Tiger & Dragon - Der Beginn einer Legende (2 DVDs)
EUR 5,12
- FSK 12
Li Mu Bai, heirate mich!! - Was für ein Erlebnis!! Das ich jemals für einen Film schwärmen würde, der auch nur im entferntesten an Martial Arts/Kung Fu Filme u.ä. erinnert, hätte ich nie gedacht. Aber Tiger & Dragon ist so viel mehr! Fantastische Bilder, eine hochkomplexe Story, wunderbare Schauspieler, tolle Kostüme, herrliche Filmmusik, selbst die Kapfszenen sind unterhaltsam..... eine duch und durch zeitlose und im besten Sinne internationale Geschichte!
Imposantes Eastern-Meisterwerk mit Gefühl - Nachdem ich Tiger & Dragon im TV verpasst habe, habe ich mir sofort die Special Edition (Erstauflage im Digipack) zugelegt. Der Kauf hat sich wirklich gelohnt. Tiger & Dragon besticht neben den unglaublichen Martial Arts Einlagen auch durch die tiefgründige Story. Die Kampfszenen (vom Matrix Choreographen Yuen Wo-Ping) sind 1A in Szene gesetzt worden und wirken sehr authentisch. Das einzige was mich an dieser Art von Eastern Filmen stört, dass die Darsteller die unglaubliche Gabe haben, durch die Lüfte laufen zu können. Dadurch sinkt meiner Meinung die Glaubwürdigkeit der sonst so ernsten und tiefsinnigen Handlung. Denoch ist der Film absolut sehenswert. Ang Lee hat die Wahl auf die richtigen Schauspieler fallen lassen und alle Elemente des Films (Schauspieler, Drehorte, Story, Kampfszenen, Musik usw.) zu einem Meisterwerk verschmelzen lassen. Zurecht hat der Film neben vier Oscars und zwei Golden Globes (unter anderem für die beste Regie, die beste Filmmusik, die beste Ausstattung und natürlich bester fremdsprachiger Film) noch viele weitere Preise gewonnen und war für viele weitere Kategorien nominiert!
Überbewertet - Bei manchen Filmen ist es mir ein Rätsel, wie sie zu so vielen guten Kritiken kommen konnten. Tiger & Dragon ist einer von ihnen. Der Film ist zwar wirklich gut fotografiert und auch der Soundtrack überzeugt, aber die Handlung gibt nicht viel her. Schon nach knapp einer halben Stunde hätte ich die DVD am liebsten wieder aus dem Player genommen, denn Tiger & Dragon bietet eine Story, wie sie in den Eastern der 70er Jahre schon wieder und wieder aufgerollt wurde. Spannung kommt dabei nie auf, der Film ist über weite Strecken einfach nur langweilig, die Handlung ist zäh. Die Kampfszenen sind selten gut, sondern mit unrealistischen Sprüngen und Flugeinlagen fast immer viel zu übertrieben. Vor allem über den Kampf in den Baumwipfeln kann man nur noch lachen. Vom durchaus überzeugenden Chow Yun Fat einmal abgesehen, sind sich die schauspielerischen Leistungen mehr als dürftig, teils sogar unfreiwillig komisch.Handwerklich ist der Film wirklich Klasse. Kamera, Schnitt und Musik stimmen einfach. Vom Drehbuch und der Story kann man das aber leider nicht behaupten. Enttäuschend, zwei Sterne.
Highly Overrated - Tiger & Dragon is not a bad film, but it is neither a cinematographic highlight. It is a costume drama that has some artificial action scenes (like people flying in the air, walking up walls and appearing to be ballet-dancing instead of fighting) in it, add a simple story-line and that s just it. After watching this movie I felt both puzzled and disappointed. Basically I expected much more value for money for what all the awards, nominations and reviews promised me.
The True Heart of Romance and Martial Arts - Ang Lee (Sense and Sensibility,The Ice Storm,Eat Drink Man Woman) and his long-time collaborator James Shamus (who wrote the screenplay with Wang Hui Ling and Tsai Kuo Long) bring to the screen a breathtaking story of love, adventure, revenge and honor. This movie is based upon the fourth novel of a five-part series by author Wang Dulu. From the very first minute of watching this movie, my senses were galloping to the world of mystical fantasy that was China. I was presented with such awe-inspiring scenery of small towns as in the 19th Century Qing Dinasty (shot in Beijing and Xinjing), to the breathtaking scenes from the beautiful and immense Gobe Desert, a suitable place to introduce the second of two romances in this story. Some of the desert scenes are reminiscent of shots from The English Patient and are nothing short of jaw dropping spectacular. I was immediately sold on the romance of China.The story begins with the meeting of Li Mu Bai (Chow Yun Fat) and Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh) who have always restrained their feelings for one another out of honor for Shu Lien s slain husband. Li Mu Bai wants to give up his Wudan fighter days and lay to rest his revenge against Jade Fox, who killed his master. During meditation training at Wudan Mountain, Li Mu Bai encountered an endless sorrow that gripped his heart. He now wants to find peace from that sorrow by giving his master s sword, called Green Destiny to Sir Te in Peking. This sets the prelude to a fantastic story, in which the Green Destiny Sword is stolen from Sir Te and the movie follows the attempts of Li Mu Bai and Shu Lien to retrieve it. That brings Shu Lien in contact with a wealthy district governor s daughter, Jen Yu (Zhang Ziyi) who leads a strict proscribed life. From here the storyline splits into two plots, in which we get to know some history of Jen Yu and discover that under her quiet exterior there is a yearning for liberation. Yet everything is not what it seems on the surface and Jen Yu harbours a secret that is the turning point of this story.It is indeed Jen Yu who impresses most with her young sparkling untamed spirit and beauty - a girl who longs to be a warrior and demonstrates incredible fighting prowess that leaves me gasping for more. There is a remarkable fight sequence in a restaurant that truly displays the extraordinary skills of Zhang Ziyi. Being only 19 years old, she had no previous knowledge of martial arts at the beginning of filming, and was trained completely on the spot.At the heart of the movie is the contrast of Li Mu Bai, who throughout, uses reflection and meditation to consider his path, versus Jen, who rebels against the traditions of eastern culture and philosophy. This is evident in a fighting scene between the two, where she asks him to stop talking like a monk and fight. It is this extreme rebellion of Jen that leads to such deep despair, which leaves the viewer wondering if her character can be redeemed. It also sets the scene of a beautiful, but haunting love story between Jen and her barbarian lover Lo. For those of you who are wondering where the title Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon came from, here s your answer. The name for Dragon is embedded in the script of the name of the character, Jen, which makes Lo the Tiger. The crouching and hidden parts make sense as they relate to those two characters. However, Ang Lee also stresses that every character in the film is a hidden dragon in some sense. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is also a quote from Chinese mythology. It refers to hiding your strength from others, advice which is followed too well by the main characters of the film.The action and martial art scenes in this movie are nothing short of spectacular, as they are choreographed by Yuen Woo-Ping, whose signature was all over The Matrix. The characters defy the laws of gravity by floating in the air, walk along walls and even conduct a sword fight high above 40 feet in the air clinging to the tops of tall, swaying trees, swinging back and forth. What is breathtaking is that the actors are actually there in those treetops and rooftops! Computers were used only to remove the safety wires that held the actors, and they performed the majority of the stunts themselves with their awesome athletic abilities. That is truly awesome!Ang Lee succeeds in putting the long-established genre of Chinese Wuxia films back on the map from their previous B grading in the industry. The Wuxia were a class of knights during the time of Confucius, who, in fantasy based fiction, often have magical abilities like flight (gravity free leaps), speed, reflexes and strength of superhuman levels. China has been making these movies (called Wuxia Pien) for years, but few have had the funds or worldwide exposure of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Also, Ang Lee turns the tables on the male-dominated martial arts films by injecting it with strong female roles, the likes of Michelle Yeoh and Zhang Ziyi, the heroines of this movie. Ang Lee plans to eventually direct a prequel and a sequel that will address parts of the novel that didn t make it to this film. The title of the prequel may be Precious Sword, Golden Hairpin depending on translation.Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is one of those rare films that grabs you early on and rides your senses until its immense emotional climax. It transcends any martial arts movie and becomes one of a kind, combining action and romance. It s glorious, shameless in its escapism and a true epic. The ending scenes are hauntingly wonderful. The movie can be summarised in the final words of Li Mu Bai to Shu Lien: I ve wasted my whole life. I want to tell you with my last breath that I have always loved you. I would rather be a ghost, drifting by your side as a condemned soul, than enter heaven without you. Because of your love, I will never be a lonely spirit.