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My Favourite Romantic Sub-Plot: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
“Swords and knives harbour unknown perils, but so do human relationships”
If you were one of many Western cinema goers back in 2000 who broke generally expected cinema-going habits by shunning Scary Movie in order to watch a subtitled Taiwanese wuxia martial arts film instead, then firstly, fair play to you. I am sure you felt it was worth it. Looking back now many remember the lightning-fast sword fights, flying monks, and eclectic Asian cast in a film that went on to achieve global success. But as with any successful action film, it is the characters and the heart that binds it all together (spoilers follow).
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon sets out its stall right from the start, when Michelle Yeoh’s Yu Shu Lien waits to receive her long-time friend Chow Yun Fat’s swordsman Master Li Mu Bai, as he returns to her village. As soon as she sees him, her face twitches with acknowledgement and excitement; the smallest reaction that you might have missed if you were still rummaging for your popcorn. But once you notice it, it sets out the stall for the central relationship right from the off.
The stakes are made even clearer just ten minutes in, as Shu Lien confesses all to her benefactor Sir Te. Mu Bai was originally engaged to Shu Lien’s…
