Raise the Red Lantern, based on novel Wives and Concubines by So Tung, is a very unusual movie, offering a unique and surreal cinematic experience. The employment of significant audio and visual element by Zhang Yimou and a stunning performance by the main lead Gong Li delivers a Chinese masterpiece. Although it was controversial in China, it received plaudits and awards abroad. This period drama set in early 20th China is visually enthralling and rich with variegated emotions. It is shocking, distressing, and thought-provoking. It documents the time and character of Chinese society fraught with abuse of money and power, decadence, misogyny, inequality, and peculiar family customs. It is also said to be an allegory of the Chinese authoritarian system and its oppressive culture. It was strictly censored in China and banned for a period of time.
The movie shows the sorrowful story of a 19-year-old woman forced to give up her education to marry a wealthy married man as her third concubine. From primarily despising the family and its tradition to getting caught in a complex powerplay to dominate family affairs, her tale takes us to a fort where we see alliances, conflicts, betrayal, and tragedies. It is interesting to see who is conspiring against who and who is innocent, with the character of a lady servant playing a pivotal role in the int narrative. It is a heartbreaking portrayal of the plight of women in a traditionally patriarchal set up where a wealthy man is high on decadence and her women are pitted against each other to win his attention and influence over family, which sometimes leads to unexpectedly gruesome outcomes, nudging you to sympathize with characters despite their flaws. As it is described by one of the reviewers on IMDb- "woman bound in tradition from which she found no escape except death or madness."
The movie is rather slow-paced and it would be difficult to 'sit back with patience and watch' for those who expect piquant drama packed with spicy twists and turns (the movie ingeniously avoids such an overdramatization and stick to originality). But if one wants to experience great cinema, it is a very powerful movie. It is a movie when you witness each frame of the picture speaking to you directly without having to utter a word. This is what is called the "great cinema".
The movie shows the sorrowful story of a 19-year-old woman forced to give up her education to marry a wealthy married man as her third concubine. From primarily despising the family and its tradition to getting caught in a complex powerplay to dominate family affairs, her tale takes us to a fort where we see alliances, conflicts, betrayal, and tragedies. It is interesting to see who is conspiring against who and who is innocent, with the character of a lady servant playing a pivotal role in the int narrative. It is a heartbreaking portrayal of the plight of women in a traditionally patriarchal set up where a wealthy man is high on decadence and her women are pitted against each other to win his attention and influence over family, which sometimes leads to unexpectedly gruesome outcomes, nudging you to sympathize with characters despite their flaws. As it is described by one of the reviewers on IMDb- "woman bound in tradition from which she found no escape except death or madness."
The movie is rather slow-paced and it would be difficult to 'sit back with patience and watch' for those who expect piquant drama packed with spicy twists and turns (the movie ingeniously avoids such an overdramatization and stick to originality). But if one wants to experience great cinema, it is a very powerful movie. It is a movie when you witness each frame of the picture speaking to you directly without having to utter a word. This is what is called the "great cinema".
