Raise the Red Lantern (Da hong deng long gao gao gua) (1991)
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96% of critics liked it
(25 reviews) -
93% of users liked it
(21,529 ratings)
The phenomenal success and international acclaim of Raise the Red Lantern, cemented Zhang Yimou's status as a leading figure in world cinema and reaffirmed the vibrancy of Chinese cinema. Though the film was the topic of great political controversy in China upon its release, it received armfuls… More The phenomenal success and international acclaim of Raise the Red Lantern, cemented Zhang Yimou's status as a leading figure in world cinema and reaffirmed the vibrancy of Chinese cinema. Though the film was the topic of great political controversy in China upon its release, it received armfuls of awards from Belgium, Italy, the United Kingdom and a nomination for an Academy Award. This sumptuously photographed drama, set in Northern China in the 1920s and based on the novel Wives and Concubines by Su Tong, stars Gong Li as Songlian, the fourth wife of an elderly landlord. Songlian is a college student who has been married off by her stepmother, so it is with tremendous frustration that this woman, who had hopes of using her education to broaden her horizons, now finds herself reduced to a small enclosure at the beck and call of her husband. Despite being given a maid (Kong Lin) and luxurious surroundings, she feels trapped inside the cheerless walls. Upon her arrival, Songlian realizes that she must keep one step ahead of her rivals, the three other wives. She also learns of her husband's tradition of lighting a lantern outside of the house of the wife with whom he intends to spend the night. During the first night together with her husband, she finds he is called away to tend to his spoiled third wife (He Caifei). Songlian then becomes acquainted with his other wives -- his first wife (Jin Shuyuan), an elderly woman who ignores Songlian; the third wife, an ex-opera singer; and the second wife (Cao Cuifeng), who offers Songlian friendship and helpful advice. But it turns out that the second wife's motives are not exactly innocent--she is conspiring with Songlian's maid to undermine both the third wife and Songlian. Raise the Red Lantern is a moving exploration of power in a suffocating world of ossified tradition and naked ambition-a masterpiece of 1990s world cinema. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi
- Directed By
- Yimou Zhang
- Genres
- Art House & International, Drama
PG,
- In Theaters
- Sep 1, 1991 Wide
Critic Reviews
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Rob Nelson, Village Voice
Visually ravishing and emotionally cold, Zhang's third feature is one long series of pushes and pulls.
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Janet Maslin, New York Times
A beautifully crafted and richly detailed feat of consciousness-raising and a serious drama with the verve of a good soap opera.
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Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
Gong Li delivers a performance of exquisite expressiveness that, like the film itself, is unnerving in its emotional nakedness.
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John Hartl, Film.com
A near-perfect movie that often recalls the visual purity and intensity of silent films.
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Hal Hinson, Washington Post
The story never amounts to much more than a rather tepid Chinese rendition of The Women.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Li Gong
as Songlian
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He Caifei
as Meishan
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Ma Jingwu
as Chen Zuoqian
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Cao Cuifeng
as Zhuoyun
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Jin Shuyuan
as Yuru
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Lin Kong
as Yan'er
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Zhao Qi
as Chen Baishun-Housekeeper
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Ding Weimin
as Mother Song
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Chu Xiao
as Feipu
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Cao Zhengyin
as Old servant
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Zhihgang Cui
as Doctor Gao
- Saifei He
- Cuifen Cao
- Jingwu Ma
- Qi Zhao
- Shuyuan Jin
- Weimin Ding
