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Imagery and Sound in Red Sorghum  |
| CCTV.COM 2002-06-13 16:06:02 |
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When Zhang Yimou made his directorial debut, Red Sorghum, in 1987, he was better known as a cinematographer whose talent had been crucial to the success of critically acclaimed films like Zhang Junzhao's One and Eight （1984, released 1987） and Chen Kaige's Yellow Earth （1984）. Not only did Red Sorghum become a seminal film of the Fifth Generation, it also won the Golden Bear at Berlin in 1988, becoming the first Chinese mainland film ever to be awarded the highest honor at a major international film competition.
Set in the 1920s and '30s in northern China, Red Sorghum's narrative centers on the fate of a young woman who is forced to marry a rich old leper but who eventually falls in love with a younger man. The motif of female oppression in feudal China is repeated in Zhang's next two films, Ju Dou （1990） and Raise the Red Lantern （1991）. The films form a loose triptych, linked not only by similar thematic concerns but also stylistic elements. The latter two include the luscious use of colour, lighting and bold composition to create the sensuous images and metaphors, which have distinguished Zhang as an original author. Music and sound are used with precision－－nothing extraneous is added.
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