Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Ang Lee (2000) - Essay Example

The movie is based on the novel written by Wang Du Lu and shows the story happening in 19th century. Since the hero and story of the movie represent a supernatural theme, the movie defies the ancient Chinese cultural representation. (Thesis). The lead role as a hero is played by Hong Kong legend Chow- Yun- Fat who has the name Li Mu bai in the movie . Li is a magnificent warrior and is renowned throughout QING China and leads an adventurous life. His precious asset is his mighty sword which is both powerful and ancient and is being gifted to his very close friend.

The movie surrounds the theft of the sword and Li’s determination in finding the stolen property and returning it to the rightful owner. In this movie, the primary importance is for Yun- Fat as the whole movie circle around him and his sword. In the movie Li also accompanied by his lady love Yu – shu – Lien which is played by Michelle Yeoh. Role of hero in the movie The hero Li is the pivotal character in the movie and he is the action performer which is the central theme of the movie .

The hero Li throughout the entire movie has the role of chasing the stolen sword which he presented to his treasured friend as a token of love. Here the hero has to represents a classical righteous Chinese warrior who is after establishing truth and morality in his life. Li‘s duty as a hero is to represent in the movie as a noble warrior who seeks after truth. His role is to depict as a sacrificial person who fights with enemy to get back the precious gift which he presented to his best friend.

The role of Li is to portray as a charismatic hero who has the miraculous power of battling ancient Chinese martial art. The role of Li in the movie is of a mighty warrior and a of a romantic hero who fights for righteousness, integrity and love. In the movie, as Li is battling against a female enemy, he also is bound as a hero to showcase masculine prowess in abundant. In the movie, Li is also compared with a tiger for his ferocious martial art skill, accuracy and defending power. In reality, the main role of hero Li is to portray a fantasy martial art expert who gives value to loyalty, honesty and truthfulness.

The hero defying classical traditional representation The hero in the movie “Crouching tiger Hidden dragon” showcases one who has supernatural fighting tactics and martial art skill. This hero takes us to an ancient Chinese culture where people possess mysterious and mythical power in martial arts. The hero in this movie battles on every plane of earth like air, water and ground. This defies the very essence of ancient Chinese martial art concept. According to the age old Chinese martial art, there is no mythical or supernatural tactics or skills attached to it.

The fight is conducted on land and by no means can be practiced on air and water surface. Unlike hero Li, the martial experts of traditional Chinese culture did not possess superficial power or attributes in context to martial art practice and the film depicted more western action elements. As per (Movie Muser) “Crouching Tiger was actually the first film he directed outside North America, and despite the wirework and plot, he brought a relatively western perspective to the way it was filmed”