{"id":298583,"date":"2026-11-07T17:03:47","date_gmt":"2026-11-07T17:03:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newhampshiredigitalnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/11\/07\/the-colour-of-confinement-in-raise-the-red-lantern\/"},"modified":"2026-11-07T17:03:47","modified_gmt":"2026-11-07T17:03:47","slug":"the-colour-of-confinement-in-raise-the-red-lantern","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newhampshiredigitalnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/11\/07\/the-colour-of-confinement-in-raise-the-red-lantern\/","title":{"rendered":"The colour of confinement in Raise the Red Lantern"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n
<\/p>\n

\n

\u201c<\/span>Alright, I\u2019ll get married\u2026 Let me be a\u00a0concubine. Isn\u2019t that a\u00a0woman\u2019s fate?\u201d says 19<\/span>-year-old Songlian (Gong Li) at the beginning of Zhang Yimou\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>Raise the Red Lantern<\/i>. Tears trickle down her motionless face, faintly reddened by the light outside, as she stands in white before a\u00a0black-framed window. In this opening image, colour already hints at the forces that will shape her fate: innocence confined by an oppressive world. Now, the film\u2019s intricate visual language can be rediscovered in a\u00a0new 4<\/span>K<\/span> restoration, arriving in UK<\/span> cinemas on 6<\/span>\u00a0November to mark its 35<\/span>th<\/sup> anniversary.<\/span><\/p>\n

Set in 1920<\/span>s China, Zhang\u2019s drama follows Songlian after poverty forces her to abandon her university studies to marry the wealthy, much older Master Chen (He Saifei) as his fourth concubine. Each evening he chooses which woman he will spend the night with; red lanterns are lit in the chosen woman\u2019s courtyard, while she is rewarded with a\u00a0foot massage and the privilege of selecting the dishes for the following day. As the women compete for his attention, the household\u2019s rigid hierarchy gradually transforms Songlian, eroding her sense of\u00a0self.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Get more Little White\u00a0Lies<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

In Chinese culture red traditionally signifies joy and good fortune. Couples wear red at their wedding, red envelopes are given to children during Chinese New Year and their birthdays, and red lanterns celebrate family reunion in major festivals. Yet Zhang turns this familiar symbol on its head \u2013 when a\u00a0concubine is selected for the evening, the light from rows of red lanterns fills her bedroom with an oppressive glow. On her first night with Master Chain, Songlian complains that the light makes it difficult to\u00a0sleep.<\/span><\/p>\n

Against the house\u2019s otherwise muted palette of cold yellows and blue-greys, the lanterns are almost inescapable. What appears to be a\u00a0privilege becomes a\u00a0form of confinement: the chosen woman is enveloped in red, while the others can only look on with envy. Rather than simply representing joy or romantic passion, red becomes a\u00a0mechanism of control. It announces Master Chen\u2019s favour, makes the women\u2019s relative status visible, and fuels the female rivalry through which his authority is maintained.<\/span><\/p>\n

Colour also charts Songlian\u2019s transformation. When she first arrives at the Chen household, she wears a\u00a0white top and a\u00a0black skirt, resembling the student she once was. At one point, she opens her luggage and looks at her former white school uniform, recalling a\u00a0life beyond the household\u2019s walls.\u00a0In Chinese culture, white is a\u00a0complex colour, associated with death and purity. While white mourns Songlian\u2019s lost innocence, her clothing shifts towards red and black as she becomes increasingly consumed by her desire for Master Chen\u2019s attention. These darker, more forceful colours accompany her growing cruelty towards her servants and her retaliation against\u00a0Zhuoyun, the second mistress. Through Gong Li\u2019s remarkable performance and the changing palette of her wardrobe, Songlian\u2019s descent becomes visible: she begins as an innocent, unworldly young woman, but gradually adopts the very logic of domination that imprisons her.<\/span><\/p>\n

The other mistresses\u2019 costumes similarly distinguish their characters.\u00a0Yuru, the first mistress and the oldest of the four, is often dressed in dark purple. Her subdued appearance suggests her distance from the power struggle among the other women, as well as the degree of respect she possesses, even though Master Chen\u2019s affection has long since passed her by. Zhuoyun\u2019s yellow garments, often adorned with elaborate patterns, reflect the ambiguity and calculation that lurks beneath her outward composure.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n