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| Michelle Yeoh as Yu Shu Lien in Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon |
Is it sheer coincidence that all the soundtracks I picked this month come from movies related to martial arts? Not really, because all I seem to enjoy most are martial arts films. My first martial arts film was Bruce Lee's Big Boss. I was only 3 at that time, but I vaguely remember the corpses in the ice factory. What a wonderful memory. However it really is my favorite Bruce Lee film. I usually don't pay attention to the soundtracks of action movies because I'm too absorbed in the action. The music kind of just disappears and I barely notice it. However in the following movies, the music adds a distinct flavor to the film.
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
This was the soundtrack that earned Tan Dun an even more higher celebrity status as a composer. We, as the Chinese community, were so amazed and proud to see that the film was nominated for so many awards at the Academy Awards. Among them, Tan Dun won the category for Best Score. Simply as a foreign language film, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon earned four categories in total, Best Score, Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction, and Best Foreign Language Film. There's something calming about this soundtrack. It has those elements to evoke feelings of Asian mysticism. The cello is so somber and almost funeral-like in its playing. Very moving and emotional to listen to.
Hero
Like Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Hero's soundtrack brings in the Asian mysticism, but it's more regal. The story in Hero is mainly about the sacrifice of one for the benefit of all. It has a melancholy tone like Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, kind of tragic in its own way. The cello's sound really has Tan Dun's signature on it. It's like I can identify Tan Dun solely with the way he composes the cello pieces. The male chorus that appears in several tracks makes it feel a lot like a play and sometimes sound hymn-like. The pounding drums in "Warriors" is intimidating and the chorus makes it feels even more intimidating.
Shaolin Soccer
It almost seems too comical to be a soundtrack. Looking the tracklist alone may raise questions with names like "Refrigerator" and "Underwear". Indeed they are references to specific scenes in Stephen Chow's comedic action film. Well known for his nonsensical mashups, the soundtrack is also a mashup of typical dramatized classical-like themes and motivational fighting music. The composer, Raymond Wong, also throws in some spaghetti western and 80s dance to keep it classy.
Kung Fu Hustle
I was actually surprised to see Kung Fu Hustle nominated for Hong Kong's Best Score. It was a soundtrack that took me some time to get used to. Unfortunately the US release has a dozen tracks missing. I would have loved to hear the rest of it. "Nothing Venture, Nothing Gained" has become the main theme of the movie. It's very catchy and funny to watch. The film itself was very enjoyable to watch. A couple of tracks on the soundtrack take famous pieces like "The Sabre Dance" and "Fisherman's Song of East China Sea". The use of Chinese classical songs during the fight scenes rather than typical dark action music sets a kind of whimsical mood to it and shows pride in Chinese martial arts.
House of Flying Daggers
While this was my least favorite movie and I have expressed this in an old entry, I enjoyed the soundtrack alone. Without the story in the background, the music is a stand alone piece. I don't know how to describe it, but it has Umebayashi Shigeru's signature on it. I hear it from the percussion because he likes to use this echoing sound for the bass drums. The flute compositions are always set as solos against one type of sound or no sound at all. The melodies overall are beautiful and easy to listen to.
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