Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Overview
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is a 2000 Chinese-language wuxia film directed by Ang Lee, based on the novel of the same name by Wang Dulu. The film stars Chow Yun-fat, Michelle Yeoh, Zhang Ziyi, and Chang Chen. The film is set in 19th-century Qing Dynasty China. The film follows two warriors: Li Mu Bai (Chow Yun-fat), a legendary swordsman, and Yu Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh), a female warrior who is in love with him. Li Mu Bai is ready to retire from the world of martial arts. He gives his sword, the Green Destiny, to Yu Shu Lien to deliver to their friend, Sir Te, in Beijing. The sword is stolen by a mysterious masked woman, who is revealed to be Jen Yu (Zhang Ziyi), the daughter of a powerful governor. Jen is a spoiled, rebellious young woman who is secretly a martial arts prodigy. She is engaged to be married, but she is in love with a desert bandit, Lo (Chang Chen). The film follows the pursuit of the sword, and the complicated relationships between the four characters. The film is famous for its breathtaking action sequences, which are choreographed by Yuen Woo-ping, who also choreographed The Matrix. The characters fly through the air, run across rooftops, and fight in the treetops. The film is also a meditation on love, duty, and freedom. Yu Shu Lien is bound by duty to her dead fiancé, and she cannot be with Li Mu Bai. Jen is bound by duty to her family, and she cannot be with Lo. The film ends tragically: Li Mu Bai is killed by a poisoned dart, and he confesses his love to Yu Shu Lien before he dies. Jen, overcome with guilt, jumps off a bridge, choosing freedom in death. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was a critical and commercial success, earning over $213 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing foreign-language film in American history at the time. It was nominated for ten Academy Awards, winning four for Best Foreign Language Film, Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction, and Best Original Score. The film is a masterpiece of martial arts cinema and a beautiful, tragic love story.
