China, 1920. One master, four wives. Read more
| Starring | Gong Li, Ma Jingwu, Jingwu Ma |
|---|---|
| Director | Zhang Yimou |
| Genres | Drama, World Cinema |
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China, 1920. One master, four wives.
| Starring | Gong Li, Ma Jingwu, Jingwu Ma |
|---|---|
| Director | Zhang Yimou |
| Run time | DVD: 2 hrs |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Drama, World Cinema |
| Released | DVD: not available Production year: 1991 |
| Format | DVD |
Northern China, the 1920s. Having agreed - to spite both her stepmother and fate - to become the fourth wife of an... read more on Time Out
Cool study of sexual politics and the subjugation of women.
Zhang Yimou (who did Ju Dou later) directed this visually arresting and intriguing 1991 film about a university educated 19-year old woman (Songlian) who is sent to become the fourth wife of a nobleman in China in the 1920s. The movie gives extremely good views of the complex nature of Songlian trying to adjust to a sudden change of life, and the factors surrounding her, such as the 'competition' with the other wives to attract the attention of her husband and a remote palatial home with its own traditions of the years. The film is gorgeous, and for me, a better one than Ju Dou in its complexity and depiction of human interactions. A definite 'must see'.
Zhang Yimou (who did Ju Dou later) directed this visually arresting and intriguing 1991 film about a university educated 19-year old woman (Songlian) who is sent to become the fourth wife of a nobleman in China in the 1920s. The movie gives extremely good views of the complex nature of Songlian trying to adjust to a sudden change of life, and the factors surrounding her, such as the 'competition' with the other wives to attract the attention of her husband and a remote palatial home with its own traditions of the years. The film is gorgeous, and for me, a better one than Ju Dou in its complexity and depiction of human interactions. A definite 'must see'.
Miami Vice and Hannibal Rising star Gong Li was roundly criticized in the Chinese press recently after speaking up for environmental issues in the senate while wearing fur. So it goes: Gong is as close to royalty as China allows these days, and that privilege doesn't come without scrutiny (she has also used her delegate status to try to curb media intrusions into privacy). It's all a long way from the roles that made her name nearly twenty years ago now: in Red Sorghum, Ju Dou, Raise the Red... Read more