Red Sorghum (1987)

When a leprous winery owner in 1930s China dies a few days after his arranged marriage, his young widow is forced to run the winery to make a living while contending with bandits, her drunkard lover, and the invading Japanese army.

Director:

Yimou Zhang

Writers:

Jianyu Chen, Yan Mo (books)

Stars:

Li Gong, Wen Jiang, Rujun Teng

10 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Li Gong	...	Wo Nainai (My Grandma)
Wen Jiang	...	Wo Yeye (My Grandpa)
Rujun Teng	...	Wo Luohan Yeye (Uncle Luohan) (as Rujun Ten)
Ji Liu	...	Wo Die (My Dad)
Ming Qian	...	Wo Nainai ta Die (My Grandma's Dad)
Chunhua Ji	...	Sanpao
Chunhua Zhai
Zhaoji Jia
Yuxiang Zhang
Guiyun Zhou
Qianbin Yang	...	(as Yang Qianbin)
Guoqing Xu
Erga Yao
Yusheng Li
Kun Dong

Storyline

In 1930s China a young woman is sent by her father to marry the leprous owner of a winery. In the nearby red sorghum fields she falls for one of his servants. When the master dies she finds herself inheriting the isolated business.

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Plot Keywords:

1930s | wine | arranged marriage | sino japanese war | sorghum | 

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Genres:

Drama | History | Romance | War

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

China

Language:

Mandarin Japanese

Release Date:

February 1989 (USA)

Also Known As:

Red Sorghum

Filming Locations:

China

Company Credits

Production Co:

Xi'an Film Studio

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film was the acting debut of actress Gong Li.

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Connections

Referenced in Mr. Coconut (1989)

User Reviews

Life around the color red.

This film captures the Chinese landscape with a touch of love, love that the filmmakers had for their people and their culture which fuses with the sorghum fields and the folk songs they sing when they are happy or when they are in pain and anguish, beautifully. I felt the Japanese effect or the tyrannical force with which they subdued the Chinese should have been shown a little more, it all happened in a jiffy. The storytelling is pretty but fails to connect on many levels. Like the transition of a poor village girl into a strong distillery owner and the level of trust and love she is shown by the workers and the sudden infatuation that develops and is accepted between her and Yu. Also the way we are shown the attack sequence was not at all engaging, it only had slow-mo shots of people falling/running but the final shot of redness surrounding Yu and his son was brilliant. Watch it, for you'll get a peek into Chinese culture, the position of women in it, their traditions and songs and most importantly the red wine, red like blood mingling to mark a jarringly tough Chinese wartime life.