Raise the Red Lantern (1991)
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- Songlian (Gong Li) is the fourth and newest wife to a master who already supports three wives. Each has her own house within the closed world of the family compound, where every evening a red lantern is lit in front of the door of the wife with whom the master chooses to sleep. Let the rivalries begin!
- Actors:
- Li Gong, Jingwu Ma, Saifei He, Cuifen Cao, Qi Zhao, Lin Kong, Shuyuan Jin, Weimin Ding, Zengyin Cao, Zhigang Cui, Chu Xiao, Espérance Pham Thai Lan
- Directors:
- Yimou Zhang
- Producers:
- Fu-Sheng Chiu
- Writers:
- Su Tong, Ni Zhen
- Aka:
- Dahong Denglong Gaogao Gua
- Genres:
- Classics, Drama, Romance
- Collections:
- 10 Films to Watch if You Like: Raise the Red Lantern, Award Winners, Films to Watch If You Like..., Lions on the Lido, A Brief History of Film..., What to Watch Next If You Liked Nomadland
- Countries:
- China
- Awards:
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Reviews (2) of Raise the Red Lantern
Film school material - Raise the Red Lantern review by CP Customer
The picture quality of this is not too good,and for those looking for an action film,go elsewhere. This is all about telling the story through looks,camera angles,lighting that sets a sense of place,and must make a fantastic study of film making techniques. When the fourth wife arrives the other three each greet her in differing ways,and the setting all takes place within the confines of the rooms and roof of the masters residence. It is a wonderfully made experience and quite delightful to see a picture drawn slowly and with a sense of character. Notice that the master plays a subservient role and you hardly see his face. Would get four stars except for the quality of the pictures.
A Masterclass in Repression and Ritual - Raise the Red Lantern review by griggs
There’s no denying the beauty here — Raise the Red Lantern is a visual and emotional stunner: precise, claustrophobic, and quietly devastating. Gong Li is magnetic, the use of colour is spellbinding, and Zhang Yimou’s framing turns ritual into warfare.
Unfortunately, I had the misfortune of watching a version (not from Cinema Paradiso I hasten to say) that looked like it was transferred from worn-out Super 8 and subtitled by Google Translate on a bad day.
The film’s power still shone through, but the experience felt like viewing a masterpiece through frosted glass. This demands a proper rewatch. The film deserves it. And so do my eyeballs.