h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I've just watched this film (subtitled, not dubbed). I thought it was one of the most beautiful, poetic and graceful films I've ever seen. I admit I wasn't sure at first, as I'm not one for Martial Arts films, really, but I think calling this simply a Martial Arts film is like calling American Beauty a soap opera episode.

I agree it is a beautiful film. To argue back, though I don't neccessarily disagree, it might be called a martial arts film because it deals with the traditional chinese myths and legends, which contain martial arts. It's not a tradition martial arts films, which are usually fairly unrealistic, but shows martial arts in a stylised, diciplined, art form of a way, which is what martial arts are really all about.

I agree, Crouching Tiger H. D. is one of the best films I have seen. Beautifully shot, great acting and a great story (action, romance, betrayal, and the price of honor and love). A truly great film.

I don't want to hype it to much, so that it can never live up to the expections of those who see the film after reading this.

Mostly

I certainly didn't intend to imply that there was something cheap and tacky about martial arts in themselves. Certain films of the 'martial arts' genre seem to me to be plotless, and needlessly violent. If I were a disciple of these arts I might well feel differently - perhaps watching such films is more like a sports event than a cultural one?

I finally relented and watched it last weekend, I'm really glad I did. I really wasn't expecting to enjoy it and I loved it. Even the dubbing was done well. Now I've got to watch it again because I want to see the subtitled version.

I absolutely loved this movie... and I actually enjoy watching subtitled films because you can quickly read the subs and then get how the actors acted the lines in a way that doesn't really work with normal films. The whole ending made me cry... I really fell in love with a lot of the characters.

I wonder if there's an English translation of the book it's based on...

Funnily enough: if you can gert hold of the DVD copy Ang Lee the director in the film's commentary *does* describe it as his martial arts movie (he's filmed just about every other genre) but infused with the beauty and grace of som,ething like sence and sensibility.

He also explains the title. In the original Chinese language, the 'pictograms' (I don't know what they are geniuinely called) which are not letters that make up words but whole phrases in of themselves, the words for "Tiger" and "Dragon" are present in the names of the two lead female characters Shu Lien and Jen. this kind of subtlty is lost in translation but he notes it also works as a metaphor for the lifestyle that is portryed for women in the film (I'm not giving anything away) who live demure and quiet lives in the society of ancient china but can become dangerous foes.

Yeah, it was great movie. Even though I never got that that whole dark cloud thing was a flashback. And being white I´m not good at telling the difference between asians. So I thought it was the police mans daughter. But besides that great movie. Even though when they did surreal things like stand on a branch people in the cinema started laughing.

The bad thing about subtitles is when something surprising happen. They might write "But clearly is wasn´t an..." And then you know something will happen suddenly when he reaches the point with the dots. Like an explosion or so.

Yes. However, I avoided the dubbed version at the video shop...bad, bad memories of 'Monkey'.

Honest, this was probably the well dubbed film I've seen. I started watching it expecting 'Monkey'. I'm still feeling pleasantly surprised...

Some friends of mine, a Brit and an American, went to see it in Stockholm.

They were bitterly disappointed, so much so that they left after about 10 minutes. It was sub-titled all right - into Swedish.

Tee Hee.

***B

You´re right. They should of course have sub-titled it in English to ensure that any resident Americans could understand it. Presuming they could read.

But of course.

We all assume that everyone in Scandanavia thinks its ok that we make no effort to pronounce the Nordic languages, let alone actually speak them. You love us, we are so cute.

Just call us arrogant and ignorant, but do it in a language we don't understand, and smile while you do so. We are just dumb monoglots.



***B

My father is Norwegian by birth. He got so fed up that virtually no-one spoke his language that he moved to America and thence to England where he renounced his citizenship and applied for a British passport. My grandmother didn't speak to him much after that, but then she only speaks Norwegian.

What do you mean nobody spoke his language. Did he for some weird reason speak American when he was a child?

Don´t worry AGCB, here in Denmark we make fun of Americans all the time.

I just rewatched the movie yesterday. Did they have to make the scene where somebody who is female was killed so gory? When you consider how nice the rest of the movie was made. Also reminded me I really should learn martial arts. Did you guys know Kung-Fu fighters actually drink petroleum?

Just thought I'd add my two penn'eth to bring this thread to the top again... Absolutely beautiful film. Got it free in a hotel room in Cardiff the other night. BEAUTIFUL.

Af

A fantastic film, I pre-ordered the DVD as soon as I returned from seeing it at the cinema.

The only thing that marred seeing it at the cinema was people laughing at the fight scenes and others who were walking out!

I really cannot understand why people would laugh at the fight sequences. Presumably these are the same people who flocked to X-Men and did not have a problem with men who can float through the air and women who can cause localised weather phenomenon!

I can only assume that their simple brains can accept the completely unreal but cannot grasp an exaggerated version of the natural elegance of martial arts.

As to the people walking out, I was in Milton Keynes and most people there are to interested in turning the place into the unmarried young mothers capital of the UK than learning to read.

Anyway this distressing experience did not stop me from enjoying every minute of a beautifully crafted work of art.

If you have not seen this file DO IT NOW! But do yourself a favour and rent the subtitled not the dub version. I am sure the intelligent people above are correct when they say that the dubbed version is good, but I have tried both since the DVD arrived and the magic of the film is much better absorbed by listening to the Mandarin and reading the subtitles. (IMHO)

JAVAM

I really enjoyed this film, and the fight scenes were fantastic. None of them seemed out-of-keeping with the rest of the film... except one, when the police man (i think) was killed by someone throwing a blade at his head, where it just stuck there, I had to stifle a guffaw!

I want to know what type of martial art they used, because I'd like to learn it!
On chinese books, does anyone know if it's possible to buy the famous book thats made of ten smaller books, about several brothers?

Well, don't forget it was movie martial arts. I mean if you look at the bloopers of Rush Hour, Jackie Chan does some quite human mistakes. And he's been doing martial arts for 50 years.

I know but it still made me laugh!

Anyone know the answer to my other questions: i REALLY want to know!