior like Li Mu Bai. The two women form an instant friendship. Jen views Lien as a mentor, and “older sister.” But their differing philosophies – Jen’s libertinism and Lien’s conservatism, will strain their nascent friendship immensely. Especially when Jen’s reckless behavior threatens the life of Lien’s love interest, Master Li Mu Bai.

The other integral story line involves the central antagonist, Jade Fox (Cheng Pei-pei), a dark-arts witch/mentor to Jen who killed Li Mu Bai’s master. Li Mu Bai has sought vengeance ever since. Jade’s signature weapon is the poison dart. She laces the needles with purple yin which enters the bloodstream and goes straight to the heart, killing its unfortunate recipients within minutes.

Politics (Zhèngzhì 政治) – Despite it’s popularity in the U.S., the film was a total box office flop in mainland China (PRC), the story’s setting. Most likely because the director, Ang Lee (Life of Pi, Brokeback Mountain) is not Chinese, but Taiwanese (ROC). The two territories have feuded ever since the Chinese Civil War (1945-1949). So, the PRC mainland government likely sabotaged the film domestically at every step of distribution, while The United States, being allied with Taiwan (ROC), welcomed it with open arms.

Language (Yǔyán 语言) – Mandarin is the spoken language of the film. With 1.3 Billion native speakers worldwide, it is the most prevalent language on Earth, dominant in both factions of China today. Learning the language proved to be a challenge for several of the cast members including Chow Yun-Fat (Cantonese, Hong Kong) and new Oscar winner, Michelle Yeoh, who is Malaysian. Director, Ang Lee, who was educated in the West, personally edited the English subtitles to ensure they were satisfactory for Western audiences.

Fight Scenes (Dǎdòu chǎngmiàn 打斗场面) – The film bores at times, soars at others. Literally. The fight scenes feature aerial acrobatics, a common trope of the wuxia genre. Warriors defy gravity, flying high over rooftops, and bodies of water. One iconic fight sequence even takes place in the canopy of a bamboo forest! Also, look for Jen’s ascending 1,800 degree spin in the hotel fight scene (2:12 in the posted music video below) All of these fight sequences, both aerial and grounded, were choreographed by Woo Ping-Yuen, a legend in Hong Kong kung fu cinema. He also choreographed the Matrix trilogy.

Conclusion (Jiélùn 结论) The english subtitles can be arduous, but motivating is the fact that the director wrote them himself. The romance keeps the story engaging, pulling at our heartstrings throughout. This combined with the slow haunting music, sweeping cinematography, and beautifully choreographed fight sequences (fly-ting) make this film a bonafide wuxia wonder worth watching! (Say that five times fast).
E.F🪨🐅🎋🐲

P.S. Here is the original song, which plays during the end credits. Listen for the refrain; doesn’t the melody remind you of “How Far I’ll Go” from Disney’s Moana?”