Color Emphasis in Raise the Red Lantern
Chen Ning (Jenny) Yen
58935107
ASIA 355
Professor Rui Wang
23/11/2012
Scholars and film critiques have often regarded the fifth-generation film Director, Zhang Yi Mou’s films as a visually sensual feast (Zhu 26). The predominant use of the color Red in his highly stylized films: Red Sorghum (1988), Ju Dou and Raise the Red Lantern (1991) are evidence of his trademark visual style thus leading scholars to critically analyze the symbolic representation of the color. I would argue however, in addition to the prevalent use of red in his art-house films, there are several supporting colors (black, white, grey, blue), intertwining with the color red. Zhang seems
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When protagonist Songlian is asked to visit her fellow sisters, it is important to note that there are no lanterns in 1st mistress’s bedroom. This automatically eliminates her from the battle of lanterns, and may be reasoned for her age and the fact that she has already given the master a son, fulfills her filial duties as a wife.
According to Kong, “Red in Chinese culture symbolizes ‘luck’ and ‘popularity’ and is commonly used in important rituals and ceremonies…the color red is a vital signifier that is often charged with a special ironic power” (123). Red is often associated with passion and lust, though the latter is true to this film, the symbolic representation of red amount to sexuality as a means of gaining political power within the Chen household. The dining table scene where 3rd mistress arrives fashionably late dressed in a bright red gown shows that she currently holds the power in the amongst the four mistresses. This power , once acquired comes with the consequence of being objectified under the red light to the master’s male gaze. Hence referring back to Kong who mentions the power these women gain is ironic. Their victory is the attention of the master’s affection for one night. This further emphasizes the lack of power and importance women have under the Confucian ideologies. Perhaps the red tones
In the book, Tabitha Wheelwright owns a bright red dress. No one in Gravesend had ever seen her wear it because she hated it. In many cultures, red is often associated with passion and sex. Tabitha
Colour is a symbolic material in various sections of the film, as it functions as connecting visual and thematic threads which allude to connotations of danger, love, passion shaping her as a dynamic, charismatic character. Lola's fiery red hair highlights her speed, as she nearly runs through the entire movie. There are scenes where Lola and Manni are together and are seemingly illuminating red light, which exhibits their love and passion. The colour red is symbolically used in the film to emphasize certain aspects of Lola's life that are maintained in the use of props. In the beginning, the call to Lola is answered on a red phone, which highlights the urgency of Manni’s call and sets the precedence for the symbolic use of red throughout the movie. The recurring motif of the red ambulance at the end of each run represents urgency and tension. The red accents the rushed plotline, the love between Lola and Manni, and the blood of them both.
(Hattenhauer) The color red is considered to represent lust, affection, passion, love, anger and blood, which can all be accounted as related to the story like how Ethan and Zeena fight with anger and how Ethan loves Mattie or when Frome and Matt try to kill
Women did not have any power in Chinese culture. Kingston describes how a man intimidates her aunt by telling her that he will beat and kill her if she tells anyone. It shows men dominance over women because the man is making Kingston’s aunt do anything he wants. In paragraph fifteen, “women in the old China did not choose. Some man had commanded her to lie with him and be his secret evil” (623). It adds to how women in China did not have any voice and were supposed to comply with any thing men said. Women had to be protective mothers. Kingston states, “as a last act of responsibility: She would protect this child as she had protect its father… mothers who love their children take them along” (629). This quote means that women would protect their children and always look out for the best interest for them. Women had to provide food for their family and their gods. In paragraph thirteen, “she plants vegetables gardens rather than lawns; she carries the odd-shaped tomatoes home from the fields and eats food left for the gods” (622). It shows one duty of women in Chinese culture and the role they had to follow.
In Posadas County, New Mexico, a retired sheriff by the name of Bill Gastner gets caught in thing that he would have never thought. He knows two things about humans - most criminals aren’t as smart as they think they are and humans are highly predictable. Gastner was suppose to have lunch with George Payton but instead he found himself racing to meet up with an ambulance because his neighbor Dale Torrance lands on the wrong side of his horses hoofs. Returning from the hospital Gastner learns that Payton was found dead by his son-in-law after only taking a few bites of his lunch from Don Juan Onate restaurant.
Set in 1920 republican era China, Raise the red lantern, is a film released in 1991 and directed by Zhang Yimou. Yimou takes the audience behind the walls of a traditional Chinese estate where there is a dominant ideology of patriarchy. It tells a tragic story of how wives which are seen as “mistresses” are forced into a world of schemes for the attention of the powerful Master Chen, the landowner. Through cinematic techniques and reoccurring motifs, the director is able to manifest fatal themes due to the imposition of power. This includes cinematic techniques such as, mise-en-scene and mise-en-shots which are able to emphasise themes such as isolation, imprisonment and insanity.
The color red is used in literature as well as throughout The Book Thief to display war, blood, and anger (Morton). Early in the novel, Death associates red with war, “The last time I saw her was red… Then bombs” (Zusak 12), Death uses the
The archetypal association of the color red typically has to do with danger and passion. The appearance of red in this book relates to either one of both of those ideas. Red is associated with passion when related to Gatsby and Daisy’s relationship before Gatsby goes off to war. During the height of their tryst, Daisy has to go volunteer at the Red Cross but tells Jordan to tell that that, “she couldn’t make it that day” (56). The passion that she felt towards Gatsby made her throw away her obligations at the Red Cross. The irony in this is that Daisy was supposed to help with bandages for the war, the war that Gatsby later has to join. Red has many different meanings in this context, the most specific being passion. The more vulgar situation
Today’s society has many different associations for the color red. Red is most often paired with intensity, anger, and aggression. Red is often times a standout color, not modest at all. Policemen are told that when radaring, they should look for red cars first because
Such as prostitutes, sexually encounters, Handmaids, and rap. The color red is a motif because it reoccurs in her outfit and the “Red Center.” The color red is also a symbol because red always symbolizes
Adapted from the novel Wives and Concubines by Su Tong, Zhang Yimou’s Raise the Red Lantern presents a glimpse into the oppressive life as a fourth wife. The film follows the arranged marriage of Songlian and her the film presents a criticism of traditional Chinese customs and practices is displayed. The clip to be analysed is the climactic final of the movie as Songlian follows a groups of servants dressed in black as they carry the third wife along the rooftops. Their destination is one particular room mentioned earlier in the movie as a haunted place where adulterous wives were hanged. Its place in the overall theme of the film will also be analysed with a focus on the camera work in particular.
Throughout time, women have often been referred to as the inferior gender. In China, women have had to go through dire circumstances in order to look good in the public eye. From foot binding, to enduring abusive husbands, to becoming concubines in a prison-like house, women have been through hell in order to please their men, and, most importantly, to please their society. There are a series of double standards and contradictions to how men and women are treated, and this is shown in both Lu Xun and Qiu Jun’s essays as well as in the film, Raise the Red Lantern.
In the short story, “A Red Dress 1946” by Alice Munro, Color imagery is used for signifying a girls point of view of her world and her own self by using the color red which represents nonconformity. The narrator has only a slight interest in being red, but she really wants to be blue, just like everyone else. Munro writes, “When I was asked a question in class, any simple little question at all…that I had blood on my skirt”.(2) The narrator is just so nervous about being red she is thinking of bad things that can happen with the color red. She is thinking of all the bad times the color red could do a girl badly, just like a girls period could leak at any moment. In “A Red Dress 1946”, a short story by Alice Munro, she uses Color Imagery to show the significance of the narrator’s view of the color red and all the “Evil” about it.
These colors effect a person’s body, mind, and emotions (Wright, 2016). The colors red and yellow are considered warm colors. The warm color red is very powerful but it is not the most visible color. It exhibits properties of appearing to be closer than it really is, which tends to grab people’s attention before any other color. Since red gives the impression that time is passing faster than reality, it has a physical effect on people by raising their pulse rate and blood pressure. Some of the emotions triggered by this color are strength, physical courage, caused by ‘fight or flight’ simulation, aggression, and anger (Wright, 2016). Red is a fast-paced color and in many societies, it symbolizes love and
Because of the influence of Chinese history and culture, there are various of wedding dresses from ancient times. Hanfu clothes, Tang wedding clothes, and red cheongsam are the main Chinese wedding dress. However, what they all had in common of the bride’s and bridegroom’s dresses were: there must be decorative figures and patterns which representing auspicious meanings. Such as phoenix, peony, and auspicious patterns. Bridegrooms and the brides were dressed up in red finery and ancient rituals were performed during the ceremony. In china, red is the traditional color of Chinese wedding celebrations. Red is the color of good luck and is used as a wedding color, and is a theme repeated in the wedding clothing and other ritual wedding objects. Chinese traditional wedding with the bride and bridegroom in the red dress, a symbol of good luck, joy and happiness, indicates the days after marriage is booming. Besides, people tine the eggs red as gifts on a wedding day. These red things not only bring wedding pleased celebrate of atmosphere, but also bring auspicious blessings and respects to the new couple.