MY RATING: CLASSIC

Raise the Red Lantern (1991)

DIRECTED BY: Zhang Yimou

STARRING: Gong Li

BRIEF SYNOPSIS: A young school-girl is married to a rich master as his fourth mistress. Competition between her and the other three mistresses becomes ripe as each seeks the attention of the master.

When I saw Raise the Red Lantern I admit it was different than my expectations. I expected it to be like other Chinese films, rich with culture and epic environments. While some cultural elements were present they were not the focus, rather the focus was the inner turmoil of the fourth mistress. This is more or less the theme throughout the entire film, showing a progression of Songlian's distress from simple depression, to anger, to insanity.

Songlian is a young school-girl who gives in to her step-mother's wish to marry a rich man. Upon arrival at the man's house she finds that things are much different than she would have expected. She is the fourth concubine to the master and the other three are determined to win his favor. Every night red lanterns are lit by the house of the concubine the master will stay the night with. Frequently lit lanterns mean power for the mistress therefore competition is high.

The film begins and Songlian is indifferent to the games being played for the attention of the master. She is not happy where she is and does not care for the master. However, her sorrow turns to anger as she witnesses the actions of her sister mistresses. In an attempt to show them what she is made of, she plays the game as well. However, by doing so she indirectly causes the death of her maid and one of her sister mistresses, which eventually drives her insane.

The acting is superb in this film and is a great contribution to the style. Gong Li does an excellent job of displaying how her own turmoil is slowly eating her from the inside out. The director also makes several interesting choices with the actors. For instance, the character of the master is never fully revealed. His face is either hidden or seen from a great distance making his seem like an insignificant part of the film. This suggests that the real cause behind the waring mistresses is not the master but the red lanterns.

The lanterns are the cornerstone in the overall color scheme and design. They seem to represent power and authority, but they are also immobile symbols of the strange traditions and rival war between mistresses. Thus they become a symbol of Songlian's eventual insanity. The color red is also associate with these same themes, and is often a color worn by those caught in the competitive game. Songlian, for example, begins the film wearing primarily white, but later switches to a variety of red outfits.

The environments are unexpectedly bleak for a Chinese film. The walls and decorations, though large, are quite spartan and encompassing. Much of the film creates the impression that Songlian is trapped at the house which only contributes to her insanity.

The music is used to great effect. It is used in such a way that silence is just as effective as the rare moments when the music is used. The silence is almost a part of the music. The music is loud and usually brief. It is effective in enhancing the growing insanity reflected in Songlian.

Overall, Raise the Red Lantern is a wonderful masterpiece of color, sound, and general storytelling. It is a great addition to Chinese cinema, a film I would recommend to anyone looking for a story that will leave the viewer thinking.