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Ju Dou [1990]
![Ju Dou [1990]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51C53D1VMWL._SL160_.jpg)
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Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review
Zhang Yimou, the celebrated "fifth generation" filmmaker from China, trained as a cinematographer before he turned to directing, and it shows in every colour-drenched, exquisitely composed frame of this 1989 romantic tragedy. The ageing Yang Jin-shan (Li Wei) runs a successful textile dying factory and purchases the beautiful Ju Dou (Gong Li) to continue his line, but when his own impotence shatters all hope of progeny, he takes his anger out on his innocent young bride. Gentle Yang Tian-qing (Li Bao-Tian) is the sole employee in the lonely factory and his tender friendship with Ju Dou blossoms into love. When Yang Jin-shan becomes wheelchair-bound, the lovers take their affair out into the open, producing a child that he must claim as his own to save face. The stark drama plays out against the astounding backdrop of coloured clothes draped throughout the factory and courtyard, like a rainbow holding out promise of a rich, vibrant world just out of reach. By contrast, the subdued performances hide the inner emotions behind a mask of social control. As the masks are pulled away behind the protective walls of the factory, the fragile triangle collapses as the child grows up espousing traditional values. The film was banned in China, where leaders saw it as an unflattering metaphor for modern Chinese life, a society ruled by a coterie of ageing, controlling men. --Sean Axmaker, Amazon.com
Another Zhang Yimou masterpiece.
Review date: 2000-10-25 Rating: 10 out of 10
It's difficult to truly do this film justice in a review. If you haven't seen any of the films of Zhang Yimou or Chen Kaige then you haven't really lived. If you're already a convert, then I can assure you that this is every bit as good as Raise the Red Lantern and Farewell My Concubine. A story of family rivalry against a backdrop of imperialist China, Ju Dou manages to be depressing, frustrating and wonderful all at the same time. Gong Li is superb as the purchased wife of an ageing factory owner. Her husband's crippling condition and her infidelity lead to desperate attempts on his part to save face and win over his "adopted" son.
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Product Details/Specifications
Actor(s):
Li Gong
Ma Chong
Wei Li
Zhijun Cong
Baotian Li
Creators:
Li Gong (Primary Contributor)
Wei Li (Primary Contributor)
Changwei Gu (Cinematographer)
Lun Yang (Cinematographer)
Hu Jian (Producer)
Wenze Zhang (Producer)
Yasuyoshi Tokuma (Producer)
Heng Liu (Writer)
Director(s):
Recording label: Razor Digital Entertainment
Manufacturer: Razor Digital Entertainment
EAN: 0690445022424
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: Closed-captioned, Colour, DVD-Video, Widescreen, PAL,
Release date: 2006-02-14
Universal product code (UPC): 690445022424
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Running time: 95 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1991-04
Language: Chinese (Original Language)
Language: Spanish (Original Language)
Language: French (Published)