RAISE THE RED LANTERN
A film review by Thomas E. Billings
Copyright 1992 Thomas E. Billings
Synopsis: In northern China during the 1920s, a beautiful college student becomes the fourth wife of an older and very wealthy man. The four wives compete with each other for the attention of their husband, "The Master." A slow-moving drama centered on the wives and their plots against each other. Although the film does make the appropriate social comment, it does so in a ponderous, rather depressing fashion.
China (English subtitles), color, 1991, 125 minutes. Director: Zhang Yimou
This is the newest film by Zhang Yimou to be released in the U.S.; his previous films include RED SORGHUM and JU DOU. Like JU DOU, it is the story of a young woman married to an older man, and the social and personal oppression she must face. The story centers on Songlian, a beautiful 19-year-old college student (played by Gong Li, who had the title role in JU DOU) who accepts a marriage offer from an older, very wealthy man. The film is set in the 1920s in northern China, a society where tradition, or perhaps more specifically conformance to tradition, is extremely important.
Songlian arrives at the household and is assigned a maid, Yan'er, who is resentful because she wanted to be chosen as the "Fourth Mistress." Each of the wives lives in a separate courtyard. The husband, referred to as "The Master" by everyone in the household, including his wives, is a very wealthy middle-aged man. The "First Mistress" is now an old woman; she has produced a son ("Young Master"), and is no longer of sexual interest to The Master. The "Second Mistress" is a jealous, power hungry woman who wants to produce a son for The Master; she is upset because all she has done is produce a "useless" daughter. The "Third Mistress" is a former opera singer.
The household is ruled by traditions and custom. Each night the wives stand at the entry to their courtyard, and The Master chooses which one he will sleep with that night. A red lantern, on a tripod, is set in front of the chosen wife. The red lanterns in the courtyard belonging to the chosen wife are then lit. The film's plot consists largely of the wives competing against each other for The Master's attention. The women plot against each other, and use servants to spy on each other.
On the positive side, this film has beautiful photography and sets, excellent acting, and a good social message. The problem is that virtually none of the characters make a measurable emotional connection with the audience. Also, the story is very slow-moving and rather depressing. Since there is no emotional connection, it is hard to care what happens to the main characters.
The film's social message centers on the oppression of women, and the terrible oppression of social tradition, in "old" China. Because the character of The Master is not explored, he is seen as an aloof, capricious, selfish totalitarian -- an allusion, perhaps, to China's present leadership?
I would not recommend the film to a general audience, as it is too slow-moving and depressing. Instead, JU DOU is available on videotape in the U.S., and is a good alternate. Fans of Chinese historical films might find the film acceptable.
U.S. Distribution: currently in its first general theatrical release. The distributor is Orion Classics, and the film will probably be shown primarily in "art house" theaters.
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