New 4K Restoration
Visually thrilling and rich with emotion, Raise the Red Lantern offers a nuanced portrait of love, family, and the strength of solidarity in the face of oppression. 35th anniversary screening.
With her family thrown into despair by the death of her father, teenager Songlian becomes the third concubine of wealthy Master Chen. Soon, she discovers that behind her palatial luxury of life, she and her fellow concubines are pitted against each other in a struggle for his affections. [125 min; drama; Mandarin with English subtitles]
The 4K restoration of Raise the Red Lantern was carried out by the Udine Far East Film Festival on the occasion of its 26th edition. The original image and sound negatives were used under the supervision of Director Zhang Yimou. The vintage positive copy, presented at the 1991 Venice International Film Festival and preserved at the Venice Biennale's Historical Archive of Contemporary Arts, was used for color reference. The restoration was made in 2024 at L'Immagine Ritrovata (Hong Kong - Bologna).
"In Raise the Red Lantern, Zhang Yimou's most widely acclaimed film, the Chinese director portrays life as a series of performative gestures under the duress of cultural tradition, prescribed gender roles, and hierarchical power structures." — Brian Eggert, Deep Focus Review
"With its beautiful look and haunting themes and sublime performances, Raise the Red Lantern is Yimou's master work." — Amber Wilkinson, Eye for Film
"A beautifully crafted and richly detailed feat of consciousness-raising and a serious drama with the verve of a good soap opera." — Janet Maslin, New York Times
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