"Raise the Red Lantern" is a 1991 film directed by Zhang Yimou, adapted from Su Tong's novel "Raise The Red Lantern: Three Novellas". This film explores the oppressive nature of feudal ethics, narrating the tragic events in a wealthy family during the Republic of China era, where multiple concubines vie for the attention of the patriarch. The relative power of the wives depends on whom the master chooses to spend the night with. Set in the "Chen Mansion," the film publicly presents a private domain to reveal how feudal ethics constrain human nature, ultimately reflecting the era's broader tragedy.

The narrative structure follows the seasons—summer, autumn, winter, and back to summer. In the summer, Songlian marries into the Chen Mansion and becomes a concubine. By autumn, she realizes the mansion's darkness through the struggles of the other concubines and gradually conforms to its "rules." In winter, Songlianindirectly causes the death of a maid and the third wife, leading to her own descent into madness. With the arrival of a fifth wife in the new summer, a new cycle begins, signifying the relentless persistence of feudal ethics beyond individual demise. Notably, the film skips spring, symbolizing hope and vitality, to underscore that these women, repressed and restrained from the start, are deprived of freedom, foreshadowing their tragic fate.

The film's use of color sets its overall tone. Dominated by red, white, black, and deep blue, it quickly immerses the audience in a depressing atmosphere. Red, a frequent motif in Zhang Yimou's films, appears prominently as the color of the lanterns. These red lanterns are crucial dramatic elements, representing the Chen family's inflated desires and symbolizing power and status. Lighting the lanterns signifies the master's presence in the concubine's courtyard, making abstract status tangible and spurring the concubines to compete for favor. The use of black, particularly in the black lamp covers during the "light-out" scene, highlights the ruthless suppression of humanity under feudal society. Songlian's final act of dismantling the black lamp cover symbolizes a rebellion against feudal morality.

Sound and music also play a significant role. Traditional opera features prominently as background music, adding tension and integrating traditional Chinese elements into the film. The close-up of Songlian's face interspersed with her mother's conversation as a voiceover serves as the film's prologue, immediately setting the story's background and tone. The amplified sound of lighting the lanterns emphasizes the Chen Mansion's emptiness and magnifies the characters' inner thoughts, drawing the audience into their minds and underscoring the concubines' obsession with status and desire.

The cinematography further deepens the theme. The symmetrical composition and fixed shots, especially at the film's end, combined with the neatly arranged four-courtyard house, create a cage-like effect, trapping the characters within. Songlian's pacing in the courtyard, unable to escape the high walls of the Chen Mansion, symbolizes the plight of women trapped in traditional marriage and feudal morality. The layered thresholds enhance the sense of spatial depth, depicting how the women, upon entering the Chen Mansion, gradually fall under the shadow of feudal forces, unable to break free.

"I just don't understand. In this courtyard, what are women? They're like dogs, cats, mice, everything, but they're not like people." Women in the Chen Mansion are deeply bound by feudal morality, losing themselves within the deep courtyards and under the red lanterns. The story, while set in the Chen household, reflects broader societal issues. The master's face is never clearly shown, symbolizing that the oppression of feudal society and traditional marriage extends beyond a single household, representing a pervasive patriarchy deeply rooted in the old society's mindset.