Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon...

[cal val]

the film... written by Hui-Ling Wang, James Schamus and Kuo Jung Tsai ?(book by Du Lu Wang ) and directed by Ang Lee.

I just watched it for the second time and, no doubt, far from the last time. It has so many rich thick layers that it can be viewed time and time again and still release some new visual magic or some new insight with each new viewing.

I went searching for a thread discussing it in this forum as I was sure would be opened soon after the film was first released, but I found nothing. And I find that surprising. It's a film to delight lovers of the Yi and pursuers of the way... as are so many of the people who read and/or post to this forum.

If you haven't seen it, perhaps it's because you thought it was just another martial arts movie... in spite of the fact Ang Lee directed. Au contraire my friends. Because Ang Lee directed, it's not just another martial arts movie. Lovers of martial arts will get the most from this film if they leave their preconceptions outside the door. The fight scenes are choreographed dances that beautifully express the contradicting emotions of war. I found the fight in the giant bamboo trees especially sensuous, amorous and breathtakingly beautiful. The love scenes equally express the contradicting emotions of love. The full range of human emotions is expressed in brilliant visual and verbal images as the characters' pursuit of the dao weaves through the warp and weft of the film.

Throughout the movie, I was never aware of the acting... only of the characters... and they pulled me into the film.

Of special interest to me is that it is far far far from a feminist film, yet it's the women who, in the end, find the way.

There's so much more I have to say about this movie, but I don't want to say it all. I want to read what others who have seen it have to say about it. I'm sure, Tash, that you have made observations about the acting that go far deeper than mine since I tend to focus more on the directing, writing and cinematography, and I'd love to read your thoughts. I'm sure scholars of the Dao and sinology who have seen the film have their observations about the philosophy of the story, and I'd love to read their thoughts. And I'm sure there are ordinary lovers of film like myself who have made their observations, and I'd love to read those thoughts as well.

Love,

Val

 

[lindsay]

Val, I love this movie. I saw it twice when it was first released, and I have seen it twice since. After I first saw the film, I immediately renamed my ever-evolving version of the Yi, the one I use for readings, the Dragon-Tiger Book. I still refer to it by that name.

This was not an original idea. Years ago (1986) Zen student Rowena Pattee published an extremely interesting and original version of the Yi called "Moving with Change: A Woman's Re-integration of the I Ching." This book shows a healthy regard for feminist ideas, but it also offers a great deal of creative thinking about gender-based reading of the Yi. In any case, Dragon/Tiger symbolism is central to Pattee's thinking, and plays nicely with Ang Lee's film.

The Dragon of course is extreme Yang, and the Tiger is Yin in its most powerful form. It is easy to see how the Dragon hides and the Tiger crouches in the plot of the movie. In many ways, it is about Yin running amuck in the world while Yang refuses to come out into the open.

I was surprised when I read the movie was a flop in Asia -- the Chinese found it boring. Not enough fighting for Hong Kong martial arts movie fans. Perhaps 'Kill Bill', with its relentless "slice 'em and dice 'em" theme, will be more to their taste. In any case, your review is very enticing. Now I want to see the movie again! Thank you.

Lindsay

 

[jte]

=D

"It's a film to delight lovers of the Yi and pursuers of the way... The fight scenes are choreographed dances that beautifully express the contradicting emotions... The full range of human emotions is expressed in brilliant visual and verbal images as the characters' pursuit of the dao weaves through the warp and weft..."

Like when the heroine takes on the bar full of sword-for-hire types and then trashes the entire building single-handedly. As Bart Simpson would say: *koooooool*.

=D Sorry, couldn't resist.

But seriously I loved it too on a variety of levels... story, cinematography, acting, etc.

- Jeff

 

[pedro]

I do have some deep thoughts about this movie:

I think the lead female actress is sooooooo cute

 

[heylise]

I ordered it at Amazon. Absolutely want to see it now.
LiSe

 

[lindsay]

Pedro, you are so right! Zhang Ziyi is a real knockout. Here are a few other details about the movie (Chinese title = Wo hu cang long). All the fight scenes were choreographed by Yuen Wo Ping, a well-known Hong Kong martial arts figure who also did the action scenes in "The Matrix 1" (Keanu Reeves). The male lead is Yun-Fat Chow, who is probably the best-known male heart-throb in China today. Michelle Yeoh, supporting actress, is a long-time martial arts star and real-life master. She did all her own stunts. Michelle definitely knows what to do with a throwing star or whip chain or moon axe. I find her absolutely stunning.

"Hidden Dragon, Crouching Tiger" is really a genre piece, Ang Lee's tribute to the martial arts movies he loved so much as a kid in Taiwan. You know, Bruce Lee, Jet Li, Gordon Liu, young Jackie Chan, young Chuck Norris etc. In a way, the movie comes from exactly the same kind of childhood retrospection that led to George Lucas's "Star Wars" and Steven Speilberg's "Raiders of the Lost Ark." The motivation is to explore modern mythology. It's a good idea to keep this is mind when evaluating the "deep" philosophical aspects of the film. Talking about the spirituality of "Hidden Dragon, Crouching Dragon" is a little bit like analyzing "Raiders of the Lost Ark" for insigts into Biblical archeology.

For an authentic glimpse into the world of the Zhouyi, I think we have to turn to the classic Japanese samarai movies, especially the ones starring Toshiro Mifune or directed by Akira Kurasawa. Movies like "Hidden Fortress," "Rashomon," "The Seven Samarai," "Ran," "Throne of Blood," "Yojimbo," "Sanjuro," and others give us a real sense of what it is like to live in an honor-based, warrior-ruled, feudal, peasant-agrarian society. These movies are probably historically truer to the seedtime of the Yi than Anh Lee's wonderful creation.

Lindsay

 

[RindaR]

I watched this last night, and enjoyed it very much! I was too caught up in it to think about the Tao though, or about anything else. I'd like to watch it again before I return it, but don't think I'll have the time. I'm so far behind in things I need to be doing that it has almost ceased to matter...

Rinda

 

[midaughter]

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon takes place at the Aboce of the Lord of the North. Especially popular in the Yuan (mongol) Dysasty. The Dark Lord, as he is also called has an early life similar to buddha in that he was a prince and gave it up to follow the Dao. Shang Ti made his Lord of the North as he was the only being powerful enough to control the inherently strong and dark forces of the North (hexagram 29 is its Hexagram) The sacred mountain is Wu Dan Mountain, the monastery is depicted in the picture itself. Notice in the movie the monastery is above the clouds.
Also in the pavillion at his right (Of the Dark Lord on his High Throne)? I think is the Golden Child also of movie fame.

There are layers of meaning in the picture, especially those secrets of the Shao Lin monks, the tiger (the white tiger of the cosmic direction West) and the Dragon, usually the azure dragon of the East. The natural movements of the animals (how can a dragon have natural movements you ask) form the basis for much of the martial art forms.
The two animals also represent the secrets of alchemy as the two appeared above a sacred cauldron when the secret sect made the sacrififce and thereafter they were sacred to the sect.

 

[midaughter]

About the author:
The author of the "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" novel is Wang Du Lu (Wang Dulu, 1909 - 1977). With a birth name Wang Bao Xiang, Wang Du Lu was born to a Manchurian family in Beijing in 1909. He was self-taught and led a difficult life. He tried many different jobs for a living, including school teacher, editor for a small newspaper, and clerk for a merchant association. He was not only born poor, but also suffered tragedies during World War II, Chinese Civil War, and the Cultural Revolution.

Wang Du Lu started to write articles for newspapers as a teenager. He wrote many detective and romance stories and started to write long novels in 30s. He switched to write Wuxia (martial arts) novels after moving to Qingdao (Tsingtao) in 1937. Wang Du Lu stopped writing after 1949 and started his career as a school teacher. He died from illness at the age 68.

Wang Du Lu wrote totally more than 30 novles, including 16 martial arts novels, in his lifetime. Love and tragedy are the center of them. Among his books the most famous ones are in a sequence of five novels that are collectively called the Crane - Iron Pentalogy, written during 1938 - 1942. "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" (the film) is based on the Pentalogy's fourth book. The pentalogy describes certain linked stories spanned over three generations, containing love, hatred, separation, reunion, redemption, and revenge that happen to four pairs of male-female protagonists.

PS I read that the Chinese do not particularly like the movie as not having authentic symbolism perhaps? The Dark Lord and WU Dan Mountain are at least correct. The Dark Lord is also called the black shaman-his totems? the snake and the turtle

 

[cal val]

Hi Sun...

I don't recall any of the characters being called "The Dark Lord"... "Dark Cloud" I remember, but not "The Dark Lord"... but then I only watched it twice. Would you mind terribly refreshing my memory so that I can watch for him next time.

Hi everyone else...

Sun's second post in this thread comes from a webpage that has some great pictures from the movie and even more information about the book and its prequels.

I enjoyed learning a little more about the "history" of the story. I thought you might too, so here's the url!

http://michelleyeoh.info/Movie/Ch/novels.html

Love,

Val