Raise the Red Lantern

1920s China. Unable to continue her studies after the death of her father, 19-year-old Songlian (Gong Li) reluctantly agrees to become the fourth wife of a powerful northern clan leader. At first she’s angered and depressed by her fate, but over time she becomes an active participant in the courtly intrigues by which each wife vies for the favours of the elderly patriarch, and the privileges that come with it.

Zhang Yimou’s 1991 film — now in a stunning new 4K restoration — is a masterpiece of cinema. Visually sumptuous but rigorously controlled (for example, we never see a close up of the husband), it’s an emphatically compelling melodrama about feudalism, sexual politics and the dynamics of subjugation.

The 4K restoration of Raise the Red Lantern was carried out by the Udine Far East Film Festival on the occasion of its 26th edition. The original image and sound negatives were used under the supervision of Director Zhang Yimou.

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A Chinese film of voluptuous physical beauty and angry passions… There is a sense in which Raise the Red Lantern exists solely for the eyes. Entirely apart from the plot, there is the sensuous pleasure of the architecture, the fabrics, the color contrasts, the faces of the actresses. But beneath the beauty is the cruel reality of this life, just as beneath the comfort of the rich man’s house is the sin of slavery.

Roger Ebert

A beautifully crafted and richly detailed feat of consciousness-raising and a serious drama with the verve of a good soap opera…. [A]s visually striking as it is dramatically effective.

Janet Maslin, New York Times

With its beautiful look and haunting themes and sublime performances, Raise The Red Lantern is Yimou’s master work.

Amber Wilkinson, Eye for Film