Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
"Wo hu cang long" (original title)

Two warriors in pursuit of a stolen sword and a notorious fugitive are led to an impetuous, physically-skilled, teenage nobleman's daughter, who is at a crossroads in her life.

Director:

Ang Lee

Writers:

Du Lu Wang (book), Hui-Ling Wang (screenplay),

Stars:

Yun-Fat Chow, Michelle Yeoh, Ziyi Zhang

Won 4 Oscars. Another 87 wins & 92 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Yun-Fat Chow	...	Master Li Mu Bai (as Chow Yun Fat)
Michelle Yeoh	...	Yu Shu Lien
Ziyi Zhang	...	Jen Yu (Mandarin version) / Jiao Long (English dubbed version) (as Zhang Ziyi)
Chen Chang	...	Lo 'Dark Cloud' / Luo Xiao Hu
Sihung Lung	...	Sir Te
Pei-pei Cheng	...	Jade Fox (as Cheng Pei-Pei)
Fa Zeng Li	...	Governor Yu
Xian Gao	...	Bo
Yan Hai	...	Madame Yu
De Ming Wang	...	Police Inspector Tsai / Prefect Cai Qiu
Li Li	...	May (as Li Li)
Su Ying Huang	...	Auntie Wu
Jin Ting Zhang	...	De Lu
Rei Yang	...	Maid
Kai Li	...	Gou Jun Pei

Storyline

The disappearance of a magical jade sword spurs a breathtaking quest for the missing treasure. Li is embittered by the loss of his jade sword, and his unrequited pursuit of Yu 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.

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Plot Keywords:

sword | warrior | china | fugitive | rooftop | 

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Fantasy | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for martial arts violence and some sexuality

Details

Official Sites:

Kinowelt Median AG (german)

Country:

Taiwan Hong Kong USA China

Language:

Mandarin

Release Date:

22 December 2000 (USA)

Also Known As:

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Filming Locations:

Anhui Province, China

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

AUD 2,873,420 (Australia) (26 January 2001)

Gross:

$128,067,808 (USA) (27 July 2001)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Asia Union Film & Entertainment Ltd., China Film Co-Production Corporation, Columbia Pictures Film Production Asia

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the first night scene, Bo meets two night-watchmen who later give two knocks on clappers/ rods, indicating that it was the 2nd watch of the night. The first watch begins at 7 p.m. and each watch is 2 hours long, so it was after 9 p.m when Jen first sneaks into Sir Te's residence. If we were shown how many times the night-watchmen then sounds the small cymbal/gong, we would know more precisely what time it was between 9-11 p.m.

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Goofs

During the fight between Yu Shu Lien and Xiou Long many floor tiles are smashed by Shu Lien. After Shu Lien discards her heavy metal weapon and continues to fight, the tiles appear repaired.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Man: Master Li is here! Master Li is here!

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Connections

Featured in Troldspejlet: Episode #24.9 (2000)

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Soundtracks

"Caravan Bells on the Silk Road"
Traditional Xinjiang Folk Song
Arranged by Ning Yong
Performed by Bo Liu
Published by China Record Corporation, Shanghai, 1994

User Reviews

A martial arts movie filmed with great visual brio…

Chinese martial arts films had found a market in the West during the Kung Fu boom initiated by Bruce Lee in the early 1970s… But "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" represents a new departure, an attempt to produce a sophisticated, big-budget Chinese film that would appeal both to mainstream Western audiences and to audiences in the Far East… Through their quest to find the stolen sword of Green Destiny, warriors Yu Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh) and Li Mu Bai (Chow Yun-Fat) explore themes of love, loyalty and sacrifice…

Ang Lee was an astute choice as director… The location shooting was on the Chinese mainland and the actors came from Malaysia, Hong Kong and Taiwan, as well as China… Instead of the Shaolin school of martial arts favored by Bruce Lee, Ang Lee opted for the more spiritual form of Wudan; brute force is replace by scenes of balletic grace as opponents climb up walls or flit through tree-tops…

The widespread success of the film is a firm indication that Chinese culture is making its mark…