Question re: "House of Flying Daggers"

December 12, 2004 9:50 PM

So I recently saw House of Flying Daggers and I have a general question. [MI with a spoiler-free scenic question]

So what's with the fighting scenes in the tops of bamboo forests?

In both Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and House of Flying Daggers there are fighting scenes set among the tops of bamboo forests.

Is fighting in bamboo some sort of Chinese cinema trope?
Does it connote something deeper that I'm just not aware of (other than the fact that they're incredible, transcendent badasses)?
Is it just something that's included because it looks cool?

posted by bshort to media & arts (3 comments total)

It is tradition, grasshopper. Total trope. I was just reading a "top 20 movies with bamboo fights in it" list. Can't find it now but I promise I'll provide in the AM.

As to the deeper reasons behind it...well, there is an awful lot of the stuff in Asia, yes? In big, beautiful dappled light forests. It lends.
posted by tinamonster at 10:23 PM on December 12, 2004

Here's a quote about that scene from the Director, Zhang Yimou" "I almost gave up the bamboo forest scene because one happens in practically every martial-arts movie." [More Outside]
posted by tinamonster at 10:34 PM on December 12, 2004

I moved to China in late September and this morning on CCTV-9, the international channel, a program called Culture Express ran through some of the things that make Chinese martial arts films unique. The host said they are, "over the top pure entertainment in the highest form". The film stars Andy Lau who is also a very popular and accomplished singer with a very lengthy career.

Incidentally, I have purchased The House of Flying Daggers on DVD three times to find that the subtitles were wrong everytime. Once I recognized them as being from X-Men 2 but the others were some random American war movie. I still hope to see it as it has been out here for quite some time.
posted by geekyguy at 1:05 AM on December 13, 2004