Three years after the acclaim for his debut RED SORGHUM, Zhang Yimou struck gold again with JU DOU, the first Chinese film nominated for the Best Foreign Language Academy Award.
The film glows with the performances from Yimou's muse Gong Li as Ju Dou and Li Baotian as Tianqing.
In 1920s rural China, Tianqing discovers his cruel adoptive uncle Jinshan, owner of a silk dyeing shop, has bought a new young wife Ju Dou, who he abuses.
Tianqing lusts over Ju Dou but when he realizes the extent of her bruises, his lust turns to protective love.
Their love results in a baby boy. Jinshan suffers a stroke, leaving him paralyzed, and Ju Dou joyfully tells him that Tianqing is the father.
Jinshan attempts to drown toddler Tianbai but is exultant when the boy calls him 'father'. Jinshan's later drowns in a dye vat.
Tianbai grows up hating his parents...
Shelf or charity shop? Living in my dvd plastic storage box,
Zhang Yimou's Chinese film noir-like tale of love and death is a keeper. Zhang's previous career as a cinematographer makes the film look glorious - Ju Dou and Tianqing's love grows between the towering drying rolls of coloured silks hanging over the courtyard which contrasts with the gloomy darkness of the interiors. Li Wei is an excellent villain as Jinshan and there is an arresting performance by Zheng Ji'an as the sullen, vengeful Tianbai but the film belongs to Li Baotian as Tianqing and the glorious Gong Li - it is remarkable that this was only three years after her first film as she is wonderfully charismatic as the bruised, loving, haunted Je Dou. Despite it's international success, JU DOU was banned in China for a while.
No comments:
Post a Comment