Message from apeel

[Anonymous]

Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
starring Chow Yun Fat, Michelle Yeoh and Zhang Ziyi
directed by Ang Lee

I first saw this film when it came out in the theaters in 2000. I was amazed and inspired by the beauty of the cinematography. The landscape shots are unbelieveable. I was also amazed at the martial arts in the movie as everyone else was. But, to say that this is a martial arts movie is a huge mistake. There are two warriors named Shu Lien and Li Mu Bai who are trying to reclaim the Green Destiny sword owned by Mu Bai. It was stolen by an young girl who was set to marry, but once she saw the sword knew she must have it herself. The film follows the characters as they fight each other to retrieve the sword. The underlying theme through out the entire film is love though. The warriors are in love with each other but neither are willing to share their true feelings with each other beyond a devoted friendship. The young aristocrat also has her true feelings revealed when she encounters a nomad with whom she falls in love with. Each character struggles with love through the movie and I always loved the relationship between the two warriors. They have such powerful scenes together, but are often times saying very little.

As I watched this film again it really takes on a whole new meaning for me. The themes we discuss in class and the literature we have read come up often in the movie. For instance, the issue of arranged marriages is a major part of the beginning. The young aristocrat is very abrasive and shows no resistence in expressing her own feelings. When she is approached with the subject of her upcoming marriage she tells her attendant how unhappy she is about it. She feels that she can't go where she pleases like Shu Lien, the warrior can. She thinks she would be so free to be a warrior.

Another theme that comes up a lot in the movie are the characters and their families. Shu Lien is working in her father's company delivering goods to people. One businessman is so pleased with her work that he says she brings great credit to her father memory. Another scene shows the young aristocrat being warned to not be so opinionated about things or it will invite danger into her father's house.

Such an amazing film, it is truly not to be missed. If you have seen it before it is a completely different movie seeing again after taking the Asian Families course. You pick up on so many knew things, even the set design of the villages and the clothing. I can't say enough about it. There's a reason why it is a winner of 4 academy awards!