Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Blu-ray delivers stunning video and great audio in this excellent Blu-ray release
Two master warriors are faced with their greatest challenge when the
treasured Green Destiny sword is stolen. A young aristocrat prepares for an arranged marriage, but
soon reveals her superior fighting talents and her deeply romantic past. As each warrior battles for justice, they
come face to face with their worst enemy - and the inescapable, enduring power of love.
With the success of 2000's Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon came a new trend that saw
Western moviegoers embracing the effects-heavy period
Eastern
Martial Arts "Wuxia" pictures that deliver high-flying action-as-ballet with substantive plots and
rich
characters. A far cry from both the typical American style run-and-gun
mindless Action movies and the John Woo (Hard Boiled, The Killer) and Jackie
Chan (The Legend of Drunken
Master) flicks that had previously defined Western interest in Eastern cinema,
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon dazzled Western audiences not only with its acrobatic grace
and visual finesse, but a rich and compelling story that was worthy of the breathtaking visuals and
settings, not to mention its wonderfully diverse and engaging characters. The acceptance of
Eastern style in the Western world culminated with The Forbidden
Kingdom, a picture that tells the story of an American teenager and Wuxia fan pulled
through time and
forced to fight in ancient China alongside Jet Li and Jackie Chan, that picture containing several
elements reminiscent
of and seemingly influenced by Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon.
"Yeah, well mine's shinier!"
Wudang warrior Li Mu Bai (Chow Yun-Fat, The Replacement
Killers), overcome by grief and sorrow after the death of his master at the hands of the
Jade Fox (Pei-pei Cheng), is ready to leave his violent past behind and finally proclaim
his true love for Yu Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh, Memoirs of a Geisha),
the holder of his sword, the venerable Green Destiny. With Li Mu Bai's blessing, she entrusts the
blade to Sir Te (Sihung Lung), but the
weapon is stolen by the Jade Fox's apprentice, Jen (Ziyi Zhang), a confused girl hurtling
towards adulthood and a life she may not want and doesn't fully understand. Arranged to be
married to a prominent member
of the community, Jen instead longs for her true love, an outlaw named Lo (Chen Chang). While
concealing her true identity as a Wudang master -- greater even than Jade Fox -- Jen must choose
her path, her friends, her enemies, and her love before she and the world around her spiral out of
control.
Though known and renowned for its visuals and fight choreography -- both of which define
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon on a
superficial level -- Director Ang Lee's (Hulk) picture delivers
a much more profound and
emotionally-satisfying experience that propels the movie to heights that its effects alone cannot
achieve. A tale of
honor, passion, love, discipline, and the search for meaning in both life and death, Crouching
Tiger Hidden Dragon effortlessly meshes its thematic content with its special effects wizardry
while also embracing healthy doses of excitement and humor.
The result is a film that dazzles on both ends of the spectrum, achieving a balance where neither
the effects nor the emotional
core overwhelm the experience but instead compliment one another in a way that elevates
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon to "classic" status. The film's
centerpiece theme -- that of Jen's hidden wants, needs, and abilities -- remains mysterious and
unfolds with time; thereby, the story progresses at a pace that allows for its characters to become
fully
developed and the audience wholly immersed in their world. The action, too, merely plays into the
story; for as well-staged as it may be, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon weaves it into the
story rather than framing the story around the action and special effects, allowing, then, for each
action scene to play as all
the more meaningful, tense, and exciting.
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon succeeds thanks to the many on- and off-screen
attributes that support both the story and the special effects. The film is populated with several
standout performances, its trio of lead characters played by Chow Yun-Fat, Michelle Yeoh, and Ziyi
Zhang in particular effortlessly disappearing into their roles while always demonstrating a command
of both the physical and
emotional elements of
their respective parts. Ang Lee's direction
sparkles, too; his camera often remains steady and unobtrusive during expository and dialogue
scenes, but it comes alive during the gorgeously choreographed action sequences. The picture
feeds on the kinetic energy and Lee's camera moves about as gracefully as the combatants framed
within its lens, the result a visual explosion of skill and grace that's yet to be duplicated. The
camera also bears witness to
exquisite period costumes and sets that spring to life in every scene, never failing to create a
seamless and wholly-convincing environment, this achievement earning the film an Academy
Award for Art Direction-Set Decoration. The film is also complimented by Peter Pau's (Shoot 'Em Up)
Oscar-winning cinematography and Tan Dun's Oscar-winning score, each of
which add the final touches to a cinematic masterpiece that defines what superb filmmaking on
both sides of the camera is all about.
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon's Blu-ray presentation yields a gorgeous 1080p,
2.40:1-framed transfer that appears to be the same one that accompanied the previous release that
was exclusive to the three-film box set, bundled with The Curse of the Golden
Flower and House of Flying Daggers.
Though the film tends to take on a slightly dulled look, it
nevertheless enthralls with a consistent and high-quality filmic texture. It's not quite as
sharp, deep, or well-defined as something like The International,
but Sony's Blu-ray release nevertheless recreates the film's intended look masterfully. Colors are
never terribly
vibrant save for those seen in select areas, though each hue appears consistently natural. Detail is
rather good throughout; a few scenes look soft but there's never any difficulty in making out the
finest of details in clothing, structures, or even the desert floor in one sequence where pebbles
and sand take on a wonderfully textured and natural appearance. Black levels and flesh tones
are solid, the former bold and inky and the latter consistently natural. The image
retains a subtle layer of film grain that spikes on occasion but
never seems at all intrusive. It might not be the most pristine, sharp, or colorful transfer on the
market, but Sony's Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon represents one of the better film-like
transfers yet to
grace the Blu-ray format.
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon leaps onto Blu-ray with a quality Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless
soundtrack, again one that seems to be the same as that featured on the previous release (note the
initial
release is said to contain a PCM 5.1 uncompressed track on the packaging, but the disc proper is
instead home
to several TrueHD offerings). The track delivers a solid listen on all fronts but never truly dazzles
with
the
presentation of its sound effects or Oscar-winning score. The track does feature nicely-realized
atmospherics. The surround channels aren't consistently engaged, though the second half of the
film
delivers
more in the way of both ambience and discrete information across the back. The sounds of battle --
the clanking of swords or the beating of hooves into a sandy, desert terrain in chapter nine during
an outlaw raid -- all deliver crisp, clear, and suitably realistic and exciting effects that only enhance
the
visual splendor of the
action scenes. A fight in chapter 12 represents the sonic highlight found on the disc; both the
music and destructive results of combat spill into the soundstage with pinpoint clarity, effectively
placing listeners in the midst of the action. Bass is present here and elsewhere, though it never
overpowers the soundtrack. Dialogue reproduction, too, is consistently smooth and free of
distortion.
While not quite
reference-grade material, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon's lossless soundtrack is an
excellent
aural companion to a breathtaking visual film.
This latest Blu-ray release of Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon contains all of the extras found
on the previous release contained in the three-film box set, and it adds a
commentary track with Cinematographer Peter Pau in addition to the track with Director Ang Lee
and Writer/Producer James Schamus.
The Lee/Schamus conversation begins with a discussion of the film's score and moves on
to cover a
wide selection of topics, including the film's costumes, the Fantasy influences and running themes of
the film,
the authenticity of the weapons, the stunt work, and plenty more. Lee and Schamus deliver a
track that flows well and offers plenty of good information, all wrapped around a sense of
humor that offsets the seriousness of the realities of the filmmaking process and the themes of
the film.
The new commentary, featuring Peter Pau, is well-spoken and engaging. Pau
begins by speaking highly of Ang Lee and the positives and pressures of working on the set with
the director. He also covers plenty of information that, no surprise, focuses heavily on his work on
the film.
Pau discusses his lighting techniques, working with the various sets and props, Ang Lee's vision for
the film, the lower-contrast style employed in the film, the use of Kodak film stock, the picture's
digital effects, shooting
the action scenes, the use and effects of shooting with different lenses, and much more.
Pau's track is almost worth the price of admission, and all serious Crouching Tiger fans --
not
to mention budding filmmakers or those interested in learning the intricacies of shooting one of the
nicer looking films of the past decade -- will want to seriously consider upgrading to this release.
This is certainly a welcome new addition to Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon.
Next is A Conversation with Michelle Yeoh (480p, 13:50), a piece that features the actress
speaking
on what sets Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon apart from other Martial Arts films. She
also discusses her excitement in playing the part, her character, the themes of the film, the
interaction
between characters, the difficulties of shooting the Action-oriented scenes, an injury sustained
on-set, and more. Unleashing the Dragon (480p, 20:47) is a fine making-of piece that
features cast and crew speaking on the various aspects of the filmmaking process. Topics include
the
chemistry between the actors, the training the actors undertook for the roles, the themes of love
in the film, the score, and more. Also included is a photo gallery set to the film's score (480p,
6:44) and BD-Live (Blu-ray profile 2.0) functionality. Also new is the selection of trailers offered on
the disc; included on this version are The Curse of the Golden
Flower, House of Flying Daggers,
The Imaginarium of Doctor
Parnassus, Not the Messiah, Nine, The Young Victoria,
and The Karate Kid.
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon is a modern classic that's remembered first for its high-flying
stunt work, but it's a picture with so much more to offer. A tale of love, uncertainty, maturation, and
honor, Ang Lee's film is as thematically gripping as it is visually satisfying. Not to be outdone by the
story and effects, the cast is uniformly excellent and the film's sound, editing, costuming, set
decorations, and cinematography are all of an exceptional quality. It's no wonder that Crouching
Tiger Hidden Dragon is remembered as a benchmark film, and Sony's second Blu-ray release, like
its first, does
it right. It features strong picture and sound quality alongside a healthy collection of extras, this
new-for-2010 edition sporting an additional commentary track with Cinematographer Peter Pau. The
disc
may be identified from the old one by the omission of the silver "experience high definition" logo at the
bottom of the case and the addition of a "Sony Pictures Classics" banner across the top. The back of
the case adds the Pau commentary in the supplemental listings and corrects the misidentified language
tracks from the previous release. Highly recommended.
The Ang Lee martial arts film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is now available to buy separately. Until now, it was only available in the US as part of a three-movie pack, released in July 2009, which also included The Curse of the Golden Flower and House of Flying ...
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment have announced that they will bring the 'Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Curse of the Golden Flower, and House of Flying Daggers Trilogy' to Blu-ray on July 14th, marking the first time 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' has been made ...
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