Part of Restoration Roundup
Nineteen-year-old Songlian, a promising student whose family has been destroyed by her father’s death, is forced to abandon her studies and marry into wealth, becoming the fourth and newest concubine of the aging, unseen Master Chen. Inside his walled estate, she discovers a household ruled by a merciless ritual — each night, red lanterns are lit outside the chambers of whichever wife the master chooses to visit, granting that wife privilege and status while the others are cast into cold irrelevance. Songlian is drawn into the orbit of her rivals, each shaped by years of fighting for the same scraps of favor. Determined at first to rise above the games, Songlian is gradually worn down by isolation and humiliation until she begins playing to win, trading secrets and favors to secure her place in Master Chen’s hierarchy. As the petty cruelty turns even more dire, Songlian is forced to confront what survival has cost her and everyone trapped inside these rituals. Newly restored, RAISE THE RED LANTERN remains a landmark of Fifth Generation Chinese cinema and 1990s international film.
The 4K restoration of RAISE THE RED LANTERN was carried out by the Udine Far East Film Festival on the occasion of its 26th edition. The original image and sound negatives were used under the supervision of Director Zhang Yimou. The vintage positive copy, presented at the 1991 Venice International Film Festival and preserved at the Venice Biennale’s Historical Archive of Contemporary Arts, was used for color reference. The restoration was made in 2024 at L’Immagine Ritrovata (Hong Kong – Bologna).
“A beautifully crafted and richly detailed feat of consciousness-raising and a serious drama with the verve of a good soap opera…. As visually striking as it is dramatically effective.” —Janet Maslin, New York Times, NYT Critic’s Pick (Mar 20, 1992)
“A Chinese film of voluptuous physical beauty and angry passions.” —Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times (Mar 27, 1992)
“RAISE THE RED LANTERN is an emotionally immersive film that is brilliantly acted and visually breathtaking” —Sean Barry, Asian Movie Pulse
"Zhang’s film is a biting examination of sexual politics, mandarin-style. Also stunningly gorgeous to look at, this melodrama transcends all borders and eras to speak to the ages." —Marjorie Baumgarten, Austin Chronicle