Member Michael L. Posted March 17, 2011 Member Share Posted March 17, 2011 I watched this earlier in the week (and posted, but that seems to have disappeared) in English for the first time with my 9 year old daughter (because Cheng PeI Pei is in it). It isn't much of a kung fu movie, but it is a pretty good film. It isn't nearly as confusing as some of the wuxia adaptations out there! What are your thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SMK Posted March 19, 2011 Share Posted March 19, 2011 CTHD is the movie I credit as the one that led me back to old school kung fu movies. I wrote about it in a post on the site back in 09, which you can read here. So maybe had I not seen CTHD, this site and forum today would not exist. I really enjoyed the movie, I watch it every so often. I have never seen it dubbed though. Did your daughter like it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Michael L. Posted March 19, 2011 Author Member Share Posted March 19, 2011 She did; she is starting formal kung fu training next Saturday and wants to get to weapons so she can learn double chain daggers like she saw when the rural policeman and his daughter fight Cheng Pei Pei. It was edited a bit (thanks AMC), but she did watch the whole thing and really like it. She is even watching Power Rangers Samurai now (literally, right now in the other room). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DongFangXu Posted April 5, 2011 Member Share Posted April 5, 2011 Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon was kind of break-through film for me. I terms of discovering wider view on HK and Chinese cinema in general. At the time I saw CTHD at our local theater I was just a beginner and I knew just the Jackie Chan films and I wasn´t sure if I like wuxia genre. Especially the flying was a bit disturbing for me back then. But I went to see the film just to see Michelle Yeoh hoping that she would show some great action under Yuen Wo Ping´s lead. I didn´t know Chow Yun Fat or any other actors in the film at the time at all. Well, I was disappointed a little. Now I don´t recall why exactly but I felt that this is not my cup of tea. But still I had a need to watch it again later when the DVD came out and I liked it more and more. And I started to look at the films in a different way. I started to appreciate also the aesthetic side and the atmosphere - not only the action. So I discovered the movies like A Chinese Ghost Story, New Dragon Gate Inn, Swordsman series, Green Snake, Ashes Of Time or Bride With White Hair....and lots of the other films. Now I can watch and really enjoy even films like Blade Spares None or A Touch Of Zen which was unthinkable before. So.......as English is not my native language I hope this post is understandable enough for you and to finish it I can say that thanks to Crouching Tiger... I could enjoy so many other films as well and I always like to return to watch them again including CTHD. Ha ha so many words I put together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SMK Posted April 5, 2011 Share Posted April 5, 2011 This is a great post DongFang, I can appreciate how CTHD changed your view on Asian cinema in general. It read very well. Good stuff man. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DongFangXu Posted April 6, 2011 Member Share Posted April 6, 2011 Thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Athena Posted April 6, 2011 Member Share Posted April 6, 2011 Thank you. Hello DongFangXu ! You explained it very well my friend !! & in addition to that you just CONFIRMED that the STATED PURPOSE of the director Ang Lee ( To introduce, re introduce, highlight & "present " this great genre ) worked PERFECTLY !! THANK YOU FORE POSTING DONGFANGXU !!! Xiexie, Athena Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member nectarsis Posted January 5, 2012 Member Share Posted January 5, 2012 I liked this film, and it did introduce many into kung fu flicks (along with Hero, etc.). Beautiful scenery, solid, and fun action....worth busting out for a viewing every so often. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member shaolin swords Posted January 18, 2012 Member Share Posted January 18, 2012 to much flying in the movie just my opinon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member bigrogie Posted May 28, 2012 Member Share Posted May 28, 2012 I did enjoy the movie when it first came out but it did not blow me away. The Shaw Brothers were doing similar stuff 30 years before. The most thrilling part for me was to see again Cheng Pei Pei as the villain Jade Fox! I'm not 100% sure but I think it was the first time that Cheng Pei Pei played a villain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Iron_Leopard Posted December 13, 2017 Member Share Posted December 13, 2017 Why hasn't there been a movie... that's been able to capture the magic of CTHD? There's been a lot of great movies since but there is still something about CTHD that hasn't been replicated yet. Off topic: Hi everyone. Haven't been here in awhile. Don't know if y'all remember me. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator One Armed Boxer Posted December 13, 2017 Moderator Share Posted December 13, 2017 I'd say it probably has a lot to do with very few martial arts movies since having a director that's of a caliber like Ang Lee. For me 'Hero' was similarly great like 'CTHD', but since then the Mainland box office clout has become huge, and we get more and more movies aiming to deliver Hollywood blockbuster like pictures locally, usually with disastrous results. & yes, you're remembered! How could the forum forget someone that created an 'SPL' appreciation thread! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DragonClaws Posted December 13, 2017 Member Share Posted December 13, 2017 I might get some stick for this, but I enjoyed House Of Flying Daggers(2004) as much as CTHD. This is from someone who's never been a huge fan of Wuxia. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Iron_Leopard Posted December 14, 2017 Member Share Posted December 14, 2017 12 hours ago, One Armed Boxer said: I'd say it probably has a lot to do with very few martial arts movies since having a director that's of a caliber like Ang Lee. For me 'Hero' was similarly great like 'CTHD', but since then the Mainland box office clout has become huge, and we get more and more movies aiming to deliver Hollywood blockbuster like pictures locally, usually with disastrous results. & yes, you're remembered! How could the forum forget someone that created an 'SPL' appreciation thread! Dang. Can't believe you remember that thread Hero was close for me to CTHD. But the lack of good fighting scenes held it back a notch. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Drunken Monk Posted December 14, 2017 Member Share Posted December 14, 2017 “Crouching Tiger...” is the perfect balance of action and art. I genuinely think no other film has done it better. It’s an incredible piece of filmmaking. ”Hero” came close, for sure. In my eyes, “Hero” doesn’t quite have - I’m not sure how to put it - the ambiance of “Crouching Tiger...”. The colour palette of “Hero” is better, but I think what makes “CTHD” so good is that the film is pretty much gimmick-less. It’s just beautifully crafted cinema. That’s rare to find. Especially in what is essentially a kung fu (granted, wuxia) film. For me, “CTHD” is a masterpiece. It’s one of the finest films ever made, let alone one of the finest kung fu films. The romance is tender and beautiful, the drama is poignant and the action was Woo Ping’s best since his early work. It really is an incredible film. 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DrNgor Posted December 14, 2017 Member Share Posted December 14, 2017 I think Hero could've made it had it been more consistent with the action. House of Flying Daggers has more consistent action throughout, but the last act script changes made in the wake of Anita Mui's untimely passing keep it from reaching its potential. Seven Swords was pretty good, but needed better, more visible action. Curse of the Golden Flower was also pretty good, but there was something indeed missing from the proceedings. The Banquet was just long and dull. Reign of Assassins was a very good film, but it lacked a single iconic action sequence to reach CTHD level. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Iron_Leopard Posted December 16, 2017 Member Share Posted December 16, 2017 On 12/14/2017 at 8:32 AM, DrNgor said: I think Hero could've made it had it been more consistent with the action. House of Flying Daggers has more consistent action throughout, but the last act script changes made in the wake of Anita Mui's untimely passing keep it from reaching its potential. Seven Swords was pretty good, but needed better, more visible action. Curse of the Golden Flower was also pretty good, but there was something indeed missing from the proceedings. The Banquet was just long and dull. Reign of Assassins was a very good film, but it lacked a single iconic action sequence to reach CTHD level. I think Seven Swords was going for mire of a barbaric Lord of the Rings type action scenes instead of traditional clean martial arts fight scenes. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DrNgor Posted December 16, 2017 Member Share Posted December 16, 2017 9 hours ago, Iron_Leopard said: I think Seven Swords was going for mire of a barbaric Lord of the Rings type action scenes instead of traditional clean martial arts fight scenes. I believe that for the first two thirds, but the last one-on-one is more or less clean martial arts. That said, why would Tsui Hark go out of his way to bring Lau Kar-Leung out of retirement for LOTR action? His regular collaborator Yuen Bun and occasional collaborator Stephen Tung Wei were better equipped for that. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DrNgor Posted May 5, 2020 Member Share Posted May 5, 2020 Here's an essay I wrote on the film, complete with a faux-review of an early 80s Shaw Brothers adaptation of the material: 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member BlueRain83 Posted May 22, 2020 Member Share Posted May 22, 2020 For me CTHD was a real masterpiece. Same as Hero, but hero was more like a painting too for me. Sadly the sequel of CTHD was a super disappointing for me. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member WangYu Posted July 8, 2021 Member Share Posted July 8, 2021 one of the most peculiar best picture winners ever. Why this film out of nowhere? Was there some event that made it very significant in the West? Very weird. In this current era we also see politics influencing the oscars too much, perhaps it was the same in 2000? As for the movie itself, I dozed off after the halfway line mainly because of the floaty, airy, soft punching fight scenes and sound effects, simply too far away from what I grew up with in the 70s, too much flying also which imo looked ridiculous. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator One Armed Boxer Posted July 9, 2021 Moderator Share Posted July 9, 2021 7 hours ago, WangYu said: one of the most peculiar best picture winners ever. Why this film out of nowhere? Was there some event that made it very significant in the West? Very weird. 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' won the Foreign Language Film category at the 2001 Oscars (beating out 'Amores Perros', 'Divided We Fall, 'Everybody Famous!', and 'The Taste of Others'). It was 'Gladiator' that won Best Picture. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member WangYu Posted July 9, 2021 Member Share Posted July 9, 2021 11 hours ago, One Armed Boxer said: 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' won the Foreign Language Film category at the 2001 Oscars (beating out 'Amores Perros', 'Divided We Fall, 'Everybody Famous!', and 'The Taste of Others'). It was 'Gladiator' that won Best Picture. Oh ok makes more sense but still weird. It is afterall a martial arts movie righ? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator One Armed Boxer Posted July 10, 2021 Moderator Share Posted July 10, 2021 16 hours ago, WangYu said: Oh ok makes more sense but still weird. It is afterall a martial arts movie righ? I'm not sure I understand your point. Is the implication that it's weird for a wuxia flick to have won the Foreign Language Film category, and that it's win was somehow down to political influence? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member WangYu Posted July 10, 2021 Member Share Posted July 10, 2021 6 hours ago, One Armed Boxer said: I'm not sure I understand your point. Is the implication that it's weird for a wuxia flick to have won the Foreign Language Film category, and that it's win was somehow down to political influence? No not political that comment was only if it won the best picture award. You can’t deny it has an influence, the last couple of years movies have won best picture awards that would not have been possible a decade ago ( films dealing with homosexuality, racism and even a foreign film) I’m not saying those pictures don’t deserve applause it just rubs me in the wrong way because there have been hundreds of great foreign films in past decades that got completely ignored. Why not just pick the best film regardless of where it comes from? In case of crouching tiger hidden dragon it is just weird that a martial arts picture wins a major award, it never happened before or after. What makes this film stand out to other greats like “dragon inn” or “ip man”? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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