Young Bulldogs Reach Semifinals

4-year-old On Waiting List For Liver Transplant

By RICH DREES Times Leader Correspondent
 Friday, February 02, 2001 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 5A 





Ang Lee's latest film ``Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon'' is not what one
would expect from the director of such dramas as ``Sense and Sensibility'' or
``The Ice Storm.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Lee has taken what he knows about intense character drama and applied it to
the genre of film that inspired him to be a filmmaker in the first place -
wuxia (pronounced wu-shah) or fantasy swordplay. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Wuxia films have not received as much respect in the United States as they
have elsewhere, mainly because of poor dubbing and for the unbelievability of
the martial arts fights often choreographed on flying wires. But they have
gained a fierce following among film buffs who are willing to accept the often
outrageous aspects of the genre. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon'' might bring a newfound appreciation of
wuxia films. It's the story of two warriors, Chow Yun Fat and Michelle Yeoh,
who are prevented by their duties from being together. It mixes
character-driven drama with high-speed, yet poetic martial arts action, making
it the perfect date movie. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 During the past several years, Asian stars such as Jackie Chan, Jet Li, and
Yeoh have made inroads into the average American filmgoer's consciousness.
With ``Crouching Tiger's'' growing popularity, there is bound to be interest
in other classics of the genre. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 By his own admission, Chan is more of a stuntman and physical comedian than
martial artist. Combining the rigorous gymnastics of his Peking Opera training
with traditional martial arts, Chan's action scenes rival those of his
wire-bound colleagues. Although a majority of Chan's films are modern day
romps, two of his films qualify for the wuxia label. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The first is 1978's ``Drunken Master,'' a semi-comic telling of the story
of Wong Fei-Hung, a legendary martial arts master from the turn of the
century. Fei-Hung has been the subject of numerous films in Hong Kong but
Chan's combination of kinetic fights and slapstick humor elevated this version
above the rest and turned him into Hong Kong's biggest star. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In 1994, Chan returned to the character of Fei-Hung with ``Drunken Master
2,'' released in U.S. theaters last year as ``Legend of Drunken Master.'' The
result was a rare cinema treat - a sequel that surpassed the original for
action. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 A more somber - and sober - telling of the story of Wong Fei-Hung can be
found in 1991's ``Once Upon A Time In China.'' In this version, Fei-Hung finds
himself defending Chinese culture from growing British colonialism. Like
``Drunken Master,'' the role would prove to the breakout performance for its
star Jet Li. The film has been released on DVD in the United States, with the
original Cantonese version featuring English subtitles and a shorter, dubbed
version on the same disc. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Wuxia films aren't limited to the exaggerated exploits of historical
personages. Tsui Hark's 1983 epic ``Zu: Warriors of the Magic Mountain'' stars
Yeun Biao as a lone soldier in feudal China battling an assortment of
supernatural evils. Hark recruited several special-effects experts who had
worked on the original ``Star Wars'' to give the film top-notch effects. In
one memorable scene, two groups of warriors engage in high-flying,
wire-assisted battle inside a temple. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Another lone soldier fighting off supernatural evil is Leslie Cheung in
1993's ``The Bride With White Hair.'' Cheung battles a cult headed by sadistic
male and female Siamese twins and finds himself falling in love with their
chief assassin, played by Brigitte Lin. ``Bride'' is stylishly shot and its
conflicted lead characters echo those found in ``Crouching Tiger.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Men aren't the only ones who get to defeat evil in wuxia films. Women often
display great martial arts prowess. Witness ``Crouching Tiger's'' Yeoh and
Anita Mui as Chan's stepmother in ``Drunken Master 2.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The best of the female hero wuxia films is 1993's ``Heroic Trio.'' Here Mui
and Yeoh are joined by Maggie Cheung as a group of superheroines who must stop
an aging sorcerer intent on world domination. Although it's set in the modern
world, ``Heroic Trio'' and its sequel ``The Executioners,'' meld magic,
machine guns and martial arts into an irresistible combination. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 `Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' director Ang Lee received a Golden Globe
award for Best Foreign Language Film. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

`crouching Tiger' Shines Light On Other Chinese Action Films Genre Combines Swordplay With Elements Of Fantasy