"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" is a martial arts ballet told in shades of green.
In Chinese philosophy the color green symbolizes knowledge and this film is the "greenest" film I have ever seen. Not only is the sword green but the environment around the characters is almost exclusively the shade of that color.
The only departure from this is during the "desert" sequence where Lo, "Dark Cloud" and Jen Yu, fall in love. Here the predominant color is desaturated red, symbolizing their growing passion for each other. The color green is almost absent from the whole sequence with the exception of the last scene where Jen leaves Lo to go back to the city and we are in an open green pasture.
The color red is dominant in another scene but only for a brief period. The "Wedding" scene is drenched in red, but after Lo interrupts the ceremony we are back to the usual shade of nature.
The culmination fight between Jen and Master Li Mu Bai is staged in the woods where the green is inescapable. Knowledge is all around us here and the true nature of both characters comes alive. This sequence, besides being the most beautiful, is my favorite. I can hardly call it a "fighting" sequence because the main characters occasionally crossed their swords. This is more of a flying-dancing ballet in a magic world that defies gravity and in which we all want to belong.
This is by far my favorite martial arts film. The fighting is beautifully staged and choreographed, the world that Ang Lee creates is dazzling, and the images are poetic.
If you want to see more than a martial arts movie and if you have a flare for the angelic beauty of a foreign magic world, don't miss it.
4 / 5
Director: Ang Lee
Staring: Chow Yun Fat, Michelle Yeoh, Ziyi Zhang, Chen Chang
In Chinese philosophy the color green symbolizes knowledge and this film is the "greenest" film I have ever seen. Not only is the sword green but the environment around the characters is almost exclusively the shade of that color.
The only departure from this is during the "desert" sequence where Lo, "Dark Cloud" and Jen Yu, fall in love. Here the predominant color is desaturated red, symbolizing their growing passion for each other. The color green is almost absent from the whole sequence with the exception of the last scene where Jen leaves Lo to go back to the city and we are in an open green pasture.
The color red is dominant in another scene but only for a brief period. The "Wedding" scene is drenched in red, but after Lo interrupts the ceremony we are back to the usual shade of nature.
The culmination fight between Jen and Master Li Mu Bai is staged in the woods where the green is inescapable. Knowledge is all around us here and the true nature of both characters comes alive. This sequence, besides being the most beautiful, is my favorite. I can hardly call it a "fighting" sequence because the main characters occasionally crossed their swords. This is more of a flying-dancing ballet in a magic world that defies gravity and in which we all want to belong.
This is by far my favorite martial arts film. The fighting is beautifully staged and choreographed, the world that Ang Lee creates is dazzling, and the images are poetic.
If you want to see more than a martial arts movie and if you have a flare for the angelic beauty of a foreign magic world, don't miss it.
4 / 5
Director: Ang Lee
Staring: Chow Yun Fat, Michelle Yeoh, Ziyi Zhang, Chen Chang
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