How Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Changed Cinema
Ang Lee’s classic martial arts drama ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’ first hit UK screens 15 years ago this week, having opened in cinemas on 5 January 2001. Did it break more new ground than we generally give it credit for?
In 2000, there was nothing unusual about Hong Kong action stars Chow Yun-Fat and Michelle Yeoh teaming up for a kung fu movie. However, such a film wouldn’t usually be expected from the director of such high brow dramas as ‘Sense and Sensibility’ and ‘The Ice Storm.’
The world sat up and took notice, and soon enough ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’ became the most critically acclaimed martial arts movie ever, earning rave reviews and many awards nominations, ultimately netting a Best Foreign Language Film Oscar (plus Oscars for music, art direction and cinematography), and a Best Director BAFTA for Lee.
So, how did a film which, at a glance, seems like a fairly standard kung fu fare wind up breaking through in such a big way – and how did it change the game not only for the Chinese film industry, but cinema in general?
Superhumans Treated Seriously
While ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’ doesn’t exactly qualify as a superhero movie, it arguably helped pave the way for the superhero renaissance of the 2000s in that it remains a grounded, character-based drama despite the superhuman powers on display.
The protagonists may have the power of flight, and strength and agility to match that of any comic book hero, but their internal, emotional battles are given every bit as much attention as their physical prowess.
Many superhero movies have aimed to do the same since, including Ang Lee’s next directorial effort, the first cinematic take on Marvel’s ‘Hulk’ - although this proved somewhat less successful.
Warrior Women, Feminist Fighters
In common with Ang Lee’s earlier take on Jane Austen, ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’ puts women very much centre stage – something which has been increasingly demanded of cinema in recent years.
All the women in the film are torn between their own nature, and the roles society expects them to play. Shu Yien (Yeoh) struggles to confess her love for fellow warrior Li Mu Bai (Chow) for fear of dishonouring her lost fiancé, whilst aristocrat’s daughter Jen (Zhang Ziyi) turns thief and warrior to escape the arranged marriage and sheltered existence that awaits her. Even the villainous Jade Fox (Cheng Pei-Pei) would seem to have adopted a life of crime in frustration at a world which expects women to be weak and subservient.
Michelle Yeoh and Zhang Ziyi both earned much-deserved BAFTA nominations for their performances.
China At The Global Box Office
Partly made with American money via Sony Pictures, ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’ helped establish China as a major player in film worldwide. Many modern Hollywood blockbusters now seek to be partially financed and/or shot in China to help their chances of being screened in Chinese cinemas. China is now recognised as the second biggest box office in the world after the US.
‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’ also helped set the tone for Chinese cinema in the 15 years since, as most major movies to come out of the country in that time have been similarly lavish historical epics.
A Legend of Action
By 2000, fight choreographer Yuen Woo-ping was already well established as THE guy for martial arts action, thanks largely to his work on ‘The Matrix,’ plus his history as a director on many Hong Kong action classics such as early Jackie Chan movies ‘Snake in Eagle’s Shadow’ and ‘Drunken Master.’
His spectacular work on ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’ (all the more impressive considering that none of the central actors are trained martial artists) obviously didn’t hurt his reputation any – and it helped renew respect for martial arts on screen at a time when ‘wire fu’ was fast becoming a cliché.
Woo-ping went on to work on more of the greatest martial arts movies of the 2000s including ‘Kill Bill’ and ‘Kung Fu Hustle.’ He has also directed the upcoming sequel ‘Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon II: The Green Destiny’ (in which Yeoh also returns), due later in 2016.
The Ascent of Ang Lee
Lee may have stumbled with his follow-up movie ‘Hulk,’ but his work on ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’ definitely helped him on his way to becoming one of the most respected and decorated directors of our time.
The film would earn Lee his first Oscar nomination, and though he would lose out to Steven Soderbergh for ‘Traffic,’ the fact that he received a nomination for a film in a genre typically looked down on by the Academy may have helped pave the way for fantasy films receiving greater recognition, notably when ‘The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King’ swept the board at the Oscars three years later.
Lee would ultimately win the Best Director Oscar in 2006 for ‘Brokeback Mountain’ – making him the first non-white director to receive the award – and a second in 2013 for ‘Life of Pi.’
Picture Credit: Sony
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