Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: A Portrait of Ang Lee's Epic Film [Paperback]

Huiling Wang (Author), Ang Lee (Author), James Schamus (Author), Guorong Cai (Author), Richard Corliss (Author), Linda Sunshine (Author), David Bordwell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 4, 2000 | Series: Newmarket Pictorial Moviebook

The winner of four Academy Awards, including Best Foreign-Language Film, Art Direction, Cinematography, and Original Music.

To coincide with the Sony Pictures Classics release--this elegantly illustrated moviebook captures the beauty, spirit, and extraordinary talents behind what TimeAsia heralded as an "instant classic...a rule-bending master-piece that weds martial arts with sense and sensibility." The latest film from Sense and Sensibility director is an epic love story and a thrilling action drama set against the breathtaking landscapes of ancient China, filmed entirely on location. Based on a five-volume Chinese novel by Wang Du Lu, the project was scripted by Wang Hui Ling (Eat Drink Man Woman), James Schamus (The Ice Storm), and Tsai Kuo Jung. Marking Ang Lee's first Chinese-language feature since 1994, the film is punctuated by beautifully choreographed fight scenes and dazzling stunts masterminded by Yuen Wo-Ping, who worked on The Matrix. The actors include the two most popular Asian actors in the world, Chow Yun Fat (Anna and the King, The Replacement Killers) and Michelle Yeoh (Supercop, Tomorrow Never Dies). The Newmarket book includes the screenplay, stunning full-color photographs before and behind the cameras, interviews and notes with filmmakers, features on the history and tradition of martial arts storytelling and filmmaking, and articles by Time's Richard Corliss and world renowned film scholar David Bordwell.

"A breathtaking epic love story set in mythical China, where saber wielding Taoist masters--most of them women--save the day."--Lee Yanowitch, Reuters

"A sweeping romantic epic with a strong feminist backbone [with] a generous offering of seriously kick-ass action sequences that make The Matrix seem downright quaint by comparison."--Michael Rechtshaften, Hollywood Reporter

[The film is] "a blending, not a collision, of Eastern physical grace and Western intensity of performance, of Hong Kong kung fu directness and British attention to behavioral nuance."--Richard Corliss, TimeAsia cover story (7/10/00)

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is produced by Sony Pictures Classics, Good Machine International, and Columbia Pictures Film Production Asia.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Every movie should be as kinetic and romantic as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and every tie-in book should be as smart and lovely to look at as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: A Portrait of the Ang Lee Film. It has sumptuous color photos of the otherworldly locations, from the Gobi desert to Anji's bamboo forest; an ace essay by Time's Richard Corliss, the best prose stylist among film critics; and it's studded with scads of factoids and reminiscences from the director, the stars, and--most helpfully--the film scholar David Bordwell.

Bordwell explains what the heck the title means (dragons denote hot, rebellious youth, characterizing the lovers Jen and Lo, and the repressed passion smoldering within the older, thwarted lovers, Yu Shu Lien and Li Mu Bai), the film's place in Chinese cinema history (wuxia martial-arts films are a titanic tradition rooted in folk tales), and all manner of intriguing arcana briskly noted in a lively style. Lee tells how the film squares with his other works like Sense and Sensibility: "In a family drama, there is a verbal fight. Here, you kick butt." Though one does wish it were longer, this thoughtful, beautifully laid-out book moves the spirit--plus, it kicks butt. --Tim Appelo

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School-The heart of the book is the complete screenplay, in English, illustrated with stills from the film. The script is a valuable resource for anyone too dazzled by the images to keep up with the subtitles. In addition, there is a foreword by Ang Lee; an essay analyzing the film by Time magazine film critic Richard Corliss; an essay about wuxia pian, Chinese martial-art films; and numerous short pieces examining aspects of the film, such as weapons, working with fight choreographer Yuen Wo Ping, and the meaning of the title. There are ample quotes from the director and the stars, which provide personal perspectives on the movie. The book is rounded out by short biographies of the major production staff and complete credits. Crouching Tiger is a visual feast, a sumptuously designed book with gorgeous photos, rich color, and varied motifs. It is sure to appeal to fans of the film.

Susan Salpini, Fairfax County Public Schools, VA

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Newmarket Press (December 4, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1557044570
• ISBN-13: 978-1557044570
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 8.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,163,846 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

56 of 60 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars not the movie, but close enough, December 19, 2000

By 

"soultypecast" (los angeles) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: A Portrait of Ang Lee's Epic Film (Paperback)

for anyone completely paralyzed by this film, this collection is a must companion to invest in. the screenplay at your fingertips (translated such that all elements of classic picture book mythology are traceable), along with ang lee as its editor... deeply roots these stories for its reader. as well, it discusses the parallelled challenges the performers in this film ultimately accepted and without a doubt, should be heralded for. the only question i cannot answer for you, and neither does the book, is how many times do you need to see this film, this pictorial novel, to understand its influence on world cinema & global beliefs even though it was created so recently, at the end of the 20th century.

enjoy.

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A World of Tigers and Dragons..., February 16, 2001

By 

Joel R. Bryan (Athens, Georgia United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: A Portrait of Ang Lee's Epic Film (Paperback)

Ang Lee's film, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" is an absolute masterpiece; it's one of the best films I've ever seen, and I'm not easily impressed. This book, which includes the entire screenplay, is a worthy- if somewhat slight- companion to it.

The book contains a number of beautiful color photographs, and commentary from Ang Lee, co-writer James Schamus, critic Richard Corliss (his Time magazine review, actually) and some background on the wuxia pian film genre the film's story is rooted in. If you're in love with the movie, you'll definitely want this book; having the entire screenplay is worth the price.

What keeps it from achieving the five-star status the film surely will attain is that it really needs a bit more. I would've loved a more in-depth look at the film's production. The book has one sidebar on the beautiful costumes, and glosses over certain production problems (weather, digital wire-removal difficulties); at one point, Ang Lee writes how he doubts he'll ever be fully healthy again, but there's no explanation other than he worked extremely hard on this project.

Still, it's marvelous to be able to read Jen Yu's (Zhang Ziyi) entire restaurant speech (from a particularly thrilling sequence where she battles about two dozen men) and Li Mu Bai's (Chow Yun Fat) touching valediction, delivered to Yu Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh). The book's design work mirrors the film's antique look and is a nice match for its production design.

While the film junkie (and "Crouching Tiger" fan) in me would love to read more about how they made this magical movie, I still recommend you check out "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: A Portrait of Ang Lee's Epic Film." But only after you've watched the film.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good enough to be owned, January 19, 2001

By 

Christian D. (Kingston, Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: A Portrait of Ang Lee's Epic Film (Paperback)

I have to say I expected more from this book. I wasn't so much interested in the screenplay as in the background, technical and otherwise. A whole section, not just a capsule, on the wire work would have been nice for example. On the plus side, now that I know the screenplay by heart, I can go see the movie again without reading the subtitles, and with the full impact of the images. Furthermore, the book does boast some really nice color pictures (more, a lot more, of the stunning Zhang Zizi would have been appreciated). Not without faults, but if you love the movie, it is definitively a must-have, along with the CD.