April 3, 2013 - "Ju Dou" (1990)

Ju Dou, 1990

The first of three films we're screening from Chinese director Yimou Zhang.




Director: Yimou Zhang
Origin: Japan | China
Language: Mandarin
Running time: 94 min

In this romantic tragedy, Chinese director Yimou Zhang's visually sumptuous cinematography complements the sensual story line in which the abused wife (Gong Li) of a wealthy silk dyer (Li Wei) enters into an affair with her husband's nephew (Li Bao-tian). Arresting images, exquisite use of color and a classic yet complex plot combine for a richly satisfying drama that earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film. (from Netflix.com)

U.S. box office: $1,986,433 

Watch the trailer on YouTube.

Read Yimou Zhang's biography from the New York Times.

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Review of last week's film (Mr. and Mrs. Iyer, 3.5 stars)
Steven says: This is a movie of extremes -- extreme normalcy and extreme violence, though we only experiece the latter through secondhand reactions and storyline. Within those two extremes, two strangers thrown together figure out that their cultural differences can be overcome to create a friendship, and maybe more. Much of the cultural references are lost on non-Indian viewers, but the story is still worth the time to see additional perspectives on this centuries-old issue of clashing cultures.