Raise the Red Lantern
| Raise the Red Lantern | |
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DVD release cover
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| Traditional | 大紅燈籠高高掛 |
| Simplified | 大红灯笼高高挂 |
| Mandarin | Dà Hóng Dēnglong Gāogāo Guà |
| Literally | Raise high the red lanterns |
| Directed by | Zhang Yimou |
| Produced by |
Hou Hsiao-hsien Chiu Fu-sheng Zhang Wenze |
| Written by | Ni Zhen |
| Based on |
Wives and Concubines by Su Tong |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Zhao Jiping |
| Cinematography | Zhao Fei |
| Edited by | Du Yuan |
| Distributed by | Orion Classics |
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Release date
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Running time
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125 minutes |
| Country | China Hong Kong Taiwan |
| Language | Mandarin |
| Box office | $2.6 million (United States) |
| Raise the Red Lantern | |
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| Soundtrack album by Zhao Jiping | |
| Released | 1994 |
| Label | Milan Records |
Raise the Red Lantern is a 1991 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 was later adapted into an acclaimed ballet of the same title by the National Ballet of China, also directed by Zhang.
Set in the 1920s, 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 colours. The film was shot in the Qiao Family Compound near the ancient city of Pingyao, in Shanxi Province. Although the screenplay was approved by Chinese censors, the final version of the film was banned in China for a period.
The film is set in 1920s China during the Warlord Era, years before the Chinese Civil War. Nineteen-year-old Songlian (Sònglián, 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 (Sì Tàitai) of the household. Arriving at the palatial abode, she is at first treated like royalty, receiving sensuous foot massages and brightly lit red lanterns, as well as a visit from her husband, Master Chen (Ma Jingwu), the master of the house, whose face is never clearly shown.
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 the concubine with whom he will spend the night; 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 concubines. The Second Mistress, Zhuoyun (Zhuóyún, Cao Cuifen), befriends Songlian, complimenting her youth and beauty, and giving her expensive silk as a gift; she also warns her about the Third Mistress, Meishan (Méishan, He Caifei), a former opera singer who is spoiled and who becomes 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 as having the face of the Buddha, yet possessing the heart of a scorpion.
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Wikipedia