A young woman becomes the fourth wife of a wealthy lord, and must learn to live with the strict rules and tensions within the household.
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Title: Raise the Red Lantern (1991)
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Cast
| Complete credited cast: | |||
| Li Gong | ... | Songlian | |
| Saifei He | ... | Meishan (Third Wife) | |
 |
Jingwu Ma | ... | The Master |
|
|
Cuifen Cao | ... | Zhuoyan (Second Wife) |
|
|
Qi Zhao | ... | Housekeeper |
|
|
Lin Kong | ... | Yan'er |
|
|
Shuyuan Jin | ... | Yuru (First Wife) |
|
|
Weimin Ding | ... | Songlian's Mother (voice) |
|
|
Zhengyin Cao | ... | Old Servant |
|
|
Zhigang Cui | ... | Dr. Gao (as Zhihgang Cui) |
|
|
Chu Xiao | ... | Feipu |
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Plot Synopsis
Storyline
China in the 1920's. After her father's death, nineteen year old Songlian is forced to marry Chen Zuoqian, the lord of a powerful family. Fifty year old Chen has already three wives, each of them living in separate houses within the great castle. The competition between the wives is tough, as their master's attention carries power, status and privilege. Each night Chen must decide with which wife to spend the night and a red lantern is lit in front of the house of his choice. And each wife schemes and plots to make sure it's hers. However, things get out of hand... Written by Mattias Pettersson <seaman@sbbs.se>
Taglines:
China, 1920. One master, four wives.Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
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Details
Language:
MandarinRelease Date:
18 December 1991 (Italy) See more »Also Known As:
Raise the Red Lantern See more »Edit
Box Office
Gross USA:
$2,603,061Company Credits
Production Co:
ERA International,China Film Co-Production Corporation,Century Communications See more »
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
DolbyColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1
Edit
Housekeeper: Fourth mistress, please come inside.
Yan'er: [losing her cool] So you're the fourth mistress!
[Yan'er rudely pulls the water bowl away from Songlian and puts clothes in it]
Songlian: Yes! I am the fourth mistress. Bring my suitcase inside please.
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
This film was banned in China for a short time in the early 1990s. See more »Goofs
Around 01:18:59, there is a lot of smoke in front of the third wife. And there is almost no smoke in front of the second one. See more »Quotes
Yan'er: Who are you?Housekeeper: Fourth mistress, please come inside.
Yan'er: [losing her cool] So you're the fourth mistress!
[Yan'er rudely pulls the water bowl away from Songlian and puts clothes in it]
Songlian: Yes! I am the fourth mistress. Bring my suitcase inside please.
See more »
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"Raise the Red Lantern" is set at a Chinese baronial estate, the time, the 1920s. But, as the family-servant dynamics are placed on display, the viewer begins to feel it could be a thousand years earlier. The story is shown through the eyes of a young college-dropout played by Gong Li. Family misfortune has forced her into concubinage as the "fourth mistress" of the Chinese lord. A headstrong woman, her relationship with the lord's household, especially the other three mistresses, form the basis of the story. But it's telling is as important as the story itself. This is a beautiful, well-acted, well-directed movie. Slow-paced, it ingratiates itself with you, drawing you in deeper and deeper. I can't think of anything that warrants improvement. A masterpiece.