which mixes gravity-defying martial arts with heart-breaking love stories, won the Oscar for best foreign-language film in what many considered one of the night's surest bets. The Mandarin-language movie was the Taiwanese entry for the U.S. film industry top honors, the Academy Awards, and it is the first film from Taiwan to win a foreign-language film Oscar.
With half the Oscars show still to go, "Crouching Tiger" had also won Oscars for cinematography, original score and art direction. Its 10 nominations were a record for a foreign language film.
"Crouching Tiger," has won strong critical praise here, and has become the highest grossing foreign film ever in North America with box office receipts topping the $100 million mark.
Its success has been even more spectacular given that it is spoken in Mandarin and subtitled in English, and U.S. audiences generally spurn subtitled movies.
Still, the chilling fight scenes by Hong Kong martial arts stars Chow Yun-Fat , Michelle Yeoh and Zhang Ziyi have wowed audiences and the special effects that have the actors gliding across rooftops and over treetops has thrilled them as well. Chinese-born composer Tan Dun won the Academy Award for best original score, which features western and traditional Chinese instruments and a passionate performance by internationally acclaimed cellist Yo-Yo Ma. Tan Dun wrote "Symphony 1997 (Heaven Earth Mankind)" to mark Britain's handover of Hong Kong to China.
Reuters/Variety
Tests to Determine if Skull Is Mozart's (2006-01-03)'Crouching' composer takes music onto concert stage (2002-04-26)"Crouching Tiger" took home four Oscars (2001-03-26)"Tiger" Has a Golden Night at Hollywood (2001-01-22)77 (10058)
