DVD Review for Raise the Red Lantern
| Title | Genre | Director | Year | Rating | Rented By |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raise the Red Lantern | Foreign | Zhang, Yimou | 1992 | PG |
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About this film
Any one of Zhang Yimou’s films is worth seeing, but Raise the Red Lantern is particularly incredible. Set in China during the 1920s, this the story of a young, college-educated Songlian who is sent off to become the newest concubine of a feudal nobleman. Feeling claustrophobic in this prison of a household, Songlian begins to form friendships with some of other wives in the household. She soon discovers that the other wives are vicious manipulators in a cutthroat competition to win the affections of the master (and thus the power of the household). This is a compelling masterpiece that operates not only as a heart-rending story of feminist struggle, but as a complex allegory of brutal Chinese politics. Pay attention to Yimou’s fascinating use of aural and color symbolism in this gorgeous outcry against human suffering.
Alyssa's Thoughts
Check out the review I wrote for Amazon.com about this DVD release of Raise the Red Lantern on March 29, 2006:
Love the film, hate the DVD
Raise the Red Lantern is a compelling masterpiece that operates not only as a heart-rending story of feminist struggle, but as a complex allegory of brutal Chinese politics. I love Yimou's fascinating use of aural and color symbolism in this gorgeous outcry against human suffering.
That being said, this DVD was an utter travesty! If I hadn't bought this thing from Amazon, I would have sworn this thing was bootlegged. It was in such bad shape. The image was dirty and scratched, as though it had been taken from a very old print. The colors were noticeably lackluster and washed-out. The soundtrack was extremely muddy. And don't even get me started on the subtitles. It was a HORRIBLE translation! They definitely detracted from the film.
I know for a fact that there are better prints out there. When I first saw a version of this in film school, it was on laserdisc. The laserdisc had beautiful visuals. And having watched the VHS version a few times, I know that there are far better translations out there.
I can't tell you how embarrassed I was to show this DVD to my husband after having talked about how great this film was. The DVD is positively underwhelming and does not do this beautiful film justice at all. We definitely need someone to put an "authorized" version out. I'm talking to you, Criterion!