Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (Asia)

8 / 10
3 votes cast
Rate this item
Inline Image

A film by Ang Lee
Certificate: PG-13
Running Time: 120 mins
Retail Price: 19.99
Release Date:

Synopsis:
The disappearance of a magical jade sword spurs a breathtaking quest for the missing treasure. Li (Chow Yun-Fat) is embittered by the loss of his jade sword, and his unrequited pursuit of Yu (Michelle Yeoh) is further complicated by the mysterious intrusion of an assassin. The identity of the assassin is gradually unveiled as another poignant tale of love begins to ravel with that of Li and Yu against the backdrop of Western China`s magnificent landscape.

Fight Choreography by Yuen Wo-Ping

Special Features:
Interactive Menus
Scene Access
Trailer
Cast & Crew
Audio commentery by Ang Lee and James Schamus in English with Chinese subtitles
Costume galleries
Behind the scenes photos
Talent files
Coco Lee - "A Love Before Time" (Mandarin & English versions)
Weblink
Conversation with Michelle Yeoh

Video Tracks:
Widescreen Anamorphic 2.35:1

Audio Tracks:
Dolby Digital 5.1 English
Dolby Digital 5.1 Mandarin
Dolby Digital Stereo 2.0 Cantonese
Dolby Digital Stereo 2.0 Thai

Subtitle Tracks:
Chinese
Korean
English
Thai

Directed By:
Ang Lee

Written By:




Starring:
Pei-pei Cheng
Sihung Lung
Chen Chang
Ziyi Zhang
Michelle Yeoh
Yun-Fat Chow

Soundtrack By:
Tan Dun

Director of Photography:
Peter Pau

Editor:
Tim Squyres

Costume Designer:
Timmy Yip

Production Designer:
Timmy Yip

Producer:
Quangang Zheng
Sum Shia Wai
Er-Dong Liu
Phillip Lee
Ang Lee
William Kong
Li-Kong Hsu
Ping Dong
Po Chu Chui

Executive Producer:
James Schamus
David Linde

Distributor:
Columbia Pictures

Your Opinions and Comments

8 / 10
The disc is very well presented, with some great animated menus and the like. The anamorphic 2.35:1 video is very impressive, and really showcases the brilliant cinematography. There are a couple of minor image issues, but nothing that would significantly detract from the viewing experience.

Audio is also good, with the Wudan fighters seemingly leaping all around my living room. One of my favourite things about the film is the score, which sounds fantastic here. The mix is a little on the quiet side though, and I had to crank up the volume more than usual. The English dub track is acceptable, but after watching parts of the film in English with the subs on, it`s amazing to see how much the dialogue is altered.

Extras are pretty comprehensive. The disc has the theatrical trailer, narrated by `Voiceover Man` (I kept expecting him to pop up on the English dub track). There`s an interview with Michelle Yeoh, which is really quite interesting, she really gets animated about the whole thing, talent files, and a photo gallery. This is much better than the usual static galleries we get. Various images are shown, either from behind the scenes or from the completed film, all accompanied by the excellent score. Lastly is the commentary track with Ang Lee and James Schamus, which is relaxed and pleasant to listen to. The pair have a good rapport and give some valuable insights.

Overall this is a very good release, easily on a par with most standard R1 & R2 releases. There could have been a bit more behind the scenes footage, with insight into how they managed the stunning fight sequences, but maybe the R1 SE will have more of this. So, unless you`re a real extra features nut, I`d say that this is a great presentation of a great film and well worth buying now.
posted by Chris Gould on 17/2/2001 02:50
5 / 10
I have seen some films in my time but this one takes the biscuit. Yet another over-hyped film that does not live up to its expectations. It starts out promising enough but soon winds down to what we`ve all seen in Hong Kong cinema a millions time before. Charcters flying around, leaping from roof to roof, this film is a complete waste of peoples time. I urge you not to watch this film and instead spend your money elsewhere. A Hollywood mish-mash, CRAP.
posted by spiller on 4/2/2002 13:51