Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: A Portrait of the Ang Lee Film

by Ang Lee, James Schamus, Richard Corliss

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.

Genres: Media Tie In, Nonfiction, Film

144 pages, Paperback

First published December 4, 2000

About the author

From Wikipedia:

Ang Lee OBS (Chinese: 李安; pinyin: Lǐ Ān; born October 23, 1954) is a Taiwanese film director, screenwriter, and producer.

Lee's earlier films, such as The Wedding Banquet, Pushing Hands, and Eat Drink Man Woman explored the relationships and conflicts between tradition and modernity, Eastern and Western. Lee also deals with repressed, hidden emotions in many of his films, including Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, The Ice Storm, Hulk, and Brokeback Mountain. Lee's work is known for its emotional charge, which critics believe is responsible for his success in offsetting cultural barriers and achieving international recognition.