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 revealing his parentage in this circular tragedy.

Directors:

Yimou Zhang, Fengliang Yang (co-director)

Writer:

Heng Liu

Stars:

Gong Li, Wei Li, Baotian Li

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 10 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Gong Li	...	Ju Dou
Baotian Li	...	Yang Tianqing
Wei Li	...	Yang Jinshan
Zhang Yi	...	Yang Tianbai as a child
Ji-an Zheng	...	Yang Tianbai as a youth
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ma Chong
Zhijun Cong
Wu Fa
Zhaoji Jia
Jia Jin
Xingli Niu
Qianbin Yang	...	(as Yang Qianbin)

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 | infidelity | impotence | 1920s | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

PG-13

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 At the Movies: Star Trek: Generations/The Swan Princess/Miracle on 34th Street/The Professional/To Live (1994)

User Reviews

Ju Dou

Mesmerizing melodrama set in 1920's China about a young woman who is forced to wed an abusive dye mill owner, who tortures her like an animal for not giving him a son, but more importantly, an heir. She decides to indulge in an affair with the nephew of her husband. Enthralling study of passion, sensation and burning for revenge brought to life in an extraordinary fashion which earned the film an Oscar nomination for the Best Foreign Language Film of 1990.

Details

Country:

China Japan

Language:

Mandarin

Release Date:

April 1991 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ju Dou

Filming Locations:

China

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$10,300, 10 March 1991

Gross USA:

$1,986,433

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$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 Stereo

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1