What is Ang Lee’s best film? With a director who has given us masterpieces like Brokeback Mountain, Life of Pi and The Ice Storm, that’s not an easy decision to make. But one film in particular stands out from Lee’s oeuvre: the beautiful wuxia epic Tiger & Dragon from 2000.
Tiger and Dragon: Ang Lee’s fantasy masterpiece about the green sword of the underworld
Tiger and Dragon tells the story of the warrior Li Mu Bai (Yun-Fat Chow), who was a big name in the Qing Dynasty. But now he wants refrain from bloodshed and settle down. He therefore gives his valuable sword to his faithful companion Yu Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh), who should keep it safe.
It doesn’t take long before a thief breaks into the rooms during the night and steals the sword that was used as a Green Sword of the Underworld appears in the legends. As it turns out, the alleged thief is the young politician’s daughter Jen (Ziyi Zhang), who is struggling for a life of freedom.
You can watch the trailer for Tiger and Dragon here:
Tiger and Dragon – Trailer (German)
Tiger and Dragon was a huge success. The Chinese-Taiwanese co-production was nominated for ten Oscars and won four of them, most notably the Oscar for the best international film. 16 years after its theatrical release, Netflix released a sequel to the fantasy masterpiece. Based on the English title of the original, this one is called Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 2: Sword of Destiny.
Michaelle Yeoh returned in her well-known role, while action legend Donnie Yen made a big addition to the cast. Martial arts legend Woo-ping Yuen was won as a director involved in Kill Bill and the Matrix films was. Despite big names in front and behind the camera, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 2: Sword of Destiny turned out to be a bitter disappointment.
The sequel lacks the poetic imagery of the original, the atmosphere of mystery and the tragic story of unrequited love and the honor of the combatants. Lee’s staging amazes with elegance and feels almost weightless. As we glide over rooftops and forests with the characters, Tiger and Dragon is pure cinema defined by movement and emotion. The Netflix sequel misses all of that.
Fantasy Masterpiece: When will Tiger and Dragon be on TV?
Tiger & Dragon airs today, July 16, 2023, at 10:05 p.m. on Sixx. The broadcast lasts until 12:30 a.m. with commercial breaks. The film itself has a running time of 111 minutes in its TV version. The repetition follows at 02:00 at night.
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