View source for Raise the Red Lantern

{{Short description|1991 Chinese-Hong Kong film directed by Zhang Yimou}}
{{About|the 1991 Chinese film|the novella|Raise the Red Lantern (novella)|other uses|Red Lantern (disambiguation){{!}}Red Lantern}}
{{Infobox film
| native_name    = {{Infobox Chinese/Chinese|child=yes|hide=no|header=none
| s     = 大红灯笼高高挂
| t    = 大紅燈籠高高掛
| l    = Big red [[lantern]]s are hung high
| p         = Dà Hóng Dēnglong Gāogāo Guà}}
| image          = File:Raise the Red Lantern poster.jpg
| caption        = Chinese theatrical release poster
| director       = [[Zhang Yimou]]
| producer       = [[Hou Hsiao-hsien]]<br />[[Chiu Fu-sheng]]<br />[[Zhang Wenze]]
| writer         = {{ill|Ni Zhen|zh|倪震 (电影人)}}
| based_on       = {{Based on|''[[Raise the Red Lantern (novella)|Raise the Red Lantern]]'' (''Wives and Concubines'')|[[Su Tong]]}}
| starring       = {{plainlist|
* [[Gong Li]]
* {{ill|Ma Jingwu|zh|马精武}}
* [[He Saifei]]
* [[Cao Cuifen]]
* [[Jin Shuyuan]]}}
| music          = [[Zhao Jiping]]<br>[[Naoki Tachikawa]]
| cinematography = [[Zhao Fei]]
| editing        = Du Yuan
| studio         = {{Plainlist|
* Era International<ref name=hkmdb>{{cite web|title=Raise the Red Lantern|website=[[Hong Kong Movie Database]]|access-date=21 October 2021|url=https://hkmdb.com/db/movies/view.mhtml?id=11080&display_set=eng|archive-date=21 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211021063850/https://hkmdb.com/db/movies/view.mhtml?id=11080&display_set=eng|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[China Film Group Corporation|China Film Co-Production Corporation]]<ref name=hkmdb />
}}
| distributor    = [[Orion Classics]]
| released       = {{Film date|df=y|1991|9|10|[[Venice Film Festival|Venice]]}}
| runtime        = 125 minutes
| country        = China<br />Hong Kong
| language       = Mandarin
| budget         = $1 million <ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/03/01/magazine/a-chinese-master.html | title=A Chinese Master | work=The New York Times | date=March 1992 | last1=Pan | first1=BY Lynn }}</ref>
| gross          = $2.6 million (United&nbsp;States)<ref>{{cite web | website = [[Box Office Mojo]] | title = Raise the Red Lantern (1992) | url = http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=raisetheredlantern.htm | access-date = 6 August 2007 | archive-date = 1 October 2007 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071001004555/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=raisetheredlantern.htm | url-status = live }}</ref>
$3 million+ (Italy)、$2 million+ (France)
<ref name="0Si2AAAAQBAJ_1998">{{Cite book |last=焦雄屏 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0Si2AAAAQBAJ |title=時代顯影 |date=1998 |publisher=遠流出版 |isbn=978-957-32-3427-2 |language=zh-TW}}</ref>
$11 million+ (HK$85million+) (Outside Asia) <ref name="Service 1995">{{Cite book |last=Service |first=United States Foreign Broadcast Information |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0eMsAAAAMAAJ |title=Daily Report: People's Republic of China |date=1995 |publisher=National Technical Information Service |language=en}}</ref>
}}

'''''Raise the Red Lantern''''' is a 1991 [[Historical drama|period drama]] film directed by [[Zhang Yimou]] and starring [[Gong Li]]. It is an adaptation by {{ill|Ni Zhen|zh|倪震 (电影人)}} of the 1990 [[novella]] ''[[Raise the Red Lantern (novella)|Raise the Red Lantern]]'' (originally ''Wives and Concubines'') by [[Su Tong]]. A Chinese-Hong Kong co-production, the film was later adapted into a ballet of the same title by the [[National Ballet of China]], also directed by Zhang. Set during the [[Warlord Era]] in the 1920s, the film tells the story of a young woman who becomes the fourth wife of a wealthy man. It was the fourth of nine collaborations between Zhang and Gong. The film was shot in the [[Qiao Family Compound]] near the ancient city of [[Pingyao]], in [[Shanxi Province]].

''Raise the Red Lantern'' received widespread critical acclaim. It was entered into the [[48th Venice International Film Festival]], where it was nominated for the [[Golden Lion]] and won the [[Silver Lion]]. It was also nominated for the [[Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film]] and won the [[BAFTA Award for Best Film Not in the English Language]]. It is considered an important work in the so-called Fifth Generation movement of [[Cinema of China|Chinese cinema]] and is one of the most internationally highly-regarded films from mainland China overall;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.timeoutbeijing.com/features/Books__Film-Interviews__Features/28696/100-best-Chinese-Mainland-Films-the-countdown/10/20-11.html|title=100 Best Chinese Mainland Films|work=Time Out|access-date=20 February 2024|archive-date=21 November 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151121124406/http://www.timeoutbeijing.com/features/Books__Film-Interviews__Features/28696/100-best-Chinese-Mainland-Films-the-countdown/10/20-11.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> it appeared on ''[[The New York Times]]'''s list of the 1000 best films ever made in 2004 and on the [[BBC]]'s list of the 100 greatest foreign language films in 2018.

==Plot==
The film is set in [[Republic of China (1912–1949)|Republican China]] during the 1920s. Nineteen-year-old Songlian (Gong Li), an educated woman whose father has recently died and left the family bankrupt, is forced by her stepmother to marry into the wealthy Chen family, becoming the fourth wife or, as she is referred to, the Fourth Mistress (Sì Tàitai) of the household. Arriving at the abode, she is at first treated like royalty, receiving foot massages and brightly lit red lanterns, as well as a visit from her husband, Master Chen (Ma Jingwu), the master of the house, whose face is never clearly shown.

Songlian soon discovers, however, that this luxurious treatment is not a given. The master decides on a daily basis which wife he will spend the night with; whomever he chooses gets her lanterns lit, receives the foot massage, gets her choice of menu items at mealtime, and gets the most attention and respect from the servants. 

The First Mistress, Yuru (Jin Shuyuan), appears to be about as old as the master himself. Having borne a son decades earlier, she appears firm and rigid.  The Second Mistress, Zhuoyun (Zhuóyún, Cao Cuifen), befriends Songlian, complimenting her youth and beauty, and giving her expensive silk as a gift; she also warns her about the Third Mistress, Meishan (Méishan, He Saifei), a former opera singer who is spoiled and seems unable to cope with no longer being the youngest and most favored. Meishan is aloof and cold towards Songlian.  

Songlian also has to deal with her personal maid, Yan'er (Yàn'ér, played by Kong Lin), who resents her.  Songlian catches Yan'er fooling around with the Master in her bed.

Songlian later on meets the grown son of First Mistress while he is playing the flute. She searches for her own flute, a memento from her deceased father, and finds that it has gone missing. While searching for the lost flute, she discovers that Yan'er has red lanterns concealed in her room, which is forbidden. She has also been concealing a curse charm with Songlian's name on it. Songlian promises not to tell anyone if Yan'er reveals who had written Songlian's name for her, and Yan'er reveals it to be Zhuoyun.  

Songlian feigns pregnancy, attempting to garner the majority of the master's time and, at the same time, attempting to become actually pregnant. Zhuoyun, however, is in league with Yan'er who finds and reveals a pair of bloodied undergarments, suggesting that Songlian had recently had her period, and discovers the pregnancy is a fraud.  Zhuoyun summons the family physician, feigning concern for Songlian's "pregnancy". Doctor Gao (Gao-yisheng, Cui Zhigang),  examines Songlian and determines the pregnancy to be a sham. Infuriated, the master orders Songlian's lanterns covered with thick black canvas bags indefinitely. Blaming the sequence of events on Yan'er, Songlian reveals to the house that Yan'er's room is filled with red lanterns, which is against the rules.  

Yan'er is punished by having to kneel in the snow until she apologizes. Yan'er refuses to apologize, and thus remains kneeling in the snow throughout the night until she collapses. Yan'er falls sick and is taken to the hospital.

Zhouyun asks Songlian to give her a haircut, and in doing so, Songlian cuts her ear.  After hearing about this, Meishan reveals Zhuoyun's treachery when they were both pregnant with children.  She advises Songlian to bear the master a son if she wants to maintain her place.

Songlian while speaking to Meishan muses that it would be better if she just hanged herself.  Meishan says that she copes by amusing herself.  Songlian comments that that Meishan at least has her affair with Doctor Gao to keep her happy.  Meishan warns Songlian that if she tells anyone she will have to deal with her, and that she was going to see Gao that night.  

Songlian then asks for alcohol and a dinner to celebrate her twentieth birthday by herself. The servant tells her that Yan'er had died and that she died saying her name.  She drinks to intoxication and laments she is all alone.  Zhouyun comes with a servant to try to stop her behavior. She blurts out that Meishan had gone to see Doctor Gao, but she has no one. 

When Songlian awakes she hears Meishan being dragged away by the servants. Zhuoyun thanks Songlian for letting her know. Zhuoyun's servant tells Songlian that Zhuoyun had found Meishan and the Doctor in bed in a hotel and that it was Songlian who told Zhuoyun this while she was drunk.     

Later Songlian sees Meishan dragged to a segregated room (referred to as the room of death earlier on because two women had been hanged there as punishment for committing adultery) on the roof of the estate.  After the servants leave Songlian goes into the room and becomes hysterical, calling everyone a murderer.

The Master demands to know what Songlian saw.  Songlian in a distraught state said they were murderers. The Master tells her she did not see a thing.

Later, the servants discover all the lanterns to be lit in Meishan's room. A phonograph of her singing can be heard. The servants run out, saying the place is haunted. Songlian is seen as the one who staged this and sits by herself in the room.

The following summer, after the Master's marriage to yet another mistress, the new mistress is getting her foot massage and asks who the person in the courtyard is.  The servant says that it was the fourth mistress and she has gone insane.  

Songlian is shown wandering aimlessly in the compound in her old schoolgirl clothes.

==Cast==
*[[Gong Li]] as Songlian ({{zh|first=s|s=颂莲|t=頌蓮|p=Sònglián}}) - Known as Lotus in the English version of the novel.
*[[He Saifei]] as Meishan ({{zh|c=梅珊|p=Méishān|labels=no}}), the third mistress ({{zh|c=三太太|p=Sān tàitai|labels=no}}) - Known as Coral in the English version of the novel.
*[[Cao Cuifen]] as Zhuoyun ({{zh|first=s|s=卓云|t=卓雲|p=Zhuóyún|labels=no}}), the second mistress  ({{zh|c=二太太|p=Èr tàitai|labels=no}}) - Known as Cloud in the English version of the novel.
*[[Kong Lin (actress)|Kong Lin]] as Yan'er ({{zh|first=s|s=雁儿|t=雁兒|p=Yàn'ér|labels=no}}), Songlian's young servant - Known as Swallow in the English version of the novel.
*Zhou Qi ({{zh|c=周琦}}) as housekeeper Chen Baishun ({{zh|first=s|s=陈百顺|t=陳百順|p=Chén Bǎishùn|labels=no}})
*[[Jin Shuyuan]] (金淑媛) as Yuru ({{zh|c=毓如|p=Yùrú|labels=no}}), the first wife ({{zh|c=大太太|p=dà tàitai|labels=no}}) - Known as Joy in the English version of the novel.
*{{ill|Ma Jingwu|zh|马精武}} as Chen Zuoqian ({{zh|first=s|s=陈佐千|t=陳佐韆|p=Chén Zuǒqiān|labels=no}}) or Master Chen
*[[Cui Zhihgang]] as Doctor Gao ({{zh|first=s|s=高医生|t=高醫生|p=Gāo-yīshēng|labels=no}})
*[[Chu Xiao]] ({{zh|first=s|s=初曉|t=初曉|p=Chū Xiǎo|labels=no}}) as Feipu ({{zh|first=s|s=飞浦|t=飛浦|p=Fēipǔ|labels=no}}), the master's eldest son
*[[Cao Zhengyin]] as Songlian's old servant
*[[Ding Weimin]] as Songlian's mother

==Soundtrack==
{{Infobox album
| name       = Raise the Red Lantern
| type       = soundtrack
| artist     = [[Zhao Jiping]]
| cover      =
| caption    =
| alt        =
| released   = 1994
| recorded   =
| venue      =
| studio     =
| genre      =
| length     =
| label      = [[Milan Records]]
| producer   =
| prev_title =
| prev_year  =
| next_title =
| next_year  =
}}
''All songs composed by [[Zhao Jiping]].''
# "Opening Credits/Prologue/Zhouyun/Lanterns"
# "First Night With Master/Alone on First Night Second Night Third Night"
# "Summer"
# "Flute Solo"
# "Record"
# "Autumn"
# "Births/The Peking Theme"
# "Pregnancy/Yan'er's Punishment"
# "Meishan Sings"
# "Young Master Returns Meishan's Punishment"
# "Realization"
# "Winter"
# "Ghost"
# "Seasons"
# "Next Summer"
# "House of Death"
# "Fifth Mistress"
# "Songlian's Madness/End Credits"

==Distribution==
''Raise the Red Lantern'' has been distributed on [[VHS]], [[Laserdisc]] and [[DVD]] by numerous different distributors, with many coming under criticism for their poor quality.

The Razor Digital Entertainment DVD release has been widely criticised. DVD Times states "Many other viewers will find this DVD release simply intolerable."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk/content.php?contentid=60729|title=DVD Times - Raise the Red Lantern|access-date=8 August 2007|publisher=DVD Times|archive-date=17 October 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071017000110/http://dvdtimes.co.uk/content.php?contentid=60729|url-status=live}}</ref> DVDTown criticised the same release, giving the video quality 1 out of 10 and the audio quality 6 out of 10, summarising that "the video is a disaster".<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.dvdtown.com/reviews/raise-the-red-lantern/3468/2 | title=DVD review of Raise The Red Lantern | access-date=8 August 2007 | publisher=DVDTown.com | archive-date=28 September 2007 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928055257/http://www.dvdtown.com/reviews/raise-the-red-lantern/3468/2 | url-status=live }}</ref> DVDFile adds to this stating "this horrible DVD is only recommended to those who love the movie so much, that they’ll put up with anything to own a Region 1 release."<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.dvdfile.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5323&Itemid=3.html | title=DVDFILE.com | access-date=8 August 2007| publisher=DVDFile |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070928121814/http://www.dvdfile.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5323&Itemid=3.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 28 September 2007}}</ref> The translation on this version has been also widely criticised for its numerous inaccuracies.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.dvdfile.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5323&Itemid=3.html | title=DVDFILE.com | access-date=8 August 2007| publisher=DVDFile | quote=The English subtitles contain an inordinate amount of typos and grammatical inaccuracies. |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070928121814/http://www.dvdfile.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5323&Itemid=3.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 28 September 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk/content.php?contentid=62333|title=DVD Times - Raise the Red Lantern|access-date=8 August 2007|publisher=DVD Times|archive-date=17 October 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071017001112/http://dvdtimes.co.uk/content.php?contentid=62333|url-status=live}}</ref> A release by Rajon Vision has also received poor commentary.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.michaeldvd.com.au/Reviews/Reviews.asp?ID=6797 | title=Raise the Red Lantern (Da Hong Long Gao Gao Gua) (1991) | access-date=8 August 2007 | archive-date=29 August 2007 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070829200919/http://www.michaeldvd.com.au/Reviews/Reviews.asp?ID=6797 | url-status=live }}</ref>

ERA's first release received similar attention<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/read.php?ID=2928 | title=DVD Talk Review: Raise The Red Lantern | publisher=DVDTalk.com | access-date=8 August 2007 | archive-date=6 August 2007 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070806104846/http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/read.php?id=2928 | url-status=live }}</ref> but the second digitally remastered edition has been more warmly received with DVD Times stating that "It's a film that really needs a [[The Criterion Collection|Criterion]] edition with a new print or a full restoration, but in the absence of any likelihood of that, this Era Hong Kong edition is about as good as you could hope for."<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk/content.php?contentid=62333 | title=DVD Times - Raise the Red Lantern | access-date=8 August 2007 | publisher=DVD Times | archive-date=17 October 2007 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071017001112/http://dvdtimes.co.uk/content.php?contentid=62333 | url-status=live }}</ref> DVDBeaver broadly agrees stating "Now, this is not Criterion image quality, but it is not bad at all. It is easily the best digital representation of this film currently available."<ref name="Raise the Red Lantern - Gong Li">{{cite web |url = http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDReview/rtrl.htm#r |title = Raise the Red Lantern - Gong Li |publisher = DVDBeaver |access-date = 8 August 2007 |archive-date = 17 July 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070717000208/http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDReview/rtrl.htm#r |url-status = live }}</ref> DVD Talk, though, believes that "This new version is a stunner".<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/read.php?ID=24343 | title=DVD Talk Review: Raise The Red Lantern | publisher=DVDTalk.com | access-date=8 August 2007 | archive-date=16 October 2007 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071016233018/http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/read.php?ID=24343 | url-status=dead }}</ref>

A new [[MGM]] release in 2007 has also received some positive feedback.<ref name="Raise the Red Lantern - Gong Li"/>

==Reception==

=== Box office ===
''Raise the Red Lantern'' has sold copyright to 35 countries worldwide. It was a big hit in Europe, with 43 copies touring in Italy, from big towns to small towns, grossing more than $3 million. France, with nine copies, grossing more than $2 million.<ref name="0Si2AAAAQBAJ_1998">{{Cite book |last=焦雄屏 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0Si2AAAAQBAJ |title=時代顯影 |date=1998 |publisher=遠流出版 |isbn=978-957-32-3427-2 |language=zh-TW}}</ref> It was released on March 13, 1992, and final grossing in the US market is $2,603,061.'''''<ref>{{Cite web |title=Raise the Red Lantern |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl3765077505/weekend/ |access-date=2023-11-03 |website=Box Office Mojo}}</ref>''''' Outside Asia, ''Raise the Red Lantern'' earned of $11 million for production company HK ERA International<ref name="Service 1995">{{Cite book |last=Service |first=United States Foreign Broadcast Information |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0eMsAAAAMAAJ |title=Daily Report: People's Republic of China |date=1995 |publisher=National Technical Information Service |language=en}}</ref>

===Critical response===
Described as "one of the landmark films of the 1990s" by Jonathan Crow of [[AllMovie]],<ref>{{cite web | publisher = [[AllMovie]] | title = Raise the Red Lantern > Review | url = http://www.allmovie.com/movie/raise-the-red-lantern-v40171/review | access-date = 7 August 2017 | archive-date = 7 August 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170807232325/http://www.allmovie.com/movie/raise-the-red-lantern-v40171/review | url-status = live }}</ref> where it received five out of five, ''Raise the Red Lantern'' has been well received. [[James Berardinelli]] named it his 7th best film of the 1990s.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://preview.reelviews.net/90s/best_90s.html | title = The Best Films of the 1990s | access-date = 6 August 2007 | archive-date = 1 February 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170201073543/http://preview.reelviews.net/90s/best_90s.html | url-status = live }}</ref> It has a 97% rating at [[review aggregator]] website [[Rotten Tomatoes]], based on 29 reviews, with an average rating of 8.5/10. The website's critical consensus states: "Visually thrilling and rich with emotion, ''Raise the Red Lantern'' offers an engrossing period drama anchored by an outstanding performance from Gong Li".<ref name=tomatoes>{{cite web | url = http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/raise_the_red_lantern | title = Raise the Red Lantern | access-date = 27 May 2022 | website = [[Rotten Tomatoes]] | archive-date = 23 May 2022 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220523121841/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/raise_the_red_lantern | url-status = live }}</ref> ''[[TV Guide]]'' gave it five out of five.<ref>{{cite magazine | url = http://www.tvguide.com/movies/raise-red-lantern/review/128900 | title = Raise the Red Lantern Review | access-date = 6 August 2007 | magazine = TV Guide}}</ref> However, there were a small number of negative reviews: Hal Hinson of ''[[The Washington Post]]'', for example, stated that "the story never amounts to much more than a rather tepid Chinese rendition of "''[[The Women (1939 film)|The Women]]''."<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/raisetheredlanternpghinson_a0a76c.htm | title='Raise the Red Lantern' (PG) | publisher=The Washing Post | access-date=6 August 2007 | date=8 May 1992 | archive-date=2 November 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121102185835/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/raisetheredlanternpghinson_a0a76c.htm | url-status=live }}</ref>  The film ranked #28 in ''[[Empire (film magazine)|Empire]]'' magazines "The 100 Best Films Of World Cinema" in 2010.<ref>{{cite web
| title = The 100 Best Films Of World Cinema – 28. Raise the Red Lantern
| url = http://www.empireonline.com/features/100-greatest-world-cinema-films/default.asp?film=28
| work = Empire
| access-date = 2010-07-30
| archive-date = 2011-12-02
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111202094852/http://www.empireonline.com/features/100-greatest-world-cinema-films/default.asp?film=28
| url-status = live
}}</ref>

The film has also been praised for its artistic merit. Desson Howe of ''The Washington Post'' stated that "In purely aesthetic terms, ''Raise the Red Lantern'' is breathtaking"<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/raisetheredlanternpghowe_a0aec9.htm | title='Raise the Red Lantern' | newspaper=The Washington Post | access-date=6 August 2007 | date=8 May 1992 | archive-date=2 November 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121102185849/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/raisetheredlanternpghowe_a0aec9.htm | url-status=live }}</ref> and James Berardinelli stated that "the appeal to the eye only heightens the movie's emotional power".  John Hartl of [[Film.com]] described it to be "a near-perfect movie that often recalls the visual purity and intensity of silent films".<ref name=tomatoes/> Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun Times gave the film four out of four stars, praising its screenplay, actors, and visuals, and concluded "There is a sense in which ''Raise the Red Lantern'' exists solely for the eyes. Entirely apart from the plot, there is the sensuous pleasure of the architecture, the fabrics, the color contrasts, the faces of the actresses. But beneath the beauty is the cruel reality of this life, just as beneath the comfort of the rich man's house is the sin of slavery." He later placed the film on his "''[[The Great Movies|Great Movies]]''" list.

The film's popularity has also been attributed to a resurgence in Chinese tourism after the government response to the [[Tiananmen Square Protests of 1989]], due to its use of exotic locations.<ref>{{cite news | url = https://www.theguardian.com/film/2006/feb/17/harrypotter | access-date = 6 August 2007 | newspaper = The Guardian | title = The set-jetters | location = London | first = Jon | last = Bentham | date = 17 February 2006 | archive-date = 16 October 2007 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071016212323/http://arts.guardian.co.uk/filmandmusic/story/0,,1710953,00.html | url-status = live }}</ref>

''Raise the Red Lantern'' was one of the films with most appearances on 1992's year-end lists, appearing on 36 lists.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-01-10-ca-1341-story.html| title=Year of the Low-Costs| work=Los Angeles Times| date=10 January 1993| first1=Pat| last1=MacGilligan| first2=Mark| last2=Rowland| access-date=16 March 2016| archive-date=23 March 2016| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160323051437/http://articles.latimes.com/1993-01-10/entertainment/ca-1341_1_howards-end| url-status=live}}</ref>

===Accolades and nominations===
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="margin:1em auto;"
! scope="col"| Awards
! scope="col"| Year
! scope="col"| Category
! scope="col"| Recipient
! scope="col"| Result
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="2"| [[Venice International Film Festival]]<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.yesasia.com/us/yumcha/venice-international-film-festival/0-0-0-aeid.1014_aey.1991_sb.155-en/film-awards.html| title=1991 Venice Film Festival| publisher=[[YesAsia]]| archive-date=16 March 2016| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160316145302/http://www.yesasia.com/us/yumcha/venice-international-film-festival/0-0-0-aeid.1014_aey.1991_sb.155-en/film-awards.html}}</ref>
| rowspan="2"| [[1991 Venice International Film Festival|1991]]
| [[Silver Lion]]
| Zhang Yimou
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Golden Lion]]
| ''Raise the Red Lantern''
| {{nom}}
|-
! scope="row"| [[Academy Awards]]<ref name="Oscars1992">{{Cite web|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1992 |title=The 64th Academy Awards (1992) Nominees and Winners |date=9 October 2014 |access-date=15 September 2015 |publisher=[[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]]| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160315052401/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1992| archive-date=15 March 2016}}</ref>
| [[64th Academy Awards|1992]]
| [[Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film|Best Foreign Language Film]]
| [[Hong Kong]]
| {{nom}}
|-
! scope="row"| [[Boston Society of Film Critics]]<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.bostonfilmcritics.org/content/past-award-winners#1990s| title=Past Winners: 1990s| publisher=[[Boston Society of Film Critics]]| access-date=16 March 2016| archive-date=4 February 2012| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120204120731/http://www.bostonfilmcritics.org/content/past-award-winners#1990s| url-status=dead}}</ref>
| [[Boston Society of Film Critics Awards 1992|1992]]
| [[Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Foreign Language Film|Best Foreign Language Film]]
| ''Raise the Red Lantern''
| {{won}}
|-
! scope="row"| [[David di Donatello|David di Donatello Awards]]<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.daviddidonatello.it/storia/cronologia.php| title=Vincitori 1992| publisher=Accademia del Cinema Italiano| language=it| format=To access, click on the 1992 tab| access-date=16 March 2015| archive-date=26 April 2016| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160426141304/http://www.daviddidonatello.it/storia/cronologia.php| url-status=live}}</ref>
| 1992
| [[David di Donatello for Best Foreign Film|Best Foreign Film]]
| ''Raise the Red Lantern''
| {{won}}
|-
! scope="row"| [[David di Donatello|David di Donatello Awards]]<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.daviddidonatello.it/storia/cronologia.php| title=Vincitori 1992| publisher=Accademia del Cinema Italiano| language=it| format=To access, click on the 1992 tab| access-date=16 March 2015| archive-date=26 April 2016| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160426141304/http://www.daviddidonatello.it/storia/cronologia.php| url-status=live}}</ref>
| 1992
| [[David di Donatello for Best Foreign Actress|Best Foreign Actress]]
| ''Gong Li''
| {{nom}}
|-
! scope="row"| [[Guldbagge Awards]]<ref name="28thGuldbagge">{{cite web |url=http://www.sfi.se/en-GB/Swedish-film-database/Item/?type=MOVIE&itemid=16402&iv=Awards |title=Da hong deng long gao gao gua (1991) |publisher=Swedish Film Institute |date=22 March 2014 |access-date=23 March 2014 |archive-date=24 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924101300/http://www.sfi.se/en-GB/Swedish-film-database/Item/?type=MOVIE&itemid=16402&iv=Awards |url-status=live }}</ref>
| [[28th Guldbagge Awards|1992]]
| [[Guldbagge Award for Best Foreign Film|Best Foreign Film]]
| ''Raise the Red Lantern''
| {{nom}}
|-
! scope="row"| [[Independent Spirit Awards]]<ref name="NYAward"/>
| [[8th Independent Spirit Awards|1992]]
| [[Independent Spirit Award for Best International Film|Best International Film]]
| ''Raise the Red Lantern''
| {{nom}}
|-
! scope="row"| [[Kansas City Film Critics Circle]]<ref>{{cite web| url=http://kcfcc.org/kcfcc-award-winners-1990-99/| title=KCFCC Award Winners – 1990-99| date=14 December 2013| publisher=Kansas City Film Critics Circle| access-date=16 March 2015| archive-date=10 March 2015| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150310203314/http://kcfcc.org/kcfcc-award-winners-1990-99/| url-status=live}}</ref>
| 1992
| Best Foreign Language Film
| ''Raise the Red Lantern''
| {{won}}
|-
! scope="row"| [[London Film Critics' Circle]]<ref name="imdb">{{cite web| url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101640/awards| title=Da hong deng long gao gao gua: Awards| publisher=[[Internet Movie Database]]| access-date=16 March 2016| archive-date=19 January 2017| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170119215301/http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101640/awards| url-status=live}}</ref>
| [[London Film Critics Circle Awards 1992|1992]]
| [[London Film Critics' Circle Award for Foreign Language Film of the Year|Foreign Language Film of the Year]]
| ''Raise the Red Lantern''
| {{won}}
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="2"| [[Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards]]<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.lafca.net/years/1992.html| title=1992 Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards| publisher=[[Los Angeles Film Critics Association]]| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160316102754/http://www.lafca.net/years/1992.html| archive-date=16 March 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/1992/12/15/is-unforgiven-sweep-of-la-film-critics-awards-just-start-of-round-up-of-honors/| title=Is 'Unforgiven' sweep of L.A. Film Critics awards just start of round-up of honors?| date=15 December 1992| work=Los Angeles Times| first=David| last=J. Fox| quote=China's 'Raise the Red Lantern,' directed by Zhang Yimou, came in second.| url-status=live| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304061321/http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1992-12-15/features/1992350110_1_clint-eastwood-critics-awards-academy-awards| archive-date=4 March 2016}}</ref>
| rowspan="2"| [[1992 Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards|1992]]
| [[Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Cinematography|Best Cinematography]]
| Zhao Fei
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Foreign Language Film|Best Foreign Language Film]]
| ''Raise the Red Lantern''
| {{draw|Runner-up}}
|-
! scope="row"| [[National Board of Review]]<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.nationalboardofreview.org/award-years/1992/| title=1992 Archives| publisher=[[National Board of Review]]| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150927045152/http://www.nationalboardofreview.org/award-years/1992/| archive-date=27 September 2015}}</ref>
| 1992
| [[National Board of Review Award for Best Foreign Language Film|Best Foreign Language Film]]
| ''Raise the Red Lantern''
| {{draw|Top 5}}
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="2"| [[National Society of Film Critics Awards]]<ref name="NYAward">{{cite web| url=https://www.nytimes.com/movies/movie/40171/Raise-the-Red-Lantern/awards| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160323000910/http://www.nytimes.com/movies/movie/40171/Raise-the-Red-Lantern/awards| url-status=dead| archive-date=23 March 2016| department=Movies & TV Dept.| work=[[The New York Times]]| date=2016| title=Raise the Red Lantern: Awards| access-date=16 March 2016}}</ref>
| rowspan="2"| [[1992 National Society of Film Critics Awards|1992]]
| [[National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Foreign Language Film|Best Foreign Language Film]]
| ''Raise the Red Lantern''
| {{won}}
|-
| [[National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Cinematography|Best Cinematography]]
| Zhao Fei
| {{won}}
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="2"| [[New York Film Critics Circle Awards]]<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-12-18-ca-2066-story.html| title=N.Y. Film Critics Honor 'Player,' Altman| work=Los Angeles Times| date=18 December 1992| first=David| last=J. Fox| url-status=live| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306132744/http://articles.latimes.com/1992-12-18/entertainment/ca-2066_1_n-y-film-critics| archive-date=6 March 2016}}</ref>
| rowspan="2"| [[1992 New York Film Critics Circle Awards|1992]]
| [[New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Foreign Language Film|Best Foreign Language Film]]
| ''Raise the Red Lantern''
| {{won}}
|-
| [[New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Cinematography|Best Cinematography]]
| Zhao Fei
| {{draw|Runner-up}}
|-
! scope="row"| [[Australian Film Institute Awards]]<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.aacta.org/winners-nominees/1990-1999/1993.aspx| title=AFI 1993 Winners| publisher=[[Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts]]| access-date=16 March 2016| archive-date=27 October 2015| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151027205923/http://www.aacta.org/winners-nominees/1990-1999/1993.aspx| url-status=live}}</ref>
| [[1993 Australian Film Institute Awards|1993]]
| [[Australian Film Institute Award for Best Foreign Film|Best Foreign Film]]
| ''Raise the Red Lantern''
| {{nom}}
|-
! scope="row"| [[Belgian Film Critics Association]]<ref>{{cite news| url=http://archives.lesoir.be/-les-lanternes_t-19930111-Z068KD.html| title=Archives – Les Lanternes| date=11 January 1993| page=8| work=[[Le Soir]]| language=fr| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304083340/http://archives.lesoir.be/-les-lanternes_t-19930111-Z068KD.html| archive-date=4 March 2016}}</ref>
| 1993
| [[Grand Prix (Belgian Film Critics Association)|Grand Prix]]
| ''Raise the Red Lantern''
| {{won}}
|-
! scope="row"| [[British Academy Film Awards]]<ref>{{cite web| url=http://awards.bafta.org/award/1993/film/film-not-in-the-english-language| title=1993 Award| publisher=[[British Academy of Film and Television Arts]]| access-date=16 March 2016| archive-date=16 March 2016| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160316104429/http://awards.bafta.org/award/1993/film/film-not-in-the-english-language| url-status=live}}</ref>
| [[46th British Academy Film Awards|1993]]
| [[BAFTA Award for Best Film Not in the English Language|Best Film Not in the English Language]]
| ''Raise the Red Lantern''
| {{won}}
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="2"| [[Hundred Flowers Awards]]<ref>{{cite web| url=http://ent.news.cn/2008-09/09/content_9867438.htm| title=历届大众电影百花奖获奖名单 (Best Actress Winners)| publisher=[[Xinhua News Agency]]| language=zh| date=9 September 2008| access-date=16 March 2016| archive-date=17 November 2015| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117073707/http://ent.news.cn/2008-09/09/content_9867438.htm| url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="xinhua">{{cite web| url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2003-04/23/content_846182.htm| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030803095538/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2003-04/23/content_846182.htm| url-status=dead| archive-date=August 3, 2003| title=Zhang Yimou| publisher=Xinhua News Agency| access-date=16 March 2016}}</ref>
| rowspan="2"| 1993
| [[Hundred Flowers Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]]
| ''Raise the Red Lantern''
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Hundred Flowers Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]]
| Gong Li
| {{won}}
|-
|}

=== Recognition ===
*''[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]]'' 100 Best Films of World Cinema – #28<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/100-greatest-world-cinema-films/| title=The 100 Best Films of World Cinema| work=Empire| access-date=14 March 2016| archive-date=23 November 2015| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151123004145/http://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/100-greatest-world-cinema-films/| url-status=live}}</ref>
*''[[Time Out (magazine)|Time Out]]'' 100 Best Chinese Mainland Films – #13<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.timeoutbeijing.com/features/Books__Film-Interviews__Features/28696/100-best-Chinese-Mainland-Films-the-countdown/10/20-11.html|title=100 Best Chinese Mainland Films|work=Time Out|access-date=14 March 2016|archive-date=21 November 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151121124406/http://www.timeoutbeijing.com/features/Books__Film-Interviews__Features/28696/100-best-Chinese-Mainland-Films-the-countdown/10/20-11.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* Included in ''[[The New York Times]]'''s list of The Best 1000 Movies Ever Made in 2004<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/ref/movies/1000best.html|title=The Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made|work=The New York Times|access-date=14 March 2016|archive-date=22 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161222124411/https://www.nytimes.com/ref/movies/1000best.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
* Included in [[BBC]]'s 2018 list of The 100 greatest foreign language films voted by 209 film critics from 43 countries around the world.<ref>{{cite web|title=The 100 Greatest Foreign Language Films|url=https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20181029-the-100-greatest-foreign-language-films|website=bbc|date=29 October 2018|access-date=10 January 2021|archive-date=25 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201225005824/https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20181029-the-100-greatest-foreign-language-films|url-status=live}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of submissions to the 64th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film]]
* [[List of Hong Kong submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* "Chapter 2: Su Tong and Zhang Yimou: Women's Places in ''Raise the Red Lantern''": Deppman, Hsiu-chuang. ''[[Adapted for the Screen: The Cultural Politics of Modern Chinese Fiction and Film]]''. [[University of Hawaii Press]], 30 June 2010. {{ISBN|0824833732}}, 9780824833732. p.&nbsp;32.
* Fried, Ellen J. - "Food, Sex, and Power at the Dining Room Table in Zhang Yimou's ''Raise the Red Lantern''." - In Bower, Anne ''Reel Food: Essays on Food and Film''. [[Psychology Press]], 2004. p.&nbsp;129-143. {{ISBN|0-415-97111-X}}, 9780415971119.
* Giskin, Howard and Bettye S. Walsh. ''An Introduction to Chinese Culture through the Family''. [[SUNY Press]], 2001. p.&nbsp;198-201.
* Hsiao, Li-ling. "[http://www.uky.edu/Centers/Asia/SECAAS/Seras/2010/14_Hsiao.pdf Dancing the Red Lantern: Zhang Yimou’s Fusion of Western Ballet and Peking Opera]." ([https://web.archive.org/web/20140322044818/http://www.uky.edu/Centers/Asia/SECAAS/Seras/2010/14_Hsiao.pdf Archive]) ''Southeast Review of Asian Studies'', [[University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill]]. Volume 32 (2010), pp.&nbsp;129–36.

==External links==
* {{IMDb title|0101640|Raise the Red Lantern}}
* {{rotten-tomatoes|raise_the_red_lantern|Raise the Red Lantern}}
* "[https://web.archive.org/web/20140226033618/http://www.nytimes.com/movies/movie/40171/Raise-the-Red-Lantern/overview Raise the Red Lantern (1991)]." ''[[The New York Times]]''.
* [http://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/shanxi/pingyao/resident.htm Qiao's Compound, the filming location]
* Howe, Desson. "[https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/raisetheredlanternpghowe_a0aec9.htm ‘Raise the Red Lantern’ (PG)]." ''[[The Washington Post]]''. 8 May 1992.
* Ebert, Roger. "[http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20030427/REVIEWS08/304270301/1023 Raise the Red Lantern (1990)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121002081019/http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20030427%2FREVIEWS08%2F304270301%2F1023 |date=2012-10-02 }}." ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]''. 27 April 2003.

{{Zhang Yimou}}
{{Su Tong}}
{{Navboxes
|title = Awards for ''Raise the Red Lantern''
|list =
{{BAFTA Best Foreign Language Film}}
{{David di Donatello Best Foreign Film}}
{{London Film Critics Circle Award for Foreign Language Film of the Year}}
{{National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Foreign Language Film}}
{{New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Foreign Language Film}}
{{Silver Lion (1953–1994)}}
{{Belgian Film Critics Association Grand Prix}}
}}
{{Hong Kong submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Raise The Red Lantern}}
[[Category:1991 films]]
[[Category:Chinese romantic drama films]]
[[Category:Chinese independent films]]
[[Category:Hong Kong romantic drama films]]
[[Category:Hong Kong independent films]]
[[Category:1990s Mandarin-language films]]
[[Category:1991 drama films]]
[[Category:1991 independent films]]
[[Category:1990s feminist films]]
[[Category:Films based on Chinese novels]]
[[Category:Films directed by Zhang Yimou]]
[[Category:Films set in the Republic of China (1912–1949)]]
[[Category:Best Foreign Language Film BAFTA Award winners]]
[[Category:Films set in the 1920s]]
[[Category:Films shot in Shanxi]]
[[Category:1990s Hong Kong films]]