Set in 1920s China, Raise the Red Lantern begins with a close-up of Songlian's face. Harassed by her stepmother to get married for over three days, Songlian finally consents. When asked whom will she marry, Songlian answers that she will marry a rich man. The stepmother then intones that if she marries a rich man then she will be nothing more than a concubine. Songlian answers that it matters little.
Dressed in her university clothes, Songlian makes her way to the family compound of the Chen family where she is installed as the Fourth Mistress. Only nineteen-years-old, Songlian looks to be several years, by two, three, or four decades, younger than the first mistress. Who Songlian states must be one hundred years old. The Third Mistress, a former opera singer, is quite aloof and avoids making contact with Songlian. The only mistress Songlian seems to be able to get along with is the Second Mistress, a pleasant faced older woman.
Within the environs of the family compound there are a number of rules. Besides small things like the specific table where the family sits for meals and pregnancy rituals, several red lanterns illuminate the Mistress's rooms where the Master will sleep the night and the Mistress of said rooms will receive a foot massage given by the skillful Auntie Cao. While the lanterns and foots massages seem inconsequential, one of the mistresses informs Songlian that if one goes without a foot massages for three day, i.e. the Master does not pay her a visit, the servants begin treating her differently. Also, the owner of the room where the lanterns were illuminated the night before can also chose specified meals.
It is within this environment that Songlian has come to live. Seemingly hated by the Third Mistress and even her own maidservant Yan'er, Songlian, who was attending a University until her father died, finds herself tangled in a system of tradition where backstabbing is the rule of the game. However, Songlian is not scared to attack back even at the risk of the safety of others.
Played by the stunning Gong Li, Songlian comes off as a strong, intelligent young woman who is unfortunately ensnared in a less than ideal situation. While living in luxury, one can sense the boredom she must feel. Seemingly imprisoned in her rooms, Songlian is not even able to keep a flute, an heirloom of her father's, because Master Chen is worried that it was a gift from a boy at Songlian's university.
Like other Zhang Yimou films, Raise the Red Lantern is a visual delight. Set entirely within the environs of the Chen compound, one can see a cinematic glimpse into the lives of the Chinese privileged during the 1920s. While quite different than the Su Tong novella on which it was based, there were no red lanterns and the First Mistress's son had a special friend, Raise the Red Lantern is quite an experience that was filmed during the height of the Zhang Yimou/Gong Li collaboration.
Dressed in her university clothes, Songlian makes her way to the family compound of the Chen family where she is installed as the Fourth Mistress. Only nineteen-years-old, Songlian looks to be several years, by two, three, or four decades, younger than the first mistress. Who Songlian states must be one hundred years old. The Third Mistress, a former opera singer, is quite aloof and avoids making contact with Songlian. The only mistress Songlian seems to be able to get along with is the Second Mistress, a pleasant faced older woman.
Within the environs of the family compound there are a number of rules. Besides small things like the specific table where the family sits for meals and pregnancy rituals, several red lanterns illuminate the Mistress's rooms where the Master will sleep the night and the Mistress of said rooms will receive a foot massage given by the skillful Auntie Cao. While the lanterns and foots massages seem inconsequential, one of the mistresses informs Songlian that if one goes without a foot massages for three day, i.e. the Master does not pay her a visit, the servants begin treating her differently. Also, the owner of the room where the lanterns were illuminated the night before can also chose specified meals.
It is within this environment that Songlian has come to live. Seemingly hated by the Third Mistress and even her own maidservant Yan'er, Songlian, who was attending a University until her father died, finds herself tangled in a system of tradition where backstabbing is the rule of the game. However, Songlian is not scared to attack back even at the risk of the safety of others.
Played by the stunning Gong Li, Songlian comes off as a strong, intelligent young woman who is unfortunately ensnared in a less than ideal situation. While living in luxury, one can sense the boredom she must feel. Seemingly imprisoned in her rooms, Songlian is not even able to keep a flute, an heirloom of her father's, because Master Chen is worried that it was a gift from a boy at Songlian's university.
Like other Zhang Yimou films, Raise the Red Lantern is a visual delight. Set entirely within the environs of the Chen compound, one can see a cinematic glimpse into the lives of the Chinese privileged during the 1920s. While quite different than the Su Tong novella on which it was based, there were no red lanterns and the First Mistress's son had a special friend, Raise the Red Lantern is quite an experience that was filmed during the height of the Zhang Yimou/Gong Li collaboration.