Date: Thu, 25 Jan 2001 15:25:50 +0000
Subject: Re: lost dawg
From: "rosselson" <kar83-AT-dial.pipex.com>


A few points I would like to raise about Crouching Tiger...
    However much we can enjoy the film as a 'fairy tale" and for its martial
art ballet ,  the issue of gender cannot be dismissed as irrelevant. As
Andrea
said it is good to be able to identify with the young female lead.  But it
is also true that in a film that has been described as 'feminist' the other
female characters are painfully reminiscent of Hollywood. There is a morbid
fear of the older woman who is not only evil but ignorant as well. As for
the mature -wonderfully acted- competent woman she has to be sexually
frustrated (see Now Voyager), unfulfilled and lonely.The reluctant male
warrior
on the other hand is the high moral character and it is through him that the
youngster attains adulthood.
I find that the film has achieved a very novel way of dealing with our
attitudes to-day in the
West: - Glorification of the young woman, ( her power, the relationship
between her and her lover, and her confusion about life were extremely
seductive)
         Containment of the mature competent woman. Although she is a
warrior, her power is diminished by being beaten by the young girl and there
is even a moment of derision ( when one of the weapons she grabs is too
heavy for her).  She is sad and unfulfilled but  long suffering.
         The fear of ageing or of the older woman as it is often expressed.
She is  a witch like but more than that she is deprived of 'knowledge' which
is traditionnally the province of the older people.
         Yes the end is ambiguous. To have the two lovers happy ever after
would have been far too obvious. A  punishment for transgressing family laws
would not have been acceptable.  When in doubt leave the audience to end the
film as they wish.

Ryan's comment on the scriptwriter is very interesting to me. Have you a
source for your sentence below? The scripwriter ....
>> U.S. distribution company Good Machine, and has himself said that he
>> modeled the characters in the film on his own Jewish family members and
>> friends.

rina rosselson 


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