The Film Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon's View of Women

Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
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Ang Lee's, ‘Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon' is among the celebrated films of all time. It was written by Tsai Kuo Jung, James Shamus, and Wang Hui-ling, basing on the Chinese novel by Wang Dulu. The production of this film was a multinational venture, costing about 17 million US dollars, that featured an international cast of Chinese actors which included; Zhang Ziyi, Chang Chen, Michelle Yeoh, and Chow Yun-Fat among others. Since its production, the film has won numerous awards and has also been nominated for a number of academic awards. The unique feature of the film distinguishing it from the rest is the skill and experience in which it was acted and produced. The most outstanding feature of the film is how the theme of feminism was addressed. In the literature piece below, we will focus on Jude Fox, Jen, and Yu Shu Lien, in portraying the film's view of women.
From the personality and behavior of the female characters in the film, it is quite evident that the writers of the film's storyline had a lot to put across regarding the women of the society by then. A number of traits and personalities have been portrayed. For instance, the character Yu Shu Lien has been used to extend the film's views on women to a greater extent, considering she was one of the leading characters.
From the characterization of Yu Shu Lien, we can deduce that women are strong. In the 18th century, the period in which the film is based, it was very unlikely to find a female warrior, let alone in the Chinese communities and civilization. Warriors were chosen basing on the physical strength and also the knowledge of the Kung Fu fighting skills and other martial arts. It was very unlikely to find a woman as a warrior, as the Chinese traditions had special duties that were to be performed by women but not being involved in warfare. However, Yu Shu Lien was able to bit all odds to become one of the greatest warriors of the community (Klein 2004). This results to her being admired by a number of young ladies in the community including Jen Yu, an aristocrat's daughter.
Basing on Yu Shu Lien in the film, women are viewed as well-organized individuals who can multi-task and perform exemplarily well in all the activities they engage in. In the film, Yu Shu Lien is portrayed as a fierce warrior who usually went to war and fought alongside her male counterparts in a skillful and professional manner. It is also worth noting that she was an established business lady who made huge profits from her dealings. In the Chinese community by then, businesses were majorly run and managed by powerful men who usually intimidated other people who would pose as competition to their businesses. With her unique abilities, Yu Shu Lien was able to stand her ground and collected a lot of wealth from her business. From this, it is quite clear that women are well organized and are usually great in multi-tasking as compared to men.
From the character Yu Shu Lien, we are also able to deduce that women are not only physically strong but also emotionally strong and are able to make tough decisions for the greater good (Lee et al. 2001). Some of the emotional challenges, for instance, matters involving love, usually require a lot of emotional strength and sacrifice to overcome. However, Yu Shu Lien defies the odds and is able to stay away from Mu Bai, a warrior with whom she was madly in love with. She does not engage in a romantic relationship with the fierce warrior Mu Bai as she chooses to respect the memory of her late fiancé. In the film, she admits that this was one of the most challenging decisions of her life and that she has lived with the consequences of her decisions ever since. She also admits that she occasionally felt unfulfilled due to that. What a sacrifice! From this, it is evident that women are emotionally strong and are capable of making tough decisions for loyalty and also for the greater good of the entire community.
As Yu Shu Lien is portrayed in the film, we are also able to learn that women are quite dutiful and composed, even in challenging situations. In the earlier parts of the film, we find out that Yu Shu Lien was able to conduct her business in a relaxed and collected manner. She also knew her responsibilities and was quite careful not to miss any. These are among the many traits that she possessed which greatly helped her in her business endeavors and also in her activities as a warrior. However, her collectiveness is challenged when Jiao Long refuses to give up the ‘Green Destiny's Mu Bai's valuable sword,which she had stolen earlier. Yu Shu Lien almost loses her temper but controls it based on the Kung Fu knowledge she had learned from her master. It is therefore worth noting that women are usually composed and are usually dutiful.
The final view of women from the film as far as the characterization of Yu Shu Lien is concerned is that women are independent. From her activities as a well-known business person in the community, she was able to make a lot of wealth and that she was able to support herself in every activity she engaged in without expecting or receiving any support from other parties (Lee et al. 2001). This made a lot of women in the community to greatly envy her and how she managed her affairs.
In the film, Jen Yu is yet another female character whom we will focus on in portr...