2002 Talk About Movies
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Contents © 2002
by Jim Holman.
All rights reserved.

CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON

Directed by Ang Lee. Starring Yun-Fat Chow, Michelle Yeoh, Ziyi Zhang. 2000, 120 minutes, color, China/Hong Kong/Taiwan/USA, Mandarin with English subtitles. Available at Kensington Video.

Matthew: In the Christian worldview, when the soul makes it to heaven, it is both intellectually enlightened and supremely in love. But in the film, Li Mu Bai has to choose between enlightenment or love, and he chooses love. He says he would rather be a condemned soul floating by Shu Lien's side, because then he wouldn't be lonely.

Ernie: I thought Li Mu Bai's great tragedy was that he followed a path that he wasn't called to. He and Shu Lien both became Wudan warriors, which seemed to be some sort of priesthood, and they were probably called to each other. When he was meditating on Wudan mountain, he almost reached enlightenment, but he was caught by the fact that he really loved Shu Lien. He says to her that nothing we can sense is real -- a vestige of his Wudan philosophy -- and she responds by asking, "My hand against your face -- wasn't that real?" At that moment, he comes right up against the path he didn't take.

* * *

Ernie: Jen Yu was arranged to marry, but she really seemed called to this holy warrior role.

Matthew: Indeed, she was only able to really understand the Wudan manual because she had a calling.