Chapter 5 The real dragon can't hide

I wandered the rivers and lakes, but this year I was blown to Seoul by the wind and sand in Beijing.I thought this was fine, even if I was forced to live in seclusion, "retiring from the tiger's den for a while". ——China respects the dragon, and South Korea respects the tiger. It can be said that they are a pair of "dragon and tiger neighbors".When I was lonely and bored, I was suddenly invited by two knights of the Three Koreas, Cui Yongwan and Li Zhengxun, to watch Ang Lee's new work "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon".The film has not yet been released in mainland China, so Sajia grinned and said: "I am the first person in China to watch this film!"

"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" was originally the masterpiece of Mr. Wang Dulu, a master of Chinese martial arts novels in the 1940s.Wang Dulu's masterpiece "Crane and Iron" series has 5 works: "Crane Surprises Kunlun", "Sword and Gold Hairpin", "Sword Qi and Pearl Light", "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "Iron Riding Silver Vase".These five works are both coherent and independent, and their biggest feature is that they do not rely on miraculous martial arts and intense fights to win, but instead use the love tragedies of martial arts characters to see through life and question fate.Wang Dulu's status in the history of martial arts novels is recognized as the creation of the "tragic chivalrous love" model, which had a very profound impact on Liang Yusheng and Jin Yong later.

However, the better the novel, the more afraid it is to be put on the screen.In particular, martial arts novels have been devastated beyond recognition by Hong Kong's low-energy directors and mentally handicapped movie stars.Mr. Jin Yong said unceremoniously that after seeing his novels being made into films by Hong Kong and Taiwan film and television industry, "it was like seeing his own children being beaten".The reason here is that those martial arts movies and TV shows take away the humanistic spirit that martial arts culture should have, leaving only bloody fights to satisfy their own morbid psychology and Hong Kong and Taiwan-style goofy jokes that try to forget their slave status.It is a matter of course that such works are criticized, despised, and forgotten.

In contrast, Ang Lee's "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" can be said to be a breakthrough in the history of martial arts movies.The film captures the issue of "fate" and the issue of "how people should live".Li Mubai and Yu Xiulian have been in love for life, but they don't turn their love into reality.Li Mubai said: "The more you clenched your fists, the more you have nothing in your palms; when you loosen your hands, you feel you have everything." Li Mubai taught Yu Jiaolong this truth with his life.Yu Jiaolong and her lover Luo Xiaohu did not "finally get married", they continued to wander in the boundless rivers and lakes to find their dreams.

Grasping this "problem eye", other problems will naturally be solved.The whole film is shrouded in a lyrical tone, shrouded in a touch of silvery sadness.The martial arts design not only has thrilling live effects, but also has a beautiful artistic conception like a dream and a song.The performance of the actors is inherent and subtle.For the first time, Chow Yun-fat learned to act "without acting", reflecting the charm of a real man.Zhang Ziyi vividly expressed Yu Jiaolong's combination of tenderness and fierceness.Even those funny places are in line with the development logic of the story itself, and there are no extra problems and green onions in the nostrils.Focusing on "human nature" rather than "fighting" determines that "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" must be a big book in the history of martial arts movies.

There are very few people who know Wang Dulu, but I have long been convinced that his name will shine brightly one day.Ang Lee, Chow Yun-fat, Zhang Ziyi, Tan Dun who composed the music, and Yo-Yo Ma who played the cello, they are all like the heroes in the film, they are real dragons that cannot be hidden.Yes, in this world, where to hide it! (At that time, I told my Korean friends and students that this film was likely to win an Oscar. As expected, the students were all surprised. Some students translated this article from the Internet and gave a lecture as a model essay.)