Red Sorghum
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VHS Tape Cover Information
Actor: Cunhua Ji, Li Gong, Liu Jia, Ming Qian, Wen JiangPrimary Contributor: Li Gong
Primary Contributor: Wen Jiang
Edition: VHS Tape
Audio: Chinese (Original Language)
Format: Color, NTSC, Subtitled
Running Time: 91 minutes
Release Date: 1998-11-11
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Publisher: New Yorker Video
Studio: New Yorker Video
VHS Movie Reviews of Red Sorghum
Movie Review: Good Wine
Summary: 5 Stars
I have been a fan of Zhang Yimou's films since 1999 when I first watched his 1991 film Raise The Red Lantern for my East Asian Novel class, and since then I have watched several other of his films such as Not One Less, To Live, The Road Home, Happy Times, and Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles. Each one of his films brings something new to the table and delves into such issues as urban/rural conflicts, political corruption, and Japan-China relations. Red Sorghum is Zhang Yimou's first film as a director and while it may be a bit simpler than many of his later films it contains elements that almost every fan of his films will be familiar with: beautiful settings, very fleshed out characters, and moments of conflict where those who possess little power are overwhelmed by larger forces. Also, Red Sorghum is Gong Li first film, and it is nice to see that even at such a young age, 21, that she already possessed on screen charisma that can really grip the viewer's heart. While not as masterful as her performances in To Live or Chen Kaige's Farewell My Concubine, her tears and iron core are still quite moving.
Based on Mo Yan's novel of the same name, Red Sorghum tells the story of a young girl nicknamed Nine, she is the ninth child of her family and she was born on the ninth day of the ninth month, who was given to a leper named Big Head Li who traded a mule for her. On her trip to Big Head Li's home, while being jostled about in the sedan chair as custom would have it, Nine peeks from behind the curtains and spots one of the well-muscled sedan carriers and falls in love with him at first site. Later, After killing a would be thief and being able to see Nine for the first time, the sedan carrier, who is only referred to as "my grandfather" by the narrator, falls instantly in love also. On a trip back to her father's home, as custom would hold on the third day of marriage, Nine is accosted by a masked man who turns out to be the sedan carrier. There under the shadows of the sorghum they make love. While a her father's home Big Head Li is killed although no one knows who did it, so upon her return to the winery Nine inherits the place and asks the workers to stay and work for her. Included amongst these workers is an older man named Luohan whom Nine takes to immediately. However, the Sedan carrier also returns drunk and says some quite rude things about Nine, however, the two eventually come to peace with each other and for a while things seem to be going well...until the Japanese army invades.
Red Sorghum is at times hilarious such as when The sedan carrier, Jiang Wen, sings and cries to himself when he is in a wine pot for three days, sad, and absolutely brutal. There are some scenes after the Japanese army has invaded that will truly make one cringe. While some of his later films are better known and show the evidence of skilled craftsmanship from years of experience, Red Sorghum should not be missed for its significance in the history of recent Chinese cinema as the first pairing of Zhang Yimou and Gong Li.
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