Red Lanterns (Film)

Raise the Red Lantern (original title: Raise the Red Lantern) is a 1991 dramatic film directed by Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou and starring Gong Li. The film presents a compelling narrative about polygamous life within a feudal system in 1920s China and the psychological devastation it inflicts on women. It is adapted from the novel Wives and Concubines by Su Tong.

Plot

The film begins with Songlian, who is forced to abandon her university education due to economic hardship, becoming the fourth wife of a wealthy man and moving into his large estate. Each wife’s life is determined by which room the husband chooses to spend the night in, a decision signaled by the lighting of red lanterns outside the chosen chamber. Songlian confronts the jealousy, intrigue, and psychological warfare generated by this system.

Thematic Structure

• Female Identity and Freedom: The film explores the struggle of female characters attempting to assert their individual agency within a patriarchal system.
• Patriarchal Order and Hierarchy: The male-dominated structure of the family and society is presented as a system that dictates women’s lives.
• Power, Competition, and Jealousy: Competition among the women and the jealousy it fuels merge with the oppressive environment created by the system, leading to tragic consequences.
• Silence, Isolation, and Mental Health: The inner worlds of the characters are examined through the lens of repression and loneliness; the deterioration of mental health emerges as a natural extension of these themes.

Production and Release Information

The film was adapted for the screen by Chinese director Zhang Yimou. The screenplay, written by Ni Zhen, is based on Su Tong’s literary work Wives and Concubines. Produced by Zhao Fei and Hou Yong, the film’s cinematography was handled by Zhao Fei, art direction by Hao Weimin, and original music composed by Zhao Jiping. A co-production between ERA International and China Film Co-Production Corporation, the film has a total runtime of 125 minutes. Shot in Mandarin (Standard Chinese), it originates from the People’s Republic of China. It premiered on 10 September 1991 at the Venice Film Festival and was released nationwide in China in 1992.

Cast

• Gong Li – Songlian (Fourth Wife)
• Ma Jingwu – Master Chen (the husband)
• He Saifei – Third Wife Meishan
• Cao Cuifen – Second Wife Zhuoyun
• Lin Kong – Servant Yan’er

Release and International Impact

Raise the Red Lantern has become one of the most significant works representing Chinese cinema on the international stage. The film, which addresses China’s cultural transformation in the early 1990s and the fragility of the individual within traditional structures, received acclaim both in the West and the East. Its visual storytelling, use of color (particularly the symbolic power of red), and spatial design are frequently analyzed in academic studies of the film.

Awards

Since its release, the film has won 23 awards and received 15 nominations. Some of these include:

Venice Film Festival (1991)

• Silver Lion – Best Director: Zhang Yimou
• FIPRESCI Prize

Academy Awards (1992)

• Best Foreign Language Film – Nomination

BAFTA Awards

• Best Film Not in the English Language

New York Film Critics Circle Awards (1992)

• Best Foreign Language Film

Chicago Film Festival

• Best Cinematography

Boston Society of Film Critics Awards

• Best Foreign Language Film

London Film Critics’ Circle Film Awards

• Foreign Language Film of the Year