Director – Zhang Yimou – 1991 – China – Cert. 12a – 125m
****
After her father dies, a 19-year-old girl without means accepts an offer of marriage from a wealthy suitor, becoming his fourth wife – back out in UK cinemas on Friday, November 6th
Northern China, the 1920s. The father of 19-year-old Songlian (Gong Li) dies, leaving her without the means to pay for college. She therefore accepts an offer of marriage to the wealthy Chen (Ma Jingwu). He’s fifty, and she’s his fourth wife. The first wife, Yuru (Jin Suyuan), has lost the master’s interest having aged. The second, Zhuoyun (Cao Cuifeng), is a constant schemer. The third, Meishan (He Saifei), is a former Opera star.
Each bride has her own house within the compound. Whichever house the master wishes to stay at at night is marked by the hanging of lit, red lanterns in the courtyard outside. The wife of the house where the red lantern is raised enjoys other privileges such as being allowed to choose her own menu at meal times. In this small world of these four women, intrigues develop as they attempt to win from their rivals the master’s favour by whatever means they can think of, fair or foul.
As in Ju Dou (1990), this sees director Zhang working with material that enables him to get to grips with life and death issues within an enclosed microcosm. In this case, what seems to fascinate him is the interplay between the four women jostling for power. A jealous maidservant of Zhoyun becomes the object of hatred for Songlian, contrasted heavily with the latter’s discovery of Meishan’s former opera career (by overhearing her enchanting singing in the courtyard.
Meanwhile a hanging chamber (for the execution of unfaithful wives) is prophetically positioned on a corner of the compound roof. The eponymous lamplighting ritual, visually fascinating to watch, is followed by some likewise extraordinary foot massaging sequences bestowed on the chosen wife. If the final reel errs somewhat in a lack of direction, then up to that point this is impressive stuff, well up to par and highly recommended.
Review originally published in Film and Video – the Magazine circa 1992.
Raise the Red Lantern is back out in cinemas in the UK on Friday, November 6th 2026.
Trailer: