moviefreak

Before I begin writing the review, I just want to say to everybody:

and I hope that the new year bring more hope and joy to all of us.

This 1991 movie I’m about to review is a classic one (the Chinese name is “Da hong deng long gao gao gua). Granted it’s not very new, but I think it’s a great movie in many aspects (it is nominated for Oscar in many categories and managed to win 11 of them but didn’t win, though it won 11 other movie awards - THANKS A LOT for the correction, Luke!), even though it can be categorized as a tragic story. This movie also made Gong Li become so famous.

All in all, I’d give this movie an 8.2 stars out of 10.

The Story:

Set in China in the 1920s (based on Su Tong’s novel), the story focuses on Songlian (Gong Li), a university student who wants to continue her studies, but after her father’s death, she is encouraged to marry a rich lord, Chen Zuoqian (Ma Jingwu). The lord has got several wives already, but he keeps on looking for younger ones. 

When Songlian arrives at his house (which is like a HUGE complex of houses), she’s given a separate personal house and maid and she finds out that the three other wives have their own houses and maids respectively. It’s the tradition for the husband to stay in the house of the new wife for 7 days. On top of that, the new wife also gets a special treatment every day before the master visits her. What’s the special treatment? A foot massage given by an expert masseuse. 

The innocent Songlian doesn’t realize yet that the competition between the wives is SO tough. On the second night, the third wife Meishan (He Caifei), a retired Chinese opera singer, starts making a fuss in her house so that the master gets out of Songlian’s house to visit hers. Then she seduces him to stay with her. 

What’s the big deal about being the chosen one? Well, first of all, before one of them is chosen, they all must stand in front of their respective houses along with their maids - plus some unlit lanterns. After a servant announces which one of them is chosen,  the lantern in front of the chosen wife will be lit, along with all the other lanterns inside her house (remember that at that time there were no electricity yet). Other than the fact that she’s going to get the special foot treatment (which is coveted even by Songlian’s maid!!!), she also gets to choose which kinds of food she wants to eat during breakfast (they usually have breakfast together. So the chosen one gets to eat all her fave food!!!

Anyway, the competition gets crazier as Songlian realizes that one of them is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. To gain an advantage, Songlian decides to lie to the master that she’s pregnant. However, the maid (who is in love with the master and she secretly wants to be a wife) finds out about this and so the master is VERY angry. He tells the servants to cover all of Songlian’s lanterns with black sheets. By now you’d know how important the role of the lantern in this story, right?

How does the story end? I’m not going to spill too much here, but be prepared for a tragic ending. 

Notes:

1. I wonder how one can be really fair to more than one wife, especially if they differ in age. No matter how much you try, how can you fulfill the needs of FOUR women, even if you’re the richest bloke on earth? 

2. This story also shows that even though Songlian is a university student, she “loses the battle” with other scheming wives since they’re more mature than her. It also shows that you have to be careful with your decisions since it may make or break you. 

3. After watching the movie, I’m SO glad I wasn’t born in that age, time, and place!!!