Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (M) PRESENTED IN 35MM FILM & English Subtitles

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (M, 2000) Presented in 35mm Film & English Subtitles by The Revival House Perth

In 19th century China, master warrior Li Mu Bai (Chow Yun-fat) decides to retire from the martial arts world, entrusting his legendary sword, the Green Destiny, to his close friend and unspoken love Yu Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh) for safekeeping. When the sword is stolen by a mysterious masked thief, Li Mu Bai and Yu Shu Lien's investigation leads them to Jen Yu (Zhang Ziyi), a governor's daughter secretly trained in forbidden martial arts and torn between the constraints of aristocratic duty and her yearning for freedom and adventure. As the mystery of the stolen sword unravels, entangled with a desert romance and a dangerous former teacher's quest for vengeance, the film weaves together themes of duty, desire, and the constraints society places on personal freedom. This screening presents the original Mandarin audio with English subtitles.

Director Ang Lee transforms the wuxia genre into a work of extraordinary poetic beauty, blending gravity-defying martial arts choreography with intimate emotional drama and sweeping visual grandeur. Michelle Yeoh and Chow Yun-fat bring restrained, wounded dignity to a love story built on decades of unspoken longing, while Zhang Ziyi's fierce, rebellious energy as Jen provides a compelling counterpoint to their disciplined restraint. Yuen Woo-ping's revolutionary fight choreography, featuring performers gliding across rooftops and treetops in gravity-defying combat, redefined how martial arts action could be presented to international audiences. Tan Dun's evocative score, featuring cellist Yo-Yo Ma, underscores the film's blend of romance, longing, and spectacle, while Peter Pau's Academy Award-winning cinematography captures both the sweeping landscapes and intimate character moments with equal grace. The film became a global phenomenon, introducing wuxia cinema to Western audiences on an unprecedented scale.

Original format and audio experience of this film faithfully reproduced by The Revival House. Presented in 35mm film and English subtitles unless noted otherwise.

When: Wednesday, September 9th at 7:20PM
Where: The Revival House at the Como Theatre
Rating: M (Low level violence)