Some
will say that CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON ($28) is derivative
of various films from the fantasy and martial arts genres, others will
see that this incredible motion picture truly unlike any other. With CROUCHING
TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON, director Ang Lee has fashioned a hauntingly
lyrical movie with a soul, which employs stylish fantasy and martial arts
elements. There is a depth of character and a depth of emotion in CROUCHING
TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON that differentiates it from ordinary genre entries,
which in comparison, seem almost superficial.
CROUCHING
TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON certainly deserved the laurels trusted upon it-
it is an amazing motion picture experience. However, it is the film's
greatest strengths that may limit its appeal to audiences expecting typical
"chop socky" entertainment. CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON
has a slow, deliberate pace in which its story to unfolds with a tantalizing
sense of Asian mystery that also allows enough time for the characters
to fully develop. Certainly, the film does feature some wonderfully fast
paced martial arts fighting sequences, but they do not occur in a continuous
stream, as genre fans have come to expect. However, what CROUCHING
TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON does offer, would certainly rate amongst the
most amazingly choreographed martial arts sequences ever committed to
film. Not only are they jaw dropping in their intensity, they are far
more fluid and balletic than anything I have ever seen in a martial arts
movie.
The
plot of CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON is beautifully simple, with
the film's complexities lying in the relationships and emotions of its
characters. For my money, Chow Yun-Fat is one of the most charismatic
actors working on either side of the Pacific and he is ideally cast as
Wudan master Li Mu Bai. Li Mu Bai is a world-weary warrior, who has seen
enough of battle and seeks something more rewarding from life. Placing
his sword, the Green Destiny, into the care of friend, Li Mu Bai looks
forward to a peaceful retirement. However, a young warrior, who possesses
tremendous skill, soon steals the sword from its new home. Honor dictates
that Li Mu Bai recover the Green Destiny, however when he comes to recover
the sword, he discovers that the young warrior’s master is Jade Fox (Pei-pei
Cheng), who murdered Li Mu Bai's teacher and stole the secrets of the
gravity defying Wudan discipline. Although Li Mu Bai still seeks the return
of the sword, his quest takes on a new priority.
CROUCHING
TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON also stars Michelle Yeoh in a role that allows
her to flex her acting muscles, instead of just those that show off her
martial arts prowess. As Shu Lien, Yeoh plays a woman whose life is very
much entwined with that of Li Mu Bai. It is Shu Lien who delivers the
Green Destiny to their mutual friend and, after the sword is stolen, she
who traces it to the home of the governor, where she encounters Jen (Ziyi
Zhang), who is so much more than a young girl facing the prospect of an
arranged marriage. In some respects, CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON
could be considered a feminist film, since it depicts powerful female
characters at a time in history when society looked upon women as little
more than property.
Columbia
TriStar Home Entertainment has made CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON
available in a 2.35:1 wide screen presentation that has been enhanced
for playback on 16:9 displays. The transfer is quite beautiful and completely
captures the dreamlike quality of Peter Pau's Academy Award winning cinematography.
I would rate the picture quality as very high, although it is not completely
perfect. For a brand new movie, there are a few too many blemishes on
the film element, which show through in the transfer. A bit of digital
cleanup work could have alleviated the problem and elevated my estimation
of the presentation a few more notches. Still, the image is very sharp
and provides a very solid level of detail. Colors are exquisite, but there
is a bit of restraint in the palette that keeps any sign of over-saturation
out of the image. However, flesh tones are rendered in a completely natural
fashion. There are no traces of chroma noise or smearing during the presentation.
Blacks are solid and inky, plus the picture boasts impressive shadow detail
and a remarkable level of depth. Digital compression artifacts remain
out of sight, thanks to clean dual layer authoring.
CROUCHING
TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON is presented with it's original Mandarin language
track, as well as an English dub for subtitle hating American audiences.
Both soundtracks are offered in Dolby Digital 5.1 channel mixes and I
am going to recommend the Mandarin language track, since it is representative
of the original performances. The mix makes good use of the discrete nature
of the format to create a nicely atmospheric environment. Since this isn't
a modern action movie, aggressive sound effects usage is constrained to
the fight sequences, which are highly engaging, but not explosively overdone.
Subtle sound effects are generally placed in the surround channels, which
are well utilized throughout the film to create a natural sonic environment.
Since I don't speak Mandarin, I can't gage intelligibility, but the voices
do sound natural and convincing. The bass channel is very solid and adds
weight to the soundtrack. Tan Dun has provided CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN
DRAGON with a superb film score that features haunting cello solos
by musician Yo-Yo Ma. The music is very well recorded and reproduced in
the sound mix with impressive fidelity. I did sample a bit of the English
5.1 channel soundtrack and the sound is fairly similar to the Mandarin
track in tonal quality. Those who absolutely refuse to read subtitles
should find the English track serviceable. English and French Dolby Surround
soundtracks are also encoded onto the DVD, as are English and French subtitles.
For those listening to the Mandarin track, the English subtitles are presented
in a large and very readable yellow typeface.
Full
motion video, animation and sound enhance the DVD's interactive menus.
Through the menus, one has access to the standard scene selection and
set up features, as well as a number of supplements. CROUCHING TIGER,
HIDDEN DRAGON includes a running audio commentary that features director
Ang Lee and screenwriter James Schamus. The is a good, solid, informative
track that benefits from the pleasant dispositions of both participants,
who manage to keep the atmosphere light throughout their talk. From the
Bravo network comes the twenty-one minute program- Unleashing the
Dragon. This is a better than average making of featurette, with
a bit more substance than fluff. More interesting is the thirteen minute
Conversation With Michelle Yeoh, in which the actress talks
about the challenge of making this film and working with director Ang
Lee, as well as co-star Chow Yun-Fat. Yeoh also talks a bit about her
career in martial arts movies and how this film has allowed her to demonstrate
her dramatic abilities, in addition to her physical dexterity. Filling
out the supplements are the American theatrical trailer, an international
theatrical trailer, a photo montage with costume designs and production
photos, plus a few talent files.
CROUCHING
TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON is truly marvelous motion picture that richly
deserved the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. The movie is
not only stylish, it is emotionally stirring, as well as being beautifully
conceived and executed. The DVD looks and sounds great making it a worthwhile
acquisition for anyone even remotely interested in the film.
Some
will say that CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON ($28) is derivative
of various films from the fantasy and martial arts genres, others will
see that this incredible motion picture truly unlike any other. With CROUCHING
TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON, director Ang Lee has fashioned a hauntingly
lyrical movie with a soul, which employs stylish fantasy and martial arts
elements. There is a depth of character and a depth of emotion in CROUCHING
TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON that differentiates it from ordinary genre entries,
which in comparison, seem almost superficial.
CROUCHING
TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON certainly deserved the laurels trusted upon it-
it is an amazing motion picture experience. However, it is the film's
greatest strengths that may limit its appeal to audiences expecting typical
"chop socky" entertainment. CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON
has a slow, deliberate pace in which its story to unfolds with a tantalizing
sense of Asian mystery that also allows enough time for the characters
to fully develop. Certainly, the film does feature some wonderfully fast
paced martial arts fighting sequences, but they do not occur in a continuous
stream, as genre fans have come to expect. However, what CROUCHING
TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON does offer, would certainly rate amongst the
most amazingly choreographed martial arts sequences ever committed to
film. Not only are they jaw dropping in their intensity, they are far
more fluid and balletic than anything I have ever seen in a martial arts
movie.
The
plot of CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON is beautifully simple, with
the film's complexities lying in the relationships and emotions of its
characters. For my money, Chow Yun-Fat is one of the most charismatic
actors working on either side of the Pacific and he is ideally cast as
Wudan master Li Mu Bai. Li Mu Bai is a world-weary warrior, who has seen
enough of battle and seeks something more rewarding from life. Placing
his sword, the Green Destiny, into the care of friend, Li Mu Bai looks
forward to a peaceful retirement. However, a young warrior, who possesses
tremendous skill, soon steals the sword from its new home. Honor dictates
that Li Mu Bai recover the Green Destiny, however when he comes to recover
the sword, he discovers that the young warrior’s master is Jade Fox (Pei-pei
Cheng), who murdered Li Mu Bai's teacher and stole the secrets of the
gravity defying Wudan discipline. Although Li Mu Bai still seeks the return
of the sword, his quest takes on a new priority.
CROUCHING
TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON also stars Michelle Yeoh in a role that allows
her to flex her acting muscles, instead of just those that show off her
martial arts prowess. As Shu Lien, Yeoh plays a woman whose life is very
much entwined with that of Li Mu Bai. It is Shu Lien who delivers the
Green Destiny to their mutual friend and, after the sword is stolen, she
who traces it to the home of the governor, where she encounters Jen (Ziyi
Zhang), who is so much more than a young girl facing the prospect of an
arranged marriage. In some respects, CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON
could be considered a feminist film, since it depicts powerful female
characters at a time in history when society looked upon women as little
more than property.
Columbia
TriStar Home Entertainment has made CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON
available in a 2.35:1 wide screen presentation that has been enhanced
for playback on 16:9 displays. The transfer is quite beautiful and completely
captures the dreamlike quality of Peter Pau's Academy Award winning cinematography.
I would rate the picture quality as very high, although it is not completely
perfect. For a brand new movie, there are a few too many blemishes on
the film element, which show through in the transfer. A bit of digital
cleanup work could have alleviated the problem and elevated my estimation
of the presentation a few more notches. Still, the image is very sharp
and provides a very solid level of detail. Colors are exquisite, but there
is a bit of restraint in the palette that keeps any sign of over-saturation
out of the image. However, flesh tones are rendered in a completely natural
fashion. There are no traces of chroma noise or smearing during the presentation.
Blacks are solid and inky, plus the picture boasts impressive shadow detail
and a remarkable level of depth. Digital compression artifacts remain
out of sight, thanks to clean dual layer authoring.
CROUCHING
TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON is presented with it's original Mandarin language
track, as well as an English dub for subtitle hating American audiences.
Both soundtracks are offered in Dolby Digital 5.1 channel mixes and I
am going to recommend the Mandarin language track, since it is representative
of the original performances. The mix makes good use of the discrete nature
of the format to create a nicely atmospheric environment. Since this isn't
a modern action movie, aggressive sound effects usage is constrained to
the fight sequences, which are highly engaging, but not explosively overdone.
Subtle sound effects are generally placed in the surround channels, which
are well utilized throughout the film to create a natural sonic environment.
Since I don't speak Mandarin, I can't gage intelligibility, but the voices
do sound natural and convincing. The bass channel is very solid and adds
weight to the soundtrack. Tan Dun has provided CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN
DRAGON with a superb film score that features haunting cello solos
by musician Yo-Yo Ma. The music is very well recorded and reproduced in
the sound mix with impressive fidelity. I did sample a bit of the English
5.1 channel soundtrack and the sound is fairly similar to the Mandarin
track in tonal quality. Those who absolutely refuse to read subtitles
should find the English track serviceable. English and French Dolby Surround
soundtracks are also encoded onto the DVD, as are English and French subtitles.
For those listening to the Mandarin track, the English subtitles are presented
in a large and very readable yellow typeface.
Full
motion video, animation and sound enhance the DVD's interactive menus.
Through the menus, one has access to the standard scene selection and
set up features, as well as a number of supplements. CROUCHING TIGER,
HIDDEN DRAGON includes a running audio commentary that features director
Ang Lee and screenwriter James Schamus. The is a good, solid, informative
track that benefits from the pleasant dispositions of both participants,
who manage to keep the atmosphere light throughout their talk. From the
Bravo network comes the twenty-one minute program- Unleashing the
Dragon. This is a better than average making of featurette, with
a bit more substance than fluff. More interesting is the thirteen minute
Conversation With Michelle Yeoh, in which the actress talks
about the challenge of making this film and working with director Ang
Lee, as well as co-star Chow Yun-Fat. Yeoh also talks a bit about her
career in martial arts movies and how this film has allowed her to demonstrate
her dramatic abilities, in addition to her physical dexterity. Filling
out the supplements are the American theatrical trailer, an international
theatrical trailer, a photo montage with costume designs and production
photos, plus a few talent files.
CROUCHING
TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON is truly marvelous motion picture that richly
deserved the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. The movie is
not only stylish, it is emotionally stirring, as well as being beautifully
conceived and executed. The DVD looks and sounds great making it a worthwhile
acquisition for anyone even remotely interested in the film.
