Raise the Red Lanterns 《大红灯笼高高挂》

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This is a scene from Zhang Yimou’s Raise the Red Lanterns (1991) 《大红灯笼高高挂》. It is one of the films from the golden period during Chinese cinema during the 90’s. It was nominated for  and won various awards.

List of Awards and Nominations

The screenshot is taken from an early part of the scene when Songlian, the fourth mistress, first enters the Chen household.

Colours

  • Use of black vs. white
    • Black is used to allude to the idea of darkness, historical baggage and overbearing presence
    • White is used to suggest ideas of purity, youth, innocence and meekness
  • The juxtaposition helps to strengthen both the character traits and establish the setting and context of the Chen household.
  • Use of Non-colours
    • The use of black and white, instead of red  that so much defines the movies further shows that this relationship between the lead and her environment is shown bare and with no-frills or facade. The is an abstinence from the ephemeral vanity and passion represented by the colour red in the movie.
  • The austere palate effectively and economically establishes the character and setting.

Composition

  • Black engulfs the character
    • The character is dressed in white against a vast black background dotted with golden calligraphy. This suggests ides of entrapment as the white is surrounded (drowned) within the blackness of the wall.
  • Size of golden words are as large as the character’s face
    • The power hierarchy between the character and her environment is also quickly established through the space the two elements take up. The character, though the focus of the composition, only occupies around 10% of the frame. Her face, an important part of the character, is around the same size as the words in the background. This in turn shows that the character is trapped within this system and is too insignificant to fight against it.
  • “Prison”
    • The words are read downwards, directing the audiences to move their eyes in a vertical fashion. In turn, this is like “invisible” railings that imprison the character as she is weighted down by the history of the patriarch. The geometrical golden patterns further reinforces the idea of character being trapped and restricted due to the rigid environment she is in. The couplets at the two sides tightens the composition even more, forcing the character into an almost claustrophobic space.
    • The character is rounded and also put behind “bars” as suggested by the calligraphy set against her in this scene.
  • Combined with the context of the film, the clever composition helps to initiate the idea of the patriarchy, where women are left powerless and voiceless against men without any means of escape.

Character Design

  • School Girl
    • Other than dressing in white, the character further radiates the idea of youth and innocence through her dressing. She has blunt bangs and two ribbon-tied pleats that are commonly found on young school girls. The soft blue colour of her hair-tie further enforces the idea of pre-pubescence and purity. Her clothing is also made to be reminiscent of the school uniforms to highlight the fact that she is only a first-year university student of 19 years old.

Overall I feel that the scene is effective and powerful. Zhang has optimised the screen by placing his character against a carefully curated background. His commentary on the patriarch is clearly formed with this scene.