The films of Zhang Yimou will screen at the Brattle Theatre from Wednesday, May 30 through Thursday, June 7. Raise the Red Lantern starts the festival tonight and Thursday at 4:45, 7:15, and 9:45.
Zhang Yimou might be one of the most consistent directors working today, but one movie immediately comes to mind when considering his body of work - Raise the Red Lantern. The Brattle Theatre scored a new print of his signature movie and is using it to kick off a Zhang Yimou retrospective.
Gong Li stars as Songlian, a young woman who becomes a wealthy man's fourth wife. She's far too smart to live in a gilded cage, but she is soon sucked into the intrigues and jealousies among the wives. Eventually, she attempts an intrigue of her own, only to discover how hard life can be if her master ignores her.
Given its technical mastery and perfectly composed scenes, this movie looks like perfect film-class material or fodder for film snobs. But, as the trailer suggests, the plot revolves around the most basic human emotions, and it asks the question - how long does it take before an environment can break an otherwise strong person?
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