Ju Dou
- Starring: Gong Li, Li Baotian, Li Wei
- Director: Zhang Yimou
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Description
A dark, sensual, and visually sumptuous drama, Ju Dou centers on the title character, the third wife of a wealthy silk dyer in 1920s China. Forced into marriage by poverty, Ju Dou is repeatedly mistreated and cruelly disciplined by her husband, Jin-shan, for failing to bear him an heir. Her suffering attracts the sympathy of Jin-shan's younger, kinder nephew, Tian-qing, and the two begin a secret affair that could have tragic consequences. Spanning the course of many years, the film's narrative takes several surprising turns, defying expectations and complicating audience sympathies. None of the film's characters is wholly heroic or evil, allowing all three central performers -- Li Bao-tian as Tian-qing, Li Wei as Jin-shan, and the luminous Gong Li as Ju Dou -- to fashion memorable, complex portrayals. Director Zhang Yimou, a former cinematographer, uses gorgeously saturated images that emphasize his story's elemental nature, which often recalls classical tragedy. Met with controversy in China due to supposed political overtones that worried government officials, Ju Dou received fairer treatment overseas, winning an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film and numerous festival prizes. Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
Features
- Genre: Drama
- Category: Family Drama, Marriage Drama, Period Film, Romantic Drama, Rural Drama
- Theme: Crumbling Marriages, Down on Their Luck, Infidelity
- Release Date: February 14, 2006
- Rating: PG-13 (Parents Strongly Cautioned)Rating Opens in New Window - Adult Situations, Not For Children, Sexual Situations, Violence
- Studio: Razor Digital Entertainment
- Lead Actors: Gong Li, Li Baotian, Li Wei, Zhang Yi, Zheng Jian
- Director: Zhang Yimou
- Run Time: 1 hr 34 min
- Language: Cantonese, English
- Subtitle Language: Cantonese, English
- Format: DVD
Additional Information
- DPCI: 246-03-8802
- ASIN: B002OXN4K4
- Catalog #: 11581848
- Item can not be gift wrapped.
Shipping & Policies
- You may return this item to any Target store.Opens in New Window
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- Estimated Ship Dimensions : 7.49 inches length x 5.38 inches width x 0.6 inches height
- Estimated Ship Weight: 0.21 pound.
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Expert Reviews
Sumptuously photographed yet coolly fatalistic, Ju Dou was banned in its native China while wowing critics abroad with its strikingly ****** content and remarkably direct political subtext. It was nominated for an Oscar as Best Foreign Language Film and established the careers of director Zhang Yimou and actress Gong Li. Made in the immediate aftermath of the Tiananmen Square massacre on June 4, 1989, the film brilliantly allegorizes the cycle of violence beget by feudalism and revolution in 20th-century China. Set during the 1920s (before the Communists came to power), the story focuses on a love triangle among Jin-shan, an old, cruel silk dyer; his young third wife, Ju Dou (he beat the other two to death); and the old man's nephew, Tian-qing, who is too poor to marry. Fueled by the overwhelming weight of tradition and his own ****** impotence, Jin-shan initially comes across as a miserly and sadistic monster who showers invective on his nephew and tortures his wife for not bringing him an heir. Yet Ju Dou's and Tian-qing's eventual rebellion is anything but noble. After Jin-shan is crippled, they flagrantly continue their illicit affair, transgressing the rigid hierarchy of tradition. They taunt Jin-shan, as he quietly stews in helpless fury. When the resulting child grows to be a psychotic and violent terror, Zhang's meaning becomes mercilessly clear: you reap what you sow. Dark and unsettling, Ju Dou is a harrowing, sensual tale by a filmmaker reaching the peak of his abilities. Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
