StunnaKrypto Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.

ShangLuda Admirable film.

Sienna-Rose Mclaughlin The movie really just wants to entertain people.

Yazmin Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

classicsoncall Perhaps I've conditioned myself to some of director Yimou Zhang's later films, because this movie had none of the appeal that I was expecting. Not that I was looking for a colorful and exciting display of martial arts, I can get that anytime. But the story line here was frustratingly static and virtually relegated to a single location inside the fortress of a wealthy Chinese land owner. And unless my DVD copy of the movie was somehow degraded, the early portions of the picture had a scratchy quality to it, almost like a 1920's silent film. But maybe that's just an outlier I experienced.The story itself is compelling in it's own way, and the use and symbolism of the lanterns lends an ethereal quality to the Master's choice of bedtime partners each evening. I probably should have expected the infighting and power play of the four 'mistresses' conspiring against each other, however I don't know how any of them thought they could get away with their schemes. Perhaps that's why the oldest First Mistress (Shuyuan Jin) managed to keep herself mostly out of the fray, having been around the longest and realizing she was no longer a preferred 'wife'. The question of how long Songlian (Li Gong) thought she could affect the ruse of a pregnancy was brought up but never really answered. Perhaps she was going mad well before witnessing Meishan's (Saifei He) execution.Perhaps the most surprising aspect of the story is the virtual absence of The Master (Jingwu Ma), a shadowy presence for the most part who's commands and directions are handled off screen or in dim lighting so as not to intrude on the machinations of the four mistresses. I was also taken aback by what appeared to be a voodoo type of doll used by Songlian's servant girl Yan'er (Lin Kong), to call upon the spirits to demean the lady she served. Even with all of that though, I didn't find the movie to be that compelling over all, and if I were to offer a recommendation. I'd say stick with Yimou Zhang's films of two decades later - "Hero" (2002), "House of Flying Daggers" (2004), or "Curse of the Golden Flower" (2006). Watch any of those and 'Red Lantern' pales by comparison.

Lee Eisenberg Zhang Yimou's Academy Award-nominated "Da hong deng long gao gao gua" ("Raise the Red Lantern" in English) is one of the many movies that sets up why China is like it is today. In this case, the focus is the plight of a woman in the Warlord Era. Songlian (Gong Li) is forced to become a concubine for a wealthy man. She is his fourth mistress. Each mistress lives in her own compound, and the lantern of his chosen mistress for the night gets lit. Tension is bound to arise, especially since not every mistress gets equal treatment.The movie is a look at the master's superficial world, and the pseudo-luxury that the mistresses enjoy. The rooms themselves may be colorful, but the compound itself is just as dismal as the mistresses' lives. The unusual blend of colors and music creates a movie like few others. You don't have to know all about China's history to understand what a fine piece of work this is. I recommend it.

justinnaaz This movie is like a piece of westernised Chinese food which added lots of sugar to flatter white people's taste. Unfortunately,it is totally fabricated and make no sense to me as a Chinese. The sugar here is the complicated sexual relationship; whimsical concocted costume,raising the lanterns in the front of mistress is a joke to me ; and slanted eyes main characters, exactly catering the white people's stereotypical view of Asian. I have nothing against director yimou and gong li. As a matter of fact I prefer their other film which called to live. However, if you do not understand Chinese history and China very well you probably do not enjoy this film as you do not know the meaning behind.

will-cawkwell Raise the Red Lantern is directed by the well known Chinese director Zhang Yimou. Zhang has created a piece of work that is rich with symbolism. His use of colour and differing camera angles capture the unspoken emotions and atmosphere constantly surrounding the narrative. Raise the Red Lantern reflects on Confucian attitudes and the welfare of women under this regime. Zhang uses cultural tradition to critique the past. While this tradition serves its purpose in the film it must be recognised as a conscious attempt by Zhang to self-orientalise. His use of hyper-real traditions further demonstrates his need to emphasise the exotic and make the film appealing to an international audience. Colour is used throughout the film to create atmosphere, depict emotions and symbolise power. Zhang has a history of using the colour red in his films. In Raise the Red Lantern I believe the colour red is used to symbolise power and also the lack of power. Each evening all the mistresses must line up outside their houses to await the master's choice of who he will spend the night with. The mistress who is chosen is presented with a glowing red lantern at her doorway and the approach to her house is lit by red lanterns. This display of red gives power to one over the many. With the honour associated with being chosen to lie with the master comes power of choice over the other mistresses and servants. The chosen mistress may choose what food is prepared for all, where she will eat it and can demand usually unobtainable services from servants and mistresses alike. In this instance the colour red is a symbol of power for the mistress. In the same instance this colour red can be interpreted as a lack of power for the mistress. The red lantern being presented to the mistress could also represent her powerlessness over choice. She has been chosen by the master to sleep with him; she has no say in this decision and must subject to his will. Yet another reading of this symbol is that of the western notion of a red light representing prostitution. A common symbol of prostitution in the west is having a red light over the doorway and lends to the name "red light district". This western understanding of the colour red may have been adopted by Zhang in this film to further its understanding and appeal to western audiences. For when you review the way in which the mistress is chosen, is used as a tool to gratify the man and then left at his discretion, it has many similarities to prostitution. Contrasting the bright colour red is the muted backdrop of subdued hues of Grey. This backdrop creates a sense of melancholy and impending despair. It also highlights the bright red of the lanterns, furthermore emphasising whoever has the lanterns importance and power over the rest. I believe that the lanterns themselves are also very symbolic in the film. The lanterns are the lifeblood of the female characters in the film. When the lanterns are lit the characters have hope and life, when they are out they live in despair. When Songlian is found to have tricked the master about being pregnant her lanterns are not only put out but also covered. This symbolises her hope being quashed, she is from then on ignored by the master, left to live in the muted background and fated to turn mad. Another example of the lantern symbolising hope and life is with Ya'ner . Ya'ner steals lanterns to try and emulate the hope and life that the mistresses enjoy. When Ya'ner is found out she is forced to kneel in the snow while her lanterns are burnt in front of her. This symbolises her hopes, dreams and life being destroyed. She dies after this episode. Raise the Red Lantern is also a critique of the not so distant Confucian society that dominated China for over a thousand years. Zhang focuses his portrayal of Confucian values on the power relationship between genders. Such examples are evident throughout the film. The husband in the film, only ever referred to in the film as "the master", is the patriarch and untouchable. The master has four wives/mistresses and has the power to call on any one of them to fulfil his needs. His mistresses have no choice in when or how they are chosen, they are treated as objects not as people. The fact that he is married to all four women and yet they are never referred to as his wives is an example of their lack of power and status. Zhang uses two characteristics common to Fifth generation film makers in his telling of Raise the Red Lantern. Both self-orientalising and hyper-real situations are evident throughout the film. Zhang purposely over exaggerates many of the cultural practices and the extent of their influence. He does this to draw attention and make the film more exotic and enthralling to an international audience. He focuses on the negative and brutal aspects of Confucian society to perpetuate the western belief that Chinese society is brutal and archaic. In his attempt to make the film more exotic he also creates hyper-real customs that he sells as authentic. Key depictions such as the use of the red lanterns, the use of the voodoo doll by the servant and the 'traditional' foot massage are examples of an imagined culture created for the benefit of the viewer. Raise the Red Lantern is a gripping, emotional and vivid critique of Confucian society. It makes use of extensive symbolism to enhance the narrative and further the viewers understanding of key themes. Zhang has focused on gender power relations, in particular the lack of power women were afforded in Confucian society. He has used traditional as well as hyper-real cultural practices to emphasise and highlight the moral miss-comings of Chinese culture and in effect has reinforced western views of cultural supremacy.