Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #965 in DVD
• Released on: 2009-07-06
• Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
• Format: PAL
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 120 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon is so many things: an historical epic on a grand scale, an Asian martial-arts flick with both great effects and fantastic fighting (choreographed by The Matrix's guru Yuen Wo Ping), a story of magic, revenge and power played with a posse of star-crossed lovers thrown in for good measure. Set during the Qing dynasty (the late 19th century), the film follows the fortunes of righteous warriors Li Mu Bai and Yu Shu Lien (Asian superstars Chow Yun-Fat and Michelle Yeoh, respectively) whose love for one another has lain too long unspoken. When Li Mu Bai's legendary sword Green Destiny is stolen by wilful aristocrat's daughter Jen (exquisite newcomer Zhang Ziyi), who has been trained in the way of the gangster by Li Mu Bai's arch-rival Jade Fox, the warriors must fight to recover the mystical blade. The plot takes us all across China, from dens of iniquity and sumptuous palaces to the stark plains of the Western desert. Characters chase each other up walls and across roof and treetops to breathtaking effect, and Tan Dun's haunting, Oscar-winning East-West inflected score. Directed by Taiwanese-born Ang Lee and co-written by his longtime collaborator American James Schamus, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon joins the ranks of the team's slate of high-quality, genre-spanning literary adaptations. Although it superficially seems like a return to Ang's Asian roots, there's a clear throughline connecting this with their earlier, Western films given the thematic focus on propriety and family honour (Sense and Sensibility), repressed emotions (The Ice Storm) and divided loyalties in a time of war (Ride with the Devil). Nonetheless, a film this good needs no prior acquaintance with the director's oeuvre; it stands on its own. The only people who might be dismissive of it are jaded chop-socky fans who will probably feel bored with all the romance. Everyone else will love it. --Leslie Felperin

Synopsis
Known for making films about familial relationships, director Ang Lee surprised everyone with his martial arts epic CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON. Based on a novel by Wang Du Lu, CROUCHING TIGER starts with the revenge plot common in the wuxia stories that Lee loved as a child, then adds a feminist twist. Li Mu Bai (Chow Yun Fat) is a legendary martial artist who has decided to pass on his sword, the Green Destiny, to a friend. Soon afterward, the sword is stolen by a masked female, setting in motion events that test the bonds of family, love, duty, and sisterhood. Chow appears with three generations of female stars: Cheng Pei Pei, a 1960s action heroine; Michelle Yeoh, the beauty queen turned 1980s action goddess; and newcomer Zhang Ziyi, who smolders as the princess who wants more than domestic tranquillity. Famed action choreographer Yuen Woo-Ping (THE MATRIX) stages jaw-dropping zero-G fights across rooftops, rivers, and bamboo trees, while Yo-Yo Ma punctuates the fisticuffs with dramatic cello solos. Described by Lee as "SENSE AND SENSIBILITY with martial arts," CROUCHING TIGER recalls the best wuxia films of the 1960s and pushes the genre in new directions.

From the studio
Named "Best Picture of the Year" by over 100 critics nationwide. Two master warriors (Chow Yun Fat and Michelle Yeoh) are faced with their greatest challenge when the treasured Green Destiny sword isstolen. A young aristocrat (Zhang Ziyi) prepares for an arranged marriage, but soon reveals her superior fighting talents and her deeply romantic past. As each warrior battles for justice, they come face to face with their worst enemy - and the inescapable, enduring power of love. Set against 19th-century China's breathtaking landscape, CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON is the action-packed, box office smash from acclaimed director Ang Lee (Sense and Sensibility, The Ice Storm) featuring stunning martial arts choreography by Yuen Wo Ping (The Matrix).

Customer Reviews

Bluray edition review
There's already many reviews for the movie itself here on Amazon, and im sure the majority of people interested in this have already seen it in one form or another. For that reason this is basically a review of the Bluray itself. As im sure a lot of people want to know if its worth trading in their dvd for.

First of all, any cool new extras? Ala's no. We have a commentary with Ang Lee and James Schamus. A conversation with Michelle Yeoh (interview). Making of featurette.... and a photo gallery. All of which were supplied on previous DVD releases. Unfortunately, they are still in SD as well.

Secondly, the sound and subtitles. Thankfully we have TrueHD 5.1 for the English dub and Mandarin track. There are a 18 subtitle options in total, including English, and English for the hearing impaired.

Finally, the picture. I wasn't blown away at first truth be told, as I skipped to one of the movies night sequences. The picture had some grain to it, although its quite mild I wonder if it has had some DNR applied to it, as on closer inspection it did appear as though skin complexions would blur a little when moving. Blacks were mostly solid although I did notice a lack of detail on them during the night scenes, especially the fast moving ones. Again, perhaps a result of applied DNR. Day scenes I found to be excellent. Very clear with plenty of detail anywhere you looked. Nice!

Overall though, the picture is good and at times very good. The print used is very clean with almost no dirt or grain to be seen. Its only the night scenes that I could find a few faults with, nothing that serious though and nothing that made me regret my purchase. I can honestly say, yes it is worth buying even if you own the DVD. It's a far better Bluray than the House of Flying Daggers release we had as well, which im sure you will all be relieved to hear.

The lack of effort put into the extras would probably push me towards giving this Bluray a 3.5 if I could, but as Amazon dont allow halves, and I think its pretty good when compared to a number of catalogue titles, I think its deserving of 4 stars.

Great film, ok video quality
CTHD is a great film, if i was reviewing just the film it would get at least a 4/5.

The image quality on this blu-ray release is a step up from the DVD but as a Blu-ray it is nothing more than average.

I found the video quality to be far too soft in most parts and colour far too subdued. The night scenes where alot better than i expected though.

If you love the film i still recommend as its a good step up from the dvd.

Fantastic Picture
As the previous comment states most people looking to buy this film has already seen the film and you maybe looking to either upgrade from DVD and looking to find out if it's worth it.
The price is right for a DVD upgrade and that is all this is as there are no extra special features on this disk and those that were on the DVD are in SD.
However I do feel that the picture quality has drastically improved from the DVD version. The night/dark scenes suffer slightly but this is made up in the light.

I find films like this better to watch in their original language as dubbed films draw your attention away from the film and to their mouths.

A fantastic film for anyone new to it.