Sign In
Items Online: 676
BROWSE MUSIC
BROWSE FILMS
BROWSE BOOKS
SUBMIT ITEMS
BROWSE
Books
Films
Music
New Items
SEARCH
Advanced Search
HELP
Sign In
Recover Password
About Us
Contact Us
Privacy Commitment
Terms of Use
Map of Consciousness
UPDATES
Receive email when items have been added.
QUOTE
Judge not that you be not judged.
--
New Testament
CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON
(
350
)
List Price:
$14.94
Amazon.com's Price:
$10.99
You Save:
$3.95 (26%)
Average Customer Rating:
This item has not yet been rated.
ITEM DESCRIPTION
Hong Kong
wuxia
films, or martial arts fantasies, traditionally squeeze poor acting, slapstick humor, and silly story lines between elaborate fight scenes in which characters can literally fly.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
has no shortage of breathtaking battles, but it also has the dramatic soul of a Greek tragedy and the sweep of an epic romance. This is the work of director Ang Lee, who fell in love with movies while watching
wuxia
films as a youngster and made
Crouching Tiger
as a tribute to the form. To elevate the genre above its B-movie roots and broaden its appeal, Lee did two important things. First, he assembled an all-star lineup of talent, joining the famous Asian actors Chow Yun-fat and Michelle Yeoh with the striking, charismatic newcomer Zhang Ziyi. Behind the scenes, Lee called upon cinematographer Peter Pau (
The Killer
,
The Bride with White Hair
) and legendary fight choreographer Yuen Wo-ping, best known outside Asia for his work on
The Matrix
. Second, in adapting the story from a Chinese pulp-fiction novel written by Wang Du Lu, Lee focused not on the pursuit of a legendary sword known as 'The Green Destiny,' but instead on the struggles of his female leads against social obligation. In his hands, the requisite fight scenes become another means of expressing the individual spirits of his characters and their conflicts with society and each other.
The filming required an immense effort from all involved. Chow and Yeoh had to learn to speak Mandarin, which Lee insisted on using instead of Cantonese to achieve a more classic, lyrical feel. The astonishing battles between Jen (Zhang) and Yu Shu Lien (Yeoh) on the rooftops and Jen and Li Mu Bai (Chow) atop the branches of bamboo trees required weeks of excruciating wire and harness work (which in turn required meticulous 'digital wire removal'). But the result is a seamless blend of action, romance, and social commentary in a populist film that, like its young star Zhang, soars with balletic grace and dignity.
--
Eugene Wei
[
courtesy of Amazon.com
]
ITEM DETAILS
Consciousness Calibration Level:
350
Submitted by:
Joshua Fredrickson
Directed by:
Ang Lee
Starring:
Yun-Fat Chow
,
Michelle Yeoh
,
Ziyi Zhang
MPAA Rating:
PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Theatrical Date:
22 December, 2000
Release Date:
03 September, 2002
Manufacturer:
Columbia Tri-Star
Format:
Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen, Dolby
USER COMMENTS & REVIEWS
Average Customer Rating:
This item has not yet been rated.
Sign in
to write a review and share your comments about this item with other users.
donate
|
contributors
|
faq
|
terms of use
|
privacy commitment
|
site map
|
conscious resources
© 2006 Conscious Multimedia Database
.
All rights reserved.
