Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is one of many movies that I have seen that you can watch multiple times and always encounter something new. I have seen the movie at least six times and this last time I watched it, I discovered who shot the dart from the rooftop in the first fight scene. I never even really wondered who it was, but something caught my eye this time. I won't reveal who it is here - you can press pause and try to figure it out yourself - but I will reveal why this film is rated #3 on my top 5 movie list.
Music
Music is used so well in this movie. Watch the fight scene where Jade Fox fights against Police Inspector Tsai, his daughter and Master Bo. Close your eyes and listen. Can you tell when Li Mu Bai enters the scene? You can. The music changes. Strings begin to play along with brass and percussion the moment he enters the scene.
But the most interesting use of music in the movie is during the fight scenes between Shu Lien and Jiao Long (Jen in the Mandarin or subtitled version). In the their two fight scenes, the first near the very beginning and the other near the very end, the score is percussion only, nothing else. None of the other fight scenes between any of the other characters use this arrangement. So why only percussion when the two women are battling it out? Perhaps one way of answering that question is to simplify some themes in the movie. The use of percussion only in these two fight scenes could illustrate the primal battle between order, represented by Shu Lien - the female that follows convention and the rules of honor - and chaos - represented by Jiao Long the female that wants to defy convention and live life according to her own terms. Percussion is the backbone of music, essentially its heartbeat. It is what drives the score and keeps it together. In this scene, the rhythm drives the fight. Their kicks and punches are often synchronized to it. Their battle is not only between order and chaos, it is also between young and old, passion and stoicism, fate and destiny. Okay, that last part might be stretching it, but those two women are the heart of the film. A percussion only score seems to help ilustrate that fact.
Fight Scenes
The fight scenes avoid the use of the close-up and are choreographed to be like a dance. In many of the scenes, the fight will be framed by a medium or medium-long shot. The camera will move to follow the action as it occurs. You can watch as a kick or a punch is countered. You have time to revel in the grace of each movement. This is not the case in many other movies. If you have ever seen Batman Begins, you will know what I mean. Try figuring out who punches who in that movie. It's hard to do so, because it is filmed with close-ups and fast editing so that you feel confused and disoriented. I'd rather be amazed by the grace and skill of the fight that the sheer brutality of it, so I much prefer how they do it in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
The End
What happens to Jiao Long in the end? Is she committing suicide? Does she make her leap of faith? The first time I saw this movie, I hated the ending. But now, I enjoy it for the questions that it asks but doesn't answer. Can a woman truly be free of society’s preconceptions about who she should be?
And finally, this movie is here because I cry every time I see it. Li Mu Bai does die every time (sorry, Rebecca) and I cry every time he does. Why? It's not because he says some really moving things, it's because he has to be dying in order to say them. How sad that they could never tell one another how they felt. When you saw this movie for the first time, did you tell yourself that you would never wait to tell someone you love them, or did you just leave the theater or turn off the TV? I think any movie that can make you think about your own life and how you live it is worthwhile.
P.S. Try watching this movie dubbed in English with the English subtitles on at the same time. The two have some interesting differences. Give it a try and let me know what you find out.
at September 18, 2005 10:41 PM