
Raise the Red Lantern
1991, Drama, 2h 5m
28 Reviews 10,000+ RatingsWhat to know
critics consensus
Visually thrilling and rich with emotion, Raise the Red Lantern offers an engrossing period drama anchored by an outstanding performance from Gong Li. Read critic reviews
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Where to watch
Raise the Red Lantern Photos
Movie Info
Teenage Songlian (Gong Li), whose family has been devastated by the recent death of her father, becomes the third concubine of wealthy Master Chen (Ma Jingwu). She soon discovers that behind the palatial luxury of life in the master's house, she and her fellow concubines, Zhuoyan (Cao Cuifeng) and Meishan (He Caifei), are pitted against each other in a struggle for his affections. The situation inevitably leads to deception, jealous rages and the revelation of each other's darkest secrets.
Cast & Crew
Gong Li
Songlian
Songlian
Ma Jingwu
The Master
The Master
Saifei He
Meishan (Third Wife)
Meishan (Third Wife)
Cao Cuifeng
Zhuoyan (Second Wife)
Zhuoyan (Second Wife)
Jin Shuyuan
Yuru
Yuru
Kong Lin
Yan'er
Yan'er
Critic Reviews for Raise the Red Lantern
Audience Reviews for Raise the Red Lantern
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Apr 10, 2022It starts off as melodrama but ends like a horror movie. Love the shooting location which is like a claustrophobic labyrinth.Alec B Super Reviewer
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Feb 23, 2016A film of sheer formal beauty, with a gorgeous cinematography and a gripping allegoric story about the subjection of women in a patriarchal society, but it is infuriating how it collapses in its last forty minutes, turning into a melodramatic soap opera with a terrible ending.Carlos M Super Reviewer
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Jul 04, 2012I guess this is where it all took off for Zhang Yimou and what a take off this was. This is visually stunning and with a genuine heart felt storyline.John B Super Reviewer
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May 17, 2012A fantastic film about expectations and societal roles. Director Zhang Yimou exhaustively captures the pomp and circumstance of every tradition, beautifully juxtaposing this grandeur with the desperate plight of the concubines. He shows that under all the bizarre foot massages and the ceremonial lighting of the lanterns, there is a group woman eagerly laying in wait for the master to come and bestow upon them his light. Confined to grounds of this temple, or what seems like a very small prison, he captures both the elegance and the crippling confinement that these women call home. Even in this isolated & relatively small space, Yimou makes the stakes feel so high. For me it was an unexpected delight and a film I will not soon forget.Reid V Super Reviewer
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