Transnationalism in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

One aspect of film that matters most to me is the characters and their progression in a film. I love films with copious amounts of vibrant, diverse and strong ensemble casts. Of the five most prominent actors in the film, each actor is from different parts of Asia, with Michelle Yeoh being born in Malaysia, Chow Yun-fat being born in Hong Kong, Zhang Ziyi, born in Beijing, Chang Chen being born in Taiwan, and finally Cheng Pei-Pei being born in Shanghai. This highlights how transnationalism is displayed in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. First, the Chineseness of the film has come under question because audiences in Mainland China, generally, did not receive the film well. This is because the film is set in 1700’s Qing Dynasty, but because the cast is so diverse, there are many different accents and dialects. As Christina Klein discusses in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: A Diaspora Reading, this describes the lateral axis of affiliation because all of these actors are from different parts of Asia such as Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Malaysia and have a deep connection to China. There are also many selective accommodations Ang Lee, why grew up in Taiwan, chose that differ from a typical martial arts film such as the absence of any fight scene for the first 20 minutes of the film. This is another example of a significant departure from typical martial arts films because movie audiences watching with specific expectations will be surprised. Transnationalism can allow be seen from the different creative measures of the film such as the shot and panning throughout the geography of China. The film exhibits the vastness of China, showing the mountains, deserts, forests, and historic temples encompassing more than just the stereotypical portrayal of China. In conclusion, this is why Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is a transnational film.