![]() We meet the serene first wife, who reigns over the other wives and has the wisdom of longest experience in this house. ![]() He is a patriarchal offstage presence, as his four wives and the household staff scheme among themselves for his favor. The rich man is nowhere to be seen, except in hints and shadows. But in "Raise the Red Lantern," it is the system of concubinage that he focuses on. Zhang Yimou is obviously attracted to the theme of the rich, impotent old man and the young wife. In "Ju Dou," she was the young bride of a wealthy old textile merchant, who enslaved both her and his poor young nephew - with the result that she and the nephew fall in love, and the merchant comes to a colorful end in a vat of his own dyes. In " Red Sorghum," she was the defiant young woman, sold into marriage to a wealthy vintner, who takes over his winery after his death and makes it prosperous with the help of a sturdy peasant who earlier saved her from rape. Songlian is played by Gong Li, an elegant woman who also starred in quite different roles in Zhang Yimou's two previous films. If you are only given one game to play, it is human nature to try to win it. Then she begins to learn the routine of the house, and is drawn into its intrigues and alliances. The new wife, whose name is Songlian, is at first furious at her fate. Each of the four wives is treated with the greatest luxury, pampered with food and care, servants and massages, but they are like horses in a great racing stable, cared for at the whim of the master. We enter into the sealed world of the rich man's house, and see how jealousies fester in its hothouse atmosphere. This film, based on the novel Wives and Concubines by Su Tong, can no doubt be interpreted in a number of ways - as a cry against the subjection of women in China, as an attack on feudal attitudes, as a formal exercise in storytelling - and yet it works because it is so fascinating simply on the level of melodrama. It is one of this year's Academy Award nominees in the foreign film category, directed by Zhang Yimou, whose " Ju Dou" was nominated last year. The Red Lanterns may appear to be villains, but to them, the Green Lanterns are the bad guys.So opens " Raise the Red Lantern," a Chinese film of voluptuous physical beauty and angry passions. Most members have lost everything except their anger and Atrocitus used that feeling to give them back meaning to their lives. The Red Lanterns are beings who have been caught up in struggles they had no say in. ![]() Atrocitus is the survivor of a massacre committed by the Guardians of the Universe’s Manhunters while Bleez was a princess on her home world before she was assaulted by the Sinestro Corps. While they may desire vengeance upon Sinestro and the Green Lanterns, it’s actually understandable once their backgrounds are brought to light. Atrocitus' intentional selection of Sinestro victims isn't just ironic statement for his army, it's a reveal that re-contextualizes the most misunderstood Corps in the Emotional Spectrum.īecause of their appearance and bloodthirsty nature, many assume the Red Lanterns are villainous. After amassing the worst criminals from all across the universe, Sinestro and his underlings tore apart several sectors in their mission, leaving an untold number of victims in their wake. The Sinestro Corps War was Sinestro's attempt to replace the Green Lanterns for good with a Corps that utilized the Yellow Light of Fear. ![]()
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