Raise the Red Lantern
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| Raise the Red Lantern | |
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| Directed by | Zhang Yimou |
| Produced by | Fu-Sheng Chiu |
| Written by | Su Tong (novel) Ni Zhen |
| Starring | Gong Li |
| Distributed by | MGM |
| Release date(s) |  September, 1991 (premiere at VFF) March 13, 1992 (LA only) 20 March 1992 (NYC only) |
| Running time | 125 min. |
| Language | Mandarin |
| All Movie Guide profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Raise the Red Lantern (Simplified Chinese: 大红灯笼高高挂; Traditional Chinese: 大紅燈籠高高掛; pinyin: Dà Hóng Dēnglóng Gāogāo Guà; literally Hang High the Big Red Lantern) is an award-winning 1991 Chinese film, directed by Zhang Yimou and starring Gong Li. It is an adaption by Ni Zhen of the 1990 novel Wives and Concubines by Su Tong.
The film tells the story of a young woman who becomes one of the concubines of a wealthy man during the Warlord Era. It is noted for its opulent visuals and sumptuous use of colors. The film was shot in Qiao's Compound in the ancient city of Pingyao, in Shanxi Province.Qiao's Compound Although the screenplay was approved by Chinese censors, the final version of the film was banned in theatres (although it has since been screened on commercial TV in China).[citation needed] Some film critics have interpreted the film as a veiled allegory against Chinese communist authoritarianism.[citation needed]
The film was later adapted into an acclaimed ballet of the same title by the National Ballet of China, directed by Zhang Yimou himself.
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[edit] Plot
The film is set in 1920s China during the warlord era, years before the Chinese Civil War. Nineteen-year-old Songlian (頌蓮, played by Gong Li), whose father has recently died and left the family bankrupt, marries into the wealthy Chen family, becoming the fourth wife or rather the third concubine — or, as she is referred to, the Fourth Mistress — of the household. Arriving at the palatial abode, she is at first treated like royalty, receiving sensuous foot massages, brightly-lit red lanterns, as well as nightly visits from her husband (Jingwu Ma), the master of the house. Songlian soon discovers, however, that not all the concubines in the household receive the same luxurious treatment. In fact, the master decides on a daily basis which concubines he will spend the night with; whomever he chooses gets her lanterns lit, receives the foot massage, gets her choice of menu items at mealtime, and gets the most attention and respect from the servants. Pitted in constant competition against each other, the three concubines are continually vying for their husband's attention and affections.
The First Mistress, Yuru (Jin Shuyuan), appears to be nearly as old as the master himself. Having borne a son decades earlier, she seems resigned to live out her life as forgotten, always passed over in favor of the younger concubine. The Second Mistress, Zhuoyun (Cuifen Cao), befriends Songlian, complimenting her youth and beauty, and giving her expensive silk as a gift; she also warns her about the Third Mistress, Meishan (Caifei He), a former opera singer who is spoiled, unable to cope with no longer being the youngest and most favored of the master's playthings. As time passes, though, Songlian learns that it is really Zhuoyun, the Second Mistress, who is not to be trusted; she is subsequently described (quite accurately) as having the face of the Buddha, yet possessing the heart of a scorpion.
Songlian feigns pregnancy, attempting to garner the majority of the master's time (and, at the same time, attempting to become actually pregnant: a self-fulfilling prophecy). Zhuoyun, however, is in league with Songlian's personal maid, Yan'er (燕兒, played by Lin Kong) who finds and reveals a pair of bloodied undergarments, suggesting that Songlian had recently had her period, and discovers the pregnancy is a fraud, so she summons the family physician, out of false concern for Songlian. Doctor Gao (Zhihgang Cui), who is secretly having an illicit affair with Third Mistress Meishan, examines Songlian and determines the pregnancy to be a sham. Infuriated, the master orders Songlian's lanterns covered with thick black canvas bags indefinitely. Blaming the sequence of events on Yan'er, Songlian reveals to the house that Yan'er's room is filled with lit red lanterns, showing that Yan'er dreams of becoming a Mistress instead of a lowly servant; it is suggested earlier that Yan'er is in love with the Master and has even slept with him in the Fourth Mistress' bed. Yan'er is punished by having the lanterns burned while she kneels in the snow, watching as they smolder. In an act of defiance Yan'er refuses to humble herself or apologize and thus remains kneeling in the snow throughout the night until she collapses. Yan'er falls sick and ultimately dies after being taken to the hospital. One of the servants tells Songlian that her former maid died with her mistress' name on her lips. Songlian, who had briefly attended university before the passing of her father and being forced into marriage, comes to the conclusion that she is happier alone in solitude; she eventually sees the competition between the concubines as a useless endeavor, as each woman is merely a "robe" that the master may wear and discard at his discretion.
As Songlian retreats further into her solitude, she begins speaking of suicide; she reasons that dying is a better fate than being a concubine in the Chen household. The opulent estate, while initially seeming lavish and posh, gradually morphs into a metaphorical prison compound in young Songlian's eyes. On her twentieth birthday, severely intoxicated and despondent over her bitter fate, she inadvertently blurts out the details of the love affair between Meishan and Doctor Gao. Zhuoyun overhears the information and catches the adulterous couple together. Following the old customs and traditions, Meishan is dragged to a lone room on the roof of the estate and hanged to death by the master's servants. Songlian, already in agony due to the fruitlessness of her life, witnesses the entire episode and is emotionally traumatized.
The following summer, after the master's marriage to yet another concubine, Songlian is shown wandering the compound aimlessly, having gone completely insane.
[edit] Cast
- Gong Li — Songlian (fourth mistress)
- He Caifei — Meishan (third mistress)
- Cao Cuifen — Zhuoyun (second mistress)
- Qi Zhao — Housekeeper
- Lin Kong — Yan'er (Songlian's young servant)
- Jin Shuyuan — Yuru (first wife)
- Ma Jingwu — Master Chen
- Cui Zhihgang — Doctor Gao
- Xiao Chu — Feipu (the master's eldest son)
- Cao Zhengyin — (Songlian's old servant)
- Ding Weimin — Songlian's mother
[edit] Awards and Nominations
[edit] Wins
- Silver Lion for Best Director - (1991 Venice International Film Festival)
- Best Foreign Language Film - (1992 New York Film Critics Circle)
- Best Foreign Language Film - (1992 David di Donatello Italian Film Awards)
- Best Cinematography - - Zhao Fei (1992 L.A. Film Critics Association)
- Best Film Not in the English Language - (1993 British Academy Film Awards)
- Best Foreign Language Film - (1993 National Society of Film Critics)
- Best Foreign Language Film - (1993 London Film Critics Circle)
- Best Foreign Language Film - (1993 Kansas City Film Critics Circle)
- Best Cinematography - (1993 National Society of Film Critics)
- Best Actress (Gong Li) - (1993 Hundred Flowers Awards)
[edit] Nominations
- Best Foreign Language Film - (1992 Academy Awards)
- Golden Lion for Best Film - (1991 Venice International Film Festival)
- Best Foreign Film - (1992 National Board of Review)
- Best Foreign Language Film - (1993 Independent Spirit Awards)
[edit] External links
| Films directed by Zhang Yimou |
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| Red Sorghum • Codename Cougar • Ju Dou • Raise the Red Lantern • The Story of Qiu Ju • To Live • Shanghai Triad • Keep Cool • Not One Less • The Road Home • Happy Times • Hero • House of Flying Daggers • Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles • Curse of the Golden Flower |
| Preceded by The Nasty Girl |
BAFTA Award for Best Film Not in the English Language 1992 |
Succeeded by Farewell My Concubine |
