This beautifully made film ranks high among my list of favorite movies. One reason is because of its film star, Li Gong, who I loved in Ju Dou, Memoirs of a Geisha, and Curse of the Golden Flower. The second reason is because of Director Yimou Zhang who directed Ju Dou, Hero, House of the Flying Daggers, and Curse of the Golden Flower, all films that should be on your IMDb watchlist if you haven't seen them. The third reason is the exquisite writing and plot. The film is about 19 year old Songlian (Li Gong) whose family falls on hard times after the death of her father. She marries into the wealthy Chen family and becomes the fourth wife of Master Chen. The competition for his attention and affection among the wives is fierce. This is because the Master decides on a daily basis which wife he will spend the night with. Whomever he chooses gets her lanterns lit and special treatment including a foot massage, her choice of food at mealtime, and the most attention and respect from the servants. The first wife is routinely passed over so the other wives ignore her but the remaining wives hate each other and resort to trickery and backstabbing. The unhealthy environment leads to tragedy.
This film is one that will have you continuing to look at the screen five minutes after it has ended. The wonderfully rich colors shown in the movie are in sharp contrast to the dark, depressing life of Songlian who once dreamed of a happy life before being forced into marriage
This film is one that will have you continuing to look at the screen five minutes after it has ended. The wonderfully rich colors shown in the movie are in sharp contrast to the dark, depressing life of Songlian who once dreamed of a happy life before being forced into marriage