Blog 1: The Spectacle of Transnational Cinema

In writings on whether Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (Lee, 2000) or CTHD is a Chinese film, the capability of Western Audiences to understand Native Chinese cinema is underexplored. (Wu, 2002)

Some viewers felt that Li Mu Bai's death in Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (Lee, 2000) was excessively Western in its depiction, without enough understanding of Confucian philosophy. (Clip taken by MovieClips, 2014)

I never saw the Western involvement in CTHD's production as detracting from its Chinese-ness. If anything, I regarded CTHD as a confident expression of Chinese cinema because it branched out into other cultures. Chinese film legends like Chen Pei-Pei starred, re-invigorating the Wuxia genre and representing China internationally, implying that CTHD is a product of the new China and the old.

In High School, I was mystified when I told my Western classmates about CTHD and they mocked me, saying "Why were they flying?" "They weren't flying." I answered, "If you look closely, they are actually jumping off of rooves. The idea is that through martial arts you can leap great distances with relatively little force." I looked round to find that even my teacher was shaking her head at me. It seems that audiences are reticent, if not unable, to embrace a mindset different from their own. (Levitin, 2006)

Wuxia as a genre comes with it's own values. For example, Levitin (2006) sees Yu Shu Lien as "repressed" by Confucianism rather than empowered by self-discipline. Levitin (2006) claims that Jen was abducted and overcome by Lo. In the film, Jen chases Lo and tames him. But because of Levitin's prior investment in Western Feminism, she bends the text to fit her own expetations. I see Shu Lien as a strong female role-model because she is heroic and loyal. But a Western viewer projects their ideals onto Shu Lien and sees her as frustrating. (Levitin, 2006)

Eastern and Western cultures also differ in terms of focus. (Nisbett, Richard, et al, 2001) So the cinematography of CTHD differs from most Chinese cinema. CTHD uses many close up and medium shots, while Chinese film makers tend to use mostly medium and long shots. This means that Ang Lee was tailoring his approach to his international audience.

CTHD is intrinsically transnational since Ang Lee wanted to create a Wuxia film for an international audience. Ang Lee reproduced Chinese philosophy and culture, but with a strong Western bent. If A Fistful of Dollars (1964) was a Spaghetti Western, CTHD may be a "Cheeseburger Wuxia". It can neither be fully understand nor misunderstood by any audience due to its many disparate elements.

Sources:

Lee, A. "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon" 2000 [Motion Picture] Sony Pictures

Wu, Chia-Chi. "" Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" Is Not a Chinese Film." Spectator-The University of Southern California Journal of Film and Television 22.1 (2002): 65-79.

Levitin, Jacqueline. "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Hero, and House of the Flying Daggers: Interpreting Gender Thematics in the Contemporary Swordplay Film--A View From the West." Asian Cinema 17.1 (2006): 166-182.

Nisbett, Richard E., et al. "Culture and systems of thought: holistic versus analytic cognition." Psychological review 108.2 (2001): 291.

Leone, Sergio. A fistful of dollars. Constantin Film Produktion, Jolly Film, Ocean Films, 1964.