|
 Undoubtedly the martial arts scenes in 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' are exquisite and excellent. While people are stunned by the gloriously choreographed kung-fu shots, unknowingly, the fine and smooth portrayal of characters is neglected, especially the strong feminist spirit that has appeared in almost every one of Ang Lee's films. We can find the evidence easily from 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon'.
The background of story occurs in the male-dominated wuxia group--WuuDang, whose kung-fu is transmitted to male student rather than female, no matter how brilliant the female student is. What Jade Fox opposed is not only her male opponents, but the gender-discriminative martial arts group. 
Against the parental authority in traditional Chinese society, Lee choose Jen, daughter of an official bureaucrat, to steal the sword. Audience thought her behaviour was childish, but she didn't do this just for 'fun'; she was striving the freedom that she has desired for a long time. What Lee tries to show is the liberation of women.
To break the stereotype of emotional essence of women, Lee created a successful career woman, Shu-Lien, present in ancient martial society. Comparing to the reactionary and impulsive Li Mu-Bai, Shu-Lien was very liberal, sober and competent. She was also the model of Jen. 
Reviewing from 'Tui Shou', 'Hsi Yen', 'Yin Shi Nan Nu', 'Sense & Sensibility', 'The Ice Storm', 'Ride with the Devil' to 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon', gender is always the main issue that Lee wants to express. I would say that, those critiques mentioning that this is a shallow film must understand the implicit meaning Lee gave. Otherwise, they would totally get lost in the multifarious actions. |
