|
Editor's Note: Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment first released
"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" to DVD as a standard
edition DVD on June 5, 2001, as reviewed here. Subsequently, CTHE has
re-issued this movie as a Superbit™ DVD on October 9, 2001.
The Superbit DVD version
offers the best possible picture and sound quality possible on
the DVD format by using all of the disc's data capacity for high bit-rate
video and DTS 5.1 and Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound options. There
are no bonus features. You can read our review of the Superbit DVD
version here. Both
versions are currently available.
The Story
Clearly the biggest hit from Asia to hit Western culture, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" is a magnificent film in
many respects. The martial arts action is awesome, as can be expected
from master martial arts choreographer Yuen Wo Ping (of "The
Matrix" fame). While the supernatural jumps and flights through
the air are nothing
new to Hong Kong action films, it is the depth of the drama that won this action
film its critical acclaim. In other words, what made this film great is
its sophisticated portrayal of the human spirit: the freedom it seeks, the
yearning for true love, and the desire to be with the one you love.
But both freedom and true love are constrained by the powerful social duties,
expectations, and traditions of 19th Century China. The success of this film is confirmed by
its worldwide box
office sales, its critical acclaim by critics world-wide, and its four 2000 Academy
Awards for Best Foreign Film, Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction, and
Best Original Score.
The story begins with Wudan master Li Mu Bai (Chow Yun
Fat) wanting to retire and giving his treasured sword, the "Green
Destiny", to the friend of his late master. Though surprised with
Li Mu Bai's decision, long-time friend Yu Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh)
graciously accepts Li Mu Bai's wishes and delivers this 400-year old
treasure to its new owner. Shortly thereafter, this unusually thin
sword is stolen by a mysterious warrior who knows the Wudan martial art
form. It turns out that the mysterious thief is no other than the
seemingly innocent governor's daughter, Jen Yu (Zhang Ziyi), whose marriage is
arranged to further her father's political career. Repressed by her duties as
a governor's daughter, Jen Yu secretly wishes to live the life of a Wudan
warrior -- a life of freedom, adventure, and glorious victories. Jen
Yu is the disciple of the
notoriously evil "Jade Fox". Li Mu Bai recognizes her strength and
talent but also the evil influence of Jade Fox, and therefore wants to take her as his own
disciple. But will he
succeed in bringing her to the light?
Throughout the film, romantic interests are provided by
two parties: Li
Mu Bai and Yu Shu Lien, and Jen Yu with her first love. Li
Mu Bai is the brother of Yu Shu Lien's fiancé of many years past. But
when Shu Lien's fiancé is killed, she lives a lonely life out of respect for the
memory of her fiancé . Remember, we're talking about 19th Century China
here, rich in its social expectations and traditions. Being engaged is
like being married. Years after the loss, Li Mu Bai and Yu Shu Lien
develop romantic
feelings for one another, but neither can openly express their
feelings. How tragic. The other love interest is Jen Yu's serendipitous love
affair with the most unlikely of people and in the most unlikely of
places. Sounds romantic, doesn't it?
The acting performances were simply mesmerizing.
Zhang Ziyi is
sensational in her lead role as Jen Yu. She performed with wonderful
dexterity, in both the very physically challenging martial arts action
scenes and the emotionally charged drama scenes. The same or better
can be said for Michelle Yeoh. I think it's her best performance thus
far, physically and dramatically speaking. In fact, Michelle acknowledges her
growth as an actress and credits Ang Lee for expanding her talent as an
actress.
Having watched the DVD, I now appreciate why this movie
won those four Oscars. The cinematography is stunningly beautiful,
while the musical score, composed by Tan Dun with cello solos played by Yo-Yo Ma,
heightens the drama and action sequences. With all elements coming
into play, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" hits the mark as one
of the best films of all time. Don't miss it.
One final note, I recommend the original theatrical
Mandarin Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack with English subtitles. The
English-dubbed Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack is also available, but the
English dialog dub
is not performed by the original cast, and therefore the voicing isn't as
well acted. Having the language/soundtrack options is one of the nice
things about DVDs, and my thanks go to Sony Pictures Classics and Columbia
TriStar Home Entertainment for providing both.
The Extras
For a standard edition DVD, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden
Dragon" contains a fair amount of bonus material: a commentary with
director Ang Lee and producer James Schamus,
Bravo making-of special: "Unleashing the Dragon"
(behind-the-scenes making-of featurette showing how they made the movie),
"Conversation with Michelle Yeoh" featurette, photo montage,
filmographies, a 2-page production notes, and a link to website. The Michelle Yeoh featurette is quite interesting and
insightful to Michelle's role and experiences during the production.
She talks about the various physical and acting challenges. All in all,
the bonus features are entertaining and worth watching.
Video & Audio
The image quality of this anamorphic
widescreen DVD is excellent. The colors are accurate and
saturated, while shadow detail is very good. Overall, the video
transfer is top notch and pays tribute to the Oscar-winning cinematography. The Dolby
Digital 5.1 soundtrack (available in either English dub or original
Mandarin) is one of the best there is. The "Green Destiny" sword
"sings" its notes wonderfully as it vibrates during the intense sword play scenes.
And in one scene when a sword is dropped on the tile floor, you can hear the
clanging from around the room. Overall, the 5.1-channel surround
sound is well balanced and aggressively mixed, particularly during the
fight/action sequences, while the dialogue comes
across crystal clear. The hauntingly beautiful musical score, written
by Tan Dun and featured cello soloist Yo-Yo Ma, comes across very nicely.
Editor's Note: Fans of DTS
surround sound should consider the Superbit
DVD release of this movie, as it includes both Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS
5.1 soundtracks. Read our review of the Superbit
DVD release here.
Conclusion
"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" is one of the
best movies I've seen. While I was dazzled with the martial arts
action, it was the depth of the story, character development, and romance
that swept me away. I hope everyone will take the time to enjoy this gem. It has been recognized as the first movie from Asia to make it
big with Western audiences, and well-deserved as such.
While this standard edition DVD
is very good, I hope that Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment would consider re-releasing this title in the
near future as a Special Edition DVD, with more bonus features about martial
arts, the Chinese culture, special effects, deleted scenes, etc.
But until then (if ever), collectors should be happy with this standard
edition.
|
United We Stand
