1. name of the movie: Raise the Red Lantern year of release: 1991 produced country: China Language: Chinese Director by Zhang Yimou writer by Ni Zhen Based on novel “Wives and Concubines” by Su Tong

2. The film is set in 1920s China years before the Chinese Civil War. 19 years old Songlian (GongLi), marries into the wealthy Chen family, becoming the fourth wife. Gong LiGong Li as Songlian, the fourth mistress

3. Arriving at Chen’s big famly, soon Songolian discovers, not every wife receives the same luxurious treatment. In fact, her husband, Master Chen(Ma Jingwu), whose face is never clearly shown, decides on a daily basis the concubine with whom he will spend the night; whomever he chooses gets her lanterns lit, receives the foot massage, gets her choice of menu items at mealtime, and gets the most attention and respect from the servants. Pitted in constant competition against each other, the three concubines are continually vying for their husband’s attention and affections.

4. The First Mistress, appears to be nearly as old as the master himself. Having borne a son decades earlier, she seems resigned to live out her life as forgotten, always passed over in favor of the younger concubines. Jin ShuyuanJin Shuyuan as Yuru the first wife

5. The Second Mistress, befriends Songlian, complimenting her youth and beauty, and giving her expensive silk as a gift; she also warns her about the Third Mistress. Cao CuifenCao Cuifen as Zhuoyun, the second mistress

6. The third mistress, a former opera singer who is spoiled and who becomes unable to cope with no longer being the youngest and most favored of the master’s playthings. He CaifeiHe Caifei as Meishan, the third mistress

8. After spending time with three older “sisters”(mistresses), Songlian learns that the Second Mistress, who is not to be trusted. Songlian lies to everyone that she is pregnant, but her personal maid, Yan’er who finds her period. Yan’er tell the second Mistress. The second Mistress asks family physiciantor Doctor Gao has illicit affair with the Third Mistress secretly, checks Songlian. The master orders Songlian’s lanterns covered with think black canvas bags indefinitely.

9. Blaming the sequence of events on Yan’er, Songlian reveals to the house that Yan’er’s room is filled with lit red lanterns, showing that Yan’er dreams of becoming a Mistress instead of a lowly servant; it is suggested earlier that Yan’er is in love with the Master and has even slept with him in the Fourth Mistress’ bed.

10. Yan’er is punished by having the lanterns burned while she kneels in the snow, watching as they smolder. In an act of defiance, Yan’er refuses to humble herself or apologize, and thus remains kneeling in the snow throughout the night until she collapses.

12. Yan’er falls sick and ultimately dies after being taken to the hospital. One of the servants tells Songlian that her former maid died with her mistress's name on her lips. Songlian, who had briefly attended university before the passing of her father and being forced into marriage, comes to the conclusion that she is happier in solitude; she eventually sees the competition between the concubines as a useless endeavor, as each woman is merely a "robe" that the master may wear and discard at his discretion.

13. As Songlian retreats further into her solitude, she begins speaking of suicide; she reasons that dying is a better fate than being a concubine in the Chen household. On her twentieth birthday, severely intoxicated and despondent over her bitter fate, Songlian inadvertently blurts out the details of the love affair between Meishan and Doctor Gao to Zhuoyun, who later catches the adulterous couple together. Following the old customs and traditions, Meishan is dragged to a lone room on the roof of the estate and hanged to death by the master's servants.

15. Songlian, already in agony due to the fruitlessness of her life, witnesses the entire episode and is emotionally traumatized. The following summer, after the Master's marriage to yet another concubine, Songlian is shown wandering the compound in her old schoolgirl clothes, having gone completely insane.

17. What are the cultures making contact with each other in this film? 1 Polygamy 2 family communication is bad, there is no effective communication between wives only suspicion between husband and wives do not have good communication, the husband is the day, he used to command rather than to talk about equality 3 patriarchal phenomenon, the film Er Yitai had a daughter, the concubine gave birth to a son, the son of the concubine educated daughter learn to recite poems and Er Yitai no such education. Movie hero also mentioned four Mistress flute master was burned, said "flute is a man's thing" is a line of discrimination against women a.What is the main cultural clash or change that is featured in the movie? How do the characters deal with this conflict?

18. What are the cultures making contact with each other in this film? a.What is the main cultural clash or change that is featured in the movie? How do the characters deal with this conflict? 4 parent-child relations, film and music paternity few shots, but rarely when the master and children together, eat no child figure. Parent- child relationship is a visible problem 5 domestic violence. Either servant or master of the husband to the wife of domestic violence have appeared. 6 education of the children at that time still patriarchal, so her daughter can not get a good description of education, and most of the time are the nanny with children rather than parents with children, the children in the film are as favored tools. 7 couples emotional problems 8 family roles imbalance husband no husband duty mother did not like the mother 9 family rights is not balanced 10 interpersonal problems

19. b. Is the cultural conflict resolved? If so, how? What are the cultures making contact with each other in this film? no. In the end, Yan’er die, Songlian gets crazy, the third Mistress die, and the fifth Mistress comes to this big family in the end, she become another poor woman.

20. How are the cultures of the principal characters involved in the clash or change reflected in the movie? 1. Clothing Culture 1.1 Traditional Culture and Classical cultural differences Songlian wear school uniforms in the first of the movie, and later she wearing cheongsam.It reflects the difference between modern culture and classical culture 1.2 hierarchical feudal culture In the movie, wives wearing colorful costumes but servants, maidservants’s clothes are simply dressed, this difference is not only a dress, but also reflects the feudal master-servant seniority hierarchy, unequal caste feudal culture.

21. How are the cultures of the principal characters involved in the clash or change reflected in the movie? 2. Architectural Culture Movie scene concentrated in Shanxi Jinzhong Qiao Family Courtyard, the Qiao Family Courtyard Qixian Folk Museum, also known as, it is one of the famous folk museum. In this film, Zhang Yimou shots this ancient Chinese architectural beautiful, but also very depressed. Almost all the symmetry of the composition of the compound composition, giving solemn, solemn feeling. However, it gives people a sense of oppression in the film. A symbol of feudal patriarchal ideology China for thousands of years.

22. How are the cultures of the principal characters involved in the clash or change reflected in the movie? 3. Music Culture Film music is very characteristic, that is a symbol of classical culture, and unique culture and refined. It begins with the opening opera, to create a strong historical and cultural atmosphere. Drums, put the audience into the film's rhythm. 4. The color and composition culture 4.1 Use of color just right In the film, red, black, white, blue four colors used interchangeably. Red, good luck in China could have been considered the most festive colors, here has become a constraint, an oppression. Black, deepest color safe, but shrouded in a layer of dark feudal forces. White, so pure transparent color, but staged earthly inconstancy, he became the stage of death, so sad. A symbol of brutal and dark blue, red lanterns feudal society is always dark blue brick wall surrounded by a closed, also reveals the theme of the work, the so-called festive red behind, in essence, is the backward feudal bondage, the majority oppressed women ultimately can not escape the tragic fate. Composition aspects, closed large roof overhead patterned seats formed connected alternately using a long lens and a fixed application scenarios, subjective shots, close-range vision and exaggerated contrast techniques that have made the film casts a suffocating feeling.

23. How are the cultures of the principal characters involved in the clash or change reflected in the movie? 4.2 Titles lantern unique cultural connotation The red lantern is a symbol of wealth and good fortune, but in the film it is becoming a "Lin Xing" signal, a representative of the feudal rights. A light, lights, lamp seal a simple process, but it is a large courtyard ladies contention rights. A lantern, a red, however, is shrouded under feudal red lanterns and powerful oppressed filled the tragic fate of women.

24. -Stephanie Feng Thank you