Ju Dou (1990)

A woman married to the brutal and infertile owner of a dye mill in rural China conceives a boy with her husband's nephew but is forced to raise her son as her husband's heir without ... See full summary »

Directors:

Yimou Zhang, Fengliang Yang (co-director)

Writer:

Heng Liu

Stars:

Li Gong, Wei Li, Baotian Li

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 4 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
Ma Chong
Zhijun Cong
Wu Fa
Li Gong	...	Ju Dou
Zhaoji Jia
Jia Jin
Baotian Li	...	Yang Tian-qing
Wei Li	...	Yang Jin-shan
Xingli Niu
Qianbin Yang	...	(as Yang Qianbin)
Zhang Yi	...	Tianbai as child
Ji-an Zheng	...	Yang Tian-bai as a Youth

Storyline

A woman married to the brutal and infertile owner of a dye mill in rural China conceives a boy with her husband's nephew but is forced to raise her son as her husband's heir without revealing his parentage in this circular tragedy. This tale of romantic and familial love in the face of unbreakable tradition is more universal than its setting.

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Plot Keywords:

spouse abuse | patricide | murder | drowning | accidental death | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Country:

China Japan

Language:

Mandarin

Release Date:

April 1991 (USA)

Also Known As:

Amor E Sedução

Box Office

Gross USA:

$1,986,433

Company Credits

Production Co:

China Film Co-Production Corporation, China Film Release Import and Export Company, Tokuma Shoten

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Was restored in 2017 by French company Impex Films with support from Arte France and Hiventy. This restoration was later first broadcast on October 2, 2017 on Franco-German channel Arte.

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Connections

Referenced in Siskel & Ebert: Star Trek: Generations/The Swan Princess/Miracle on 34th Street/The Professional/To Live (1994)

User Reviews

Zhang YiMou's masterpiece

Ju Dou was censored and banned in China because it was considered politically dangerous by portraying the lead female character as rebelling against the male in authority. After it was promptly banned, it was resurrected and made available for Western Hemisphere audiences via the official protests of directors like Woody Allen, Martin Scorsese, George Lucas and Stephen Spielberg. As a result, we have at our disposal, one of the most beautifully constructed love stories ever made.

Despite the fact that this film was made within our contemporary era it presents an honest and frank portrayal without much sex or violence. Nevertheless, it still remains an intense piece of cinema. Interestingly, even though the story is set in the 1920's, the attitudes and manner of behavior reflect the attitudes of our times rather than the 1920's. The story is essentially a variation on a fairly familiar story-the basic premise being that of an older man being married to a younger woman, but is incapable of both satisfying her and providing offspring, so she finds a younger man who is capable of satisfying her. When she does, they conceive a child that the old man thinks is his. This usually makes for a poignant response to the old man's dilemma, because usually, the old man is portrayed as a sympathetic figure. In Ju Dou, he is anything but sympathetic, which makes for a whole new series of conflicting responses from the viewer.

Ju Dou is a film that transitions well between scenes, which is apparent in the film's structure. When seeing Ju Dou the viewer may want to take into consideration the three part structure of the film: a.) The beginning to where the old man becomes crippled b.) The second portion, which involves the birth of the son to where one of the lead character's dies and c.) The third portion, which involves the child. Ju Dou is a quiet and menacing film. When it hits its moments of high drama, it is very similar to a Greek tragedy. What stands out is the stoic nature of the characters, the incredible love scenes, and the final shocking conclusion.