that Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was directed in the States? Say it isn't so!

I would never have guessed that. First of all, it seemed that Ang Lee made a strong effort to keep the movie cast and crew pure Chinese, right down to the soundtrack composer, Tan Dun.

I guess it's possible, but that would mean some difficult editing done to incorporate the beautiful cinematography provided by Peter Pau, who gorgeously caught the varied range of China's landscapes from the desolate painted valleys of Western China to the sprawling urban maze of Beijing, to the mist-soaked Wudan mountains, with the footage directed in the States. More than any costuming or props, it's was the spectacle of the land and environment that transported me to that proverbial other world.

This American (me :-) and many of my friends were so madly in love with Tiger/Dragon, we saw it in the theater five times! None of the people I spoke with about this movie thought it was "too eastern." If anything, some guys thought it was bordering on being a "kung-fu chick flick." I thought it was closer to a Greek tragedy than the typical martial arts Hong Kong film.

Crouching Tiger had critical box office success here in the States. Statistics from rottentomatoes.com are impressive for a subtitled movie:

BOX OFFICE SUMMARY
Box Office Total: $127,652,038
Box Office Opening: $663,205
No. of Weeks in Top 10: 15
Highest Ranking: 4

VHS RENTALS REVENUE SUMMARY
VHS Rentals Total: $21,880,000
VHS Rentals Opening: $7,750,000
No. of Weeks in Top 10: 4
Highest Ranking: 2

I sure would be interested in your sources that Tiger/Dragon was directed in the States. Thanks.