Ang Lee’s masterpiece Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is returning to the big screen the next month, Sony has announced. The feature set in 19th century Qing Dynasty China, sees Li Mu Bai a renowned warrior, who gives his sword, Green Destiny, to his friend, Yu Shu Lien, to deliver for safekeeping to their benefactor Sir Te. However, when it is stolen, the chase begins to find it. The search leads to the House of Yu where the story takes on a whole different level.
The movie is considered one of the finest wuxia films, Lee directs from a screenplay by Wang Hui-ling, James Schamus, and Tsai Kuo-jung. The trio adapted the screenplay from a serialized novel of the same name by Wang Dulu, which was published in the 1940s. Upon its release in the year 2000, the film became a cultural sensation as Lee utilized amazing visual effects and dramatic storytelling to create a classic film. The movie’s title takes inspiration from an old Chinese idiom that describes a place or situation that is full of unnoticed masters.
The movie at the time was among the few martial art movies that forefronted its female warrior characters and was highly appreciated for its story, direction, cinematography, and martial arts sequences. It went on to inspire many Hollywood movies in form of parodies and high-octave martial art sequences including The Matrix franchise. Furthermore, the movie’s impact on pop culture around the world cannot be understated. Lee is considered one of the best filmmakers of this generation and Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon put him under a global spotlight and also elevated the Hollywood career of many of its stars like Michelle Yeoh. For fans of the film, watching it in a remastered 4k version will be a delight.
