Review of Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon

Introduction

I`ve been confused by some of the Oscar-winning films of recent times. In my mind there have been so many undeserving winners, and so many films that have been overlooked for the big prizes. How nice then to finally watch an oscar-winning film that really deserved awards, and a film that should have won more than it got.

You must have heard of Crouching Tiger by now. It was whipping up a storm of hype at the beginning of 2001, with some cinemas clamouring to get hold of a copy, as it was originally only going to get a limited release. The film is now out on DVD in regions 1, 2, 3 and 4 and I`ve finally got around to watching my copy.

I won`t delve deeply into the plot, as I managed to avoid any details of the film before I watched it, and I think that added a lot to the viewing experience.

Video

We are presented with a 2.35:1 anamorphic transfer, which has received mixed reviews. There is some dust and dirt on the print, which is a shame given how young it is. But perhaps we are wrong to judge it against the latest Hollywood blockbusters? Or perhaps we were expecting the studio to give this one the full five star clean up treatment?

However you look at it, whilst being less than perfect technically, it`s still very, very watchable, and there`s not much that should distract from your viewing pleasure.

And what pleasure it is, with some utterly glorious cinematography, and locations (CGI, sets and real-life) which look fantastic. And then there`s the fight choreography by the master himself, Yuen Wo Ping. Some of it will really take your breath away.

Audio

A choice of two DD5.1 soundtracks for you. One is the original Mandarin language track, the other is the dubbed English track. Apart from the change of language for the dialogue they are identical.

I chose the Mandarin track with English subtitles, and it was very good indeed. There`s a nice wide soundstage, with action coming from all corners and subtle touches like knocks on doors.

Tan Dun`s oscar-winning score (featuring the $3,000,000 cello of Yo-Yo Ma) is excellent, and adds so much to the film. As well as the cello playing, there is some brilliant percussive work which adds an extra dimension, particularly to some of the action scenes.

Features

A great film deserves great extras. And it gets some of them too.

The biggest is the commentary track featuring director Ang Lee and producer James Schamus. There`s plenty of information on offer here, including tips on visiting your local DIY shop to record sound effects. They wander on and off of the plot now and again, but still have plenty to tell you about the film. An excellent addition to the disc.

We also get "Unleashing Dragons", which is a "making of" documentary that was made for Bravo in the US. This is one feature that didn`t appear on the R3 disc, although they got 2 music videos instead. Although it doesn`t delve too deeply into the film it`s still quite interesting and is also a worthy addition.

Sitting alongside this we have an "interview" with Michelle Yeoh, where she talks about the film, her character, working with Ang Lee and various other things, interspersed with brief clips from the film. Another very good addition to this DVD.

We also have a "photo montage", which plays you stills from the production accompanied by the excellent soundtrack. There`s also the US trailer (complete with obligatory annoying voiceover man) which spoils a lot of the film. By contrast the international trailer needs no voiceover, and trails the film without the need to spoil it by showing key sequences.

To wrap up there are also brief cast and crew biographies.

Conclusion

So much praise has already been heaped on this film by so many. But after sitting down to watch it you can really see why as it almost exceeds the hype. It is a brilliant film, with fantastic performances from the leads (both the established pairing, and the younger two leads), wonderful cinematography, excellent action scenes, and also some "often forgotten in modern films" character development. Once again it highlights the lack of justice at the Oscars, as it really should have won best film and best director for Ang Lee, as well as the others that it picked up.

I`m not going to sit down and endlessly pick over every point in the film. I`m just going to say that the film is excellent, and you really must see it as it will appeal to both fans and non-fans of films from the East.

As for the DVD, the sound is excellent, the extras are very good, and the picture is also a good one. This is a film that is destined for a lot of people`s collections. For once the choice of region isn`t so crucial. The R3 misses the "Unleashing Dragons" documentary found on the R1, R2 and R4 copies. The R3 instead has two music videos, which don`t appear on the other versions of the disc. English was removed from the R3 for a limited time, but I believe it has been restored now. So apart from the PAL/NTSC argument, there`s not a lot in it.

A must see DVD, and one of the few 10s that I have given out.