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Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon …and the Church Today

“It was a tremendous privilege for me to make this movie.”  

Ang Lee, Director of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

It was also a tremendous privilege for us to see this movie. Or should we say this “ballet,” or this “martial arts competition,” this “love story,” or even this “religious quest.” For Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is all of these and more. Like so many viewers, we found the movie mesmerizing. In fact, it has become the most successful foreign language film ever, crossing the $100 million mark in U.S. sales the week before the Oscar awards.

We sat in Spain on the night of the Oscars (actually it was nine hours earlier in the U.S.) and wondered what would happen during the awards show. We knew we would have to wait until the next day to read about it in the papers or watch Spanish television report on it. We hoped to hear in Spanish that a film in Mandarin had won the award for not only best foreign film, but also best film over all. (As many of you know, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon went on to win 4 academy awards—Best Art Direction/Set Design, Best Cinematography, Best Original Music, and Best Foreign Language Film. Only the film Gladiator won more awards--see our September column.) Though Crouching Tiger did not win the Best Picture Award, it did prove that an Asian movie could compete successfully with the best in Hollywood. Our globe is getting smaller and boundaries are fading. We wish we could say it was the Christian church that was drawing us together, but in this case it’s the film industry.

The movie’s story is based on an early 20^th century Chinese pulp novel about warriors who possess strong codes of loyalty and honor. Mu Bai (Chow Yun Fat) is a famous warrior from the Mt. Wudan School, calm, yet deadly. Despite his own call to avenge his master’s murder, he has decided to retire to a life of contemplation. He therefore gives his renowned 300 year-old sword to an honored friend. But no sooner is it given, than it is stolen. Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh), a female “Xia” or wandering warrior, suspects who might be the culprit, the beautiful young daughter of the Governor, Jen (Zhang Ziyi).  As Mu Bai and Shu Lien go in search, not admitting even to themselves their love for each other, they discover that Jen has indeed stolen the sword, for she has given herself over to tutelage by an evil female criminal.  Instead of using her power for good, she has used it selfishly and destructively.

Seeing this martial arts movie was stunning for two reasons – the female warriors were portrayed as feminine, yet fully the equal of the male, and the fight scenes were more like ballet than battle.

Strong female characters and the expression of real feelings are not typical of this pulp genre. It is Ang Lee who has brought these elements to the story. We are given a glimpse into the lives and feelings of two women, who while competitors, envy the life of the other. Shu Lien, the older, beautiful, gentle wandering warrior longs to settle down with the man she loves (Mu Bai). And Jen, the younger, unhappily betrothed daughter of a wealthy official, wants the freedom she believes comes with being a warrior. They have much to learn from each other and from Mu Bai, and in the process, we all learn about love, honor, and sacrifice.

The movie’s martial arts and sword fights, all choreographed by Yuen Wo Ping—the fight master responsible for the fight scenes in the Matrix – include wire-assisted, gravity-defying moves. They are shear visual poetry (the sword fight amongst the swaying tree tops is destined to become a classic). And in the background you hear cello passages performed by Yo-Yo Ma.

Here is a movie like no other. How did this ever come together? Listen to Ang Lee, the director:

My team and I chose the most populist, if not popular, genre in film history, the Hong Kong martial arts film – to tell our story, and we used this pop genre almost as a kind of a research instrument to explore the legacy of classical Chinese culture.  We embraced the most mass of art forms and mixed it with the highest -- the secret martial arts as passed down over time in the great Taoist schools of training and of thought.

Here is a perspective we in the church need to consider as we tell our story, the Good News of Jesus Christ.  If the genre of Hong Kong martial arts movies can be used and transformed to portray effectively the essence of Taoist thought, can American popular culture similarly be the medium through which to share more effectively our biblical faith?  We can take a lesson from Ang Lee and his breathtaking movie — profound stories, with both cultural and religious depth, can be winsomely expressed using pop culture’s modes of communication. 

If you doubt this conclusion, maybe it’s time to see the movie on video. 

This movie is rated PG-13, due to the martial arts violence and some sexuality.