| | | 10 Academy Award® Nominations (2000) including Best Picture and Best Director: Ang Lee|Winner of 4 Academy Awards (2000) - 10 Academy Award Nominations.
Features: DVD, Widescreen, Aspect Ratio 2.35:1, English, French, Dubbed & Subtitled
Named "Best Picture of the Year" by over 100 critics nationwide!Two master warriors (Chow Yun Fat and Michelle Yeoh) are faced with their greatest challenge when the treasured Green Destiny sword is stolen. A young aristocrat (Zhang Ziyi) 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. Set against 19th-century China's breathtaking landscape, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is the action-packed, box office smash from acclaimed director Ang Lee (Sense and Sensibility, The Ice Storm) featuring stunning martial arts choreography by Yuen Wo Ping (The Matrix).
"...the most exhilirating martial arts movie I have seen." Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
"The best picture of the year!" ROLLING STONE -- TIME MAGAZINE -- USA TODAY
"...a heady and delicious brew." Elvis Mitchell, The New York Times
"One of the greatest movies ever made!" Joel Siegel, GOOD MORNING AMERICA
"You may never see a more beautful movie..." BBC Online
"Magic, not trickery--should leave the viewer gasping for breath and in awe!" Richard Corliss, Time Magazine
"An irresistible action extravaganza!" Kenneth Turna, The Los Angeles Times
"Has the sprawling canvas of an epic and the emotional heat of classical melodrama." Ella Taylor, LA Weekly
"Handsome, passionate and fun. It's everything we go to the movies for." Jami Bernard, New York Daily News
"An irresistible action extravaganza!" Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times
"A spell-binding, engaging and often breathtaking work...with top-notch acting and out-of-this-world fighting scenes." Shawn Levy, Portland Oregonian
"Brilliance of the action and effects are supplemented by a consistently superior and resourceful score by Tan Dun." Todd McCarthy, Variety
Editor's Note
Known for making films about familial relationships, director Ang Lee surprised everyone with his martial arts epic CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON. Based on a novel by Wang Du Lu, CROUCHING TIGER starts with the revenge plot common in the wuxia stories that Lee loved as a child, then adds a feminist twist. Li Mu Bai (Chow Yun Fat) is a legendary martial artist who has decided to pass on his sword, the Green Destiny, to a friend. Soon afterward, the sword is stolen by a masked female, setting in motion events that test the bonds of family, love, duty, and sisterhood. Chow appears with three generations of female stars: Cheng Pei Pei, a 1960s action heroine; Michelle Yeoh, the beauty queen turned 1980s action goddess; and newcomer Zhang Ziyi, who smolders as the princess who wants more than domestic tranquillity. Famed action choreographer Yuen Woo-Ping (THE MATRIX) stages jaw-dropping zero-G fights across rooftops, rivers, and bamboo trees, while Yo-Yo Ma punctuates the fisticuffs with dramatic cello solos. Described by Lee as "SENSE AND SENSIBILITY with martial arts," CROUCHING TIGER recalls the best wuxia films of the 1960s and pushes the genre in new directions.
| Features | Scene Selections | | Filmographies | | Animated Menus | | Production Notes | | Conversation with Michelle Yeoh Featurette | | Photo Montage | | Theatrical Trailers | | Subtitles: English, French | | Ang Lee and James Schamus Commentary | | BRAVO Making-of Special: Unleashing The Dragon | | Digitally Mastered Audio & Anamorphic Video | | Widescreen Presentation | | Audio: Mandarin 5.1 (Dolby Digital); English 5.1 (Dolby Digital); French 2-Channel (Dolby Surround) |
| Entertainment Reviews
 | Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon - DVD Review By: Norm Schrager - filmcritic.com DVD Reviews Published on: 7/3/2009 10:48 PM | |
If you thought the only real place for gravity-defying fight scenes was The Matrix, think again. One of today’s most diverse directors, Ang Lee (Sense and Sensibility, The Ice Storm), has not only found the perfect venue for such combat – the classic samurai movie – but has injected his action with poetry and meaning. In Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, stars like Chow Yun-Fat and Michelle Yeoh gracefully zip through the air in this breathtaking Chinese fable about love, loyalty, and destiny.
...read the full review |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Columbia Tri-Star |
| Release Date: 5/4/2004 |
| Running Time: 120 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 1999 | | Catalog ID: 05990 | | UPC: 00043396059900 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: Mandarin | | Available Audio Tracks: English [CC], English Dubbed, French Dubbed, Chinese, Mandarin | | Available Subtitles: English, French | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35:1 |
| Cast & Crew | Zhang Ziyi | | Chang Chen | | Cheng Pei Pei | | Chow Yun Fat | | Lung Sihung | | Michelle Yeoh | | Yuen Wo Ping - Action Choreographed By | | Philip Lee - Associate Producer | | Chui Po Chu - Associate Producer | | Wang Du Lu - Based On The Book By | | Yo-Yo Ma - Cello Solo By | | Zheng Quan Gang - Co-Produced By | | Dong Ping - Co-Produced By | | Tim Squyres - Edited By | | David Linde - Executive Producer | | James Schamus - Executive Producer & Screenplay By | | Tan Dun - Music Composed By | | Peter Pau - Photographed By | | Ang Lee - Produced & Directed By | | Bill Kong - Produced By | | Hsu Li Kong - Produced By | | Tim Yip - Production Designed By | | Tsai Kuo Jung - Screenplay By | | Wang Hui Ling - Screenplay By |
| Awards |
Oscar (2001) |  | Peter Pau, Winner, Best Cinematography | | Timmy Yip, Winner, Best Art Direction/Set Decoration | | Tan Dun, Winner, Best Music, Original Score | | | Timmy Yip, Nominee, Best Costume Design | | | Ang Lee, Nominee, Best Director | | | Tim Squvres, Nominee, Best Editing | | | Tan Dun, et al., Nominee, Best Song "A Love Before Time" | | | James Schamus, et al., Nominee, Best Writing, Screenplay Based On Material From Another Medium | |
Golden Globe (2001) | | Ang Lee, Winner, Best Director Of A Motion Picture | | | Tan Dun, Nominee, Best Original Score For A Motion Picture | | Ang Lee, Winner, Best Director - Motion Picture | |
British Academy Awards (2001) | | Ang Lee, Winner, David Lean Award for Direction | |
Independent Spirit (2001) | | Ang Lee, Winner, Best Director | |
Golden Globe (2001) | | Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Winner, Best Foreign Language Film | |
Oscar (2001) | | Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Winner, Best Foreign Language Film | |
British Academy Awards (2001) | | Tan Dun, Winner, Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music | |
Oscar (2001) | | Timmy Yip, Winner, Best Art Direction-Set Decoration | |
British Academy Awards (2001) | | Timmy Yip, Winner, Best Costume Design | |
Independent Spirit (2001) | | William Kong, et. al., Winner, Best Feature | |
British Academy Awards (2001) | | William Kong, et. al., Winner, Best Film not in the English Language |
| Memorable Quotes| "It only looks pure because blood washes so easily from its blade."----Li Mu Bai (Chow Yun Fat) to Yu Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh) | | "When it come to emotions, even great heroes can be idiots."----Sir Te (Lung Sihung) to Yu | | "Your master underestimated us women. Sure, he'd sleep with me, but he would never teach me. He deserved to die by a woman's hand!"----Jade Fox (Cheng Pei--pei) to Li | | "You know what poison is? An eight--year--old girl, full of deceit. That's poison. Jen, my only family...my only enemy."----Jade Fox to Jen (Zhang Ziyi), Li, and Yu | | "I would rather be a ghost, drifting by your side...as a condemned soul...than enter heaven without you. Because of your love...I will never be a lonely spirit."----Li to Yu |
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| | Professional Reviews | New York Times
"...The picture is more fun than it has a right to be....Mr. Lee puts things together artfully and stages this movie like a comedy of manners; it could be SENSE AND SENSIBILITY with a body count....It's an epic that breaks the laws of gravity." 12/08/2000 p.E16USA Today
"...This Cannes/New York Film Festival favorite has it all, starting with three towering central characters....[Ang Lee's film] offers melodically choreographed action scenes by THE MATRIX's Yuen Wo-Ping, Oscar-caliber photography by Peter Pau and the pleasure of seeing [Chow Yun Fat] in his most appealing performance yet..." -- 4 out of 4 stars 12/08/2000 p.1E Movieline's Hollywood Life
"...A triumph....CROUCHING TIGER envelops you in its exotic universe..." 12/01/2000 pp.36-38 Sight and Sound
"....Always entertaining and exhilarating....CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON is most notable for going beyond genre norms..." 01/01/2001 p.45-6 Total Film
"...CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON defies pigeon-holing by succeeding as a love story, an action movie and a fantasy....The best acted, best shot and most exciting film of the year..." -- 5 out of 5 stars 02/01/2001 p.78 Los Angeles Times
"...A delightful one-of-a-kind martial arts romance where astounding fight sequences alternate with passionate yet idealistic love duets..." 12/15/2000 p.C1 Chicago Sun-Times
"...Exhilarating....Ang Lee stages magnificent action sequences..." 02/04/2001 p.5 Rolling Stone 9 of 10
A truly unique martial-art film--a spellbinder that brings a poet's eye to stunts of Matrix-level intensity... Lee raises kickass action to the level of art. - Peter Travers
James Berardinelli's ReelViews 9 of 10
The critically celebrated Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is an epic martial arts film that combines incredible action sequences with elements of romantic melodrama and superhero derring-do. As visually stunning as it is inventive, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is sure to gain an immediate following.
ReelViews 9 of 10
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, which is based on an early 20th century novel by Wang Du Lu, unfolds much like a comic book, with the characters and their circumstances being painted using wide brush stokes. Subtlety is not part of Lee's palette; he is going for something grand and melodramatic, and that's what he gets. His protagonists are bigger than life and their quest is the kind of epic endeavor that pits good against evil, with an innocent caught in between. Yet, despite the film's grandiose feel, there are enough intimate moments for us to get to know the characters. One of the primary elements of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is the way it contrasts Shu Lien with Jen. Each is a prisoner of her lifestyle, yearning for what the other has...Thematically, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon has a rich underlying foundation. It ruminates on the true nature of freedom and how everyone, regardless of their circumstances, is a prisoner of one sort or another. Of equal importance is the way it balances the timeless equation of love, honor, and sacrifice. When viewed from any perspective, be it the lofty perch of a jaded critic or the less demanding vantage point of the average movie-goer, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon stands out as one of the year's most complete, and exhilarating, motion picture experiences. - James Berardinelli
Chicago Sun-Times 10 of 10
The best martial arts movies have nothing to do with fighting and everything to do with personal excellence. Their heroes transcend space, gravity, the limitations of the body and the fears of the mind...Ang Lee's "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" is the most exhilarating martial arts movie I have seen...The film stars Chow Yun-Fat and Michelle Yeoh, veteran martial arts stars who have extraordinary athletic abilities (as Jackie Chan and many of the other stars of the genre also do). Two other key characters are played by Zhang Ziyi (as Jen Yu) and Cheng Pei Pei (as Jade Fox). Long rehearsal and training went into their scenes, but what's unusual about "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" is the depth and poetry of the connecting story, which is not just a clothesline for action scenes, but has a moody, romantic and even spiritual nature...There are those, I know, who will never go to a martial arts movie, just as some people hate Westerns; Jack Warner once told his producers, "Don't make me any more movies where the people write with feathers." But like all ambitious movies, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" transcends its origins and becomes one of a kind. It's glorious, unashamed escapism and surprisingly touching at the same time. And they're really up there in those trees. - Roger Ebert
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