JU DOU
A film review by Thomas E. Billings
Copyright 1991 Thomas E. Billings
Synopsis: In 1920s China, an old man, the owner of a dye factory, buys a beautiful young wife. He beats her every night because she has not produced children, an heir. Meanwhile, his young wife and his (adopted) son have an affair, which results in the birth of a child. A tale of adultery, revenge, and murder. Even though it has superb photography and excellent acting, the story falls flat and the film is primarily a mediocre melodrama.
China (English subtitles), color, 1990, 94 minutes. Director: Zhang Yi-mou
This film has received considerable publicity recently because the Chinese government has repressed the film in China (the film is banned there). Also, the film has been nominated for a (U.S.) Academy Award in the "Best Foreign Language Film" category. The Chinese government asked that the film be withdrawn from Academy Award consideration on the grounds that it has not been screened in its country of origin, a point of considerable controversy.
The film is set in a dye factory in 1920s China. The factory is owned by a cruel old man, whose only laborer is his adopted son. The old man buys a beautiful young bride, Ju Dou, his third wife (he beat to death the first two wives). The old man is apparently impotent; every night he savagely beats Ju Dou because she is not yet pregnant. In one scene, Ju Dou is tied up while the old man is beating her; he tells her "when I buy an animal, I treat it as I wish, and you're no better than an animal".
Ju Dou and Tian-qing, the adopted son of the mill owner, are attracted to each other. One day when the old man is away, the pair become lovers, with Ju Dou actively seducing Tian-qing. Soon she is pregnant with Tian-qing's child. Shortly thereafter the old-man is crippled in an accident, and confined to a crude wheelchair. The story continues with the birth of the child, and the two lovers confronting the social limits on their relationship (adultery being punishable by death).
The film is excellent in many respects. The photography is beautiful, the set design is very colorful, with shards of dyed cloth hanging from the rafters of the dye factory. The acting is generally excellent, with a superb performance by Li Wei as the cruel, sadistic factory owner who thinks he can make his wives pregnant by beating them. The film Direction is good also (Director Zhang Yi-mou's earlier works include RED SORGHUM). Some of the writing is very good also.
However, despite having so much going for it, the film quickly turns into a predictable melodrama. Because the story weakens so much in the second half, the film is not as good as, for example, A GIRL FROM HUNAN, or the soap-opera-ish THE REINCARNATION OF GOLDEN LOTUS.
Although it is not as good as some other Chinese films (whether from China, Taiwan, Hong Kong), the film suggests that the stagnation in the film industry of China may be ending. (The events in Tienamen Square, and the crackdown afterward, seriously disrupted the film industry in China.) I recommend the film to fans of melodrama, and to anyone that appreciates Chinese films.
Distribution. In its first U.S. release; currently (3/15) showing in the San Francisco area (San Francisco: Gateway Cinema). May be available in other areas also, showing primarily in "arthouse" type theaters. The U.S. distributor for the film is Miramax Films.
Reviewer contact: teb@stat.Berkeley.EDU
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