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Truly Dreadful Film

Thanks for the memories!

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

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.

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.

Raise the Red Lantern is one of the best Chinese movies I have seen. The acting is so realistic, the time and location is historic and exotic, and the colors and music is just luscious. On top of that is the story line which is tragic yet beautiful.This movie is the perfect depiction of competition and deception. Those who you think of as friends are actually your enemies. Those closest to you will betray you. Those that you cannot stand might as well be your closest allies. And in the end, are all the layers of deception and pointless competition really worth it?I really recommend this film. The pace might be a bit slow, but it perfectly fits the mood of the movie and it gives you time to think about what happens next.

This beautifully made film ranks high among my list of favorite movies. One reason is because of its film star, Li Gong, who I loved in Ju Dou, Memoirs of a Geisha, and Curse of the Golden Flower. The second reason is because of Director Yimou Zhang who directed Ju Dou, Hero, House of the Flying Daggers, and Curse of the Golden Flower, all films that should be on your IMDb watchlist if you haven't seen them. The third reason is the exquisite writing and plot. The film is about 19 year old Songlian (Li Gong) whose family falls on hard times after the death of her father. She marries into the wealthy Chen family and becomes the fourth wife of Master Chen. The competition for his attention and affection among the wives is fierce. This is because the Master decides on a daily basis which wife he will spend the night with. Whomever he chooses gets her lanterns lit and special treatment including a foot massage, her choice of food at mealtime, and the most attention and respect from the servants. The first wife is routinely passed over so the other wives ignore her but the remaining wives hate each other and resort to trickery and backstabbing. The unhealthy environment leads to tragedy.This film is one that will have you continuing to look at the screen five minutes after it has ended. The wonderfully rich colors shown in the movie are in sharp contrast to the dark, depressing life of Songlian who once dreamed of a happy life before being forced into marriage