Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

After success in his native Taiwan (with Eat Drink Man Woman) and Hollywood (Sense and Sensibility), director Ang Lee had a worldwide hit with this poetic, romantic martial arts adventure that turned the "wire-fu" action of Hong Kong action movies into a gravity-defying ballet. Three women - warrior Yu Shu Lien (played by Michelle Yeoh), thieving noblewoman Jen (Zhang Ziyi) and bandit Jade Fox (Cheng Pei-Pei) - fight over a weapon, the Sword of Green Destiny, that master swordsman Li Mu Bai (Chun Yow Fat) has relinquished to the safekeeping of a friend. The action plays out in a succession of ravishing set pieces, from moonlit rooftops to the whispering fronds of a bamboo forest. As Yu and Li battle together to regain the sword, they allow their unspoken love for each other to grow, while headstrong Jen's romance with an outlaw in the mountainous desert makes an equally passionate statement. Ang Lee surrounds himself with top technical talent, including cellist Yo-Yo Ma, and The Matrix action choreographer Yuen Wo-Ping. The movie broke box-office records in America, became one of a select group of foreign films to win four Oscars, and it remains a feast for the eyes and the soul.