An exquisite in aesthetic terms rural drama that travereses with force the entire gamut of the shades of red. But when this is shattered by the japanese troupes who come in and massacre a few villagers during a public execution, jiuer incites the winery men for revenge. Commingling local rituals, a passionate love affair, female emancipation and nationalist struggle against the japanese, yimou succeeds eventually in providing a dramatically intense film with firstclass acting and with equally vivid colors burning. Jun 21, 2010 sorghum cane used to be ground and squeezed to make sorghum syrup, which supposedly tastes like molasses. Red sorghum is a chinese television series based on nobel laureate mo yans 19861987 eponymous novel. It is based on the novel red sorghum clan by nobel laureate mo yan the film marked the directorial debut of internationally acclaimed filmmaker zhang yimou, and the acting debut of film star gong li. It may be hard for contemporary audiences, even in china, to comprehend why cheng kaiges yellow earth huang tudi, 1984 made such a mark on the development of chinese cinema. Red sorghum is an incredibly successful film that utilizes sound, image, and pacing to deliver a beautiful and ideological product.
I didnt realize until id grown up that northeast gaomi township. The narrator tells the story of his familys struggles, first as distillery owners making sorghum wine and then as resistance fighters during the second sinojapanese war. Zhang yimou seeks to critique the cold rigidity of modernization by contrasting it with a period lush yet simple enough to enjoy and experience. Id be more excited about the rock throwin and pole. A novel of china or red sorghum clan simplified chinese. Based off mo yans famous novel, red sorghums plot revolves around three generations of the shandong family between 1923 and 1976. Chen jianyu, zhu wei based on the books by mo yan phot.
The story of the film is loosely based on 2012 nobel prize winner mo yans first novel red sorghum clan 1986, but the film adopts its own distinctive perspective. Red sorghum is the sort of scenic, romantic, violent, symbolic melodrama that flowered in the early years of the cinema. Set in rural china in the 1920s, during the period of the japanese invasion. The first chinese film to receive a commercial release in the u. One of my favorite films is red sorghum, by zhang yimou, whos an incredible director just incredibly visual. This chinese drama is based on a novel written by nobel laureate mo yan. Awardwinning rural chinese drama directed by zhang yimou. Its also high in antioxidants, contains 300 mg of protein, 30 mg of calcium, 20 mg of magnesium and 11 mg of phosphorus all in 1 tablespoon. Then recently i discovered the china edition dvd and was surprised to find that it had english subtitles. Red sorghum this is a heroic legend, unfolded with verve and economy, a celebration of love, community and eccentricity. Early on, the family makes sorghum wine, but as the second sinojapanese war unfolds the family transitions.
This is a complete list of mo yans works published as a collection in 2012 in china after mo yan received the nobel prize. Yimou zhang, li gong, wen jiang, rujun ten, zhigang chen, kun dong, guoguang du, xiaoguang hu, liu jia, cunhua ji, yimou zhang, categoryarthouse, categoryasia, festival berlin international film festival, film movie china chinese, film movie foreign, red sorghum hong gao liang het rode korenveld, red. Lu and feng are a devoted couple forced to separate when lu is arrested and sent to a labor camp as a political prisoner during the cultural revolution. Jan 10, 2019 first serialised in various magazines in 1986, the book comprises of five volumes, each with an interesting title red sorghum, sorghum wine, dog ways, sorghum funeral and strange death. The other is raise the red lantern which ranks as one of my favourite films of all time despite the obvious tragic ending. Jul 06, 2019 professor michael berry asian languages and cultures, ucla joins phd candidate wesley jacks film and media studies, ucsb for a postscreening conversation about zhang yimous 1987 film adaptation of mo yans pulitzer prizewinning novel red sorghum. Red sorghum won the golden bear at the berlin film festival and was acclaimed at the new york film festival, marking a new level of western interest in chinese cinema. A legend in china, where it won major literary awards and inspired an oscarnominated film directed by zhang yimou, red sorghum is a book in which fable and history collide to produce fiction that is entirely newand unforgettable. It won the golden bear for best film at the 70th berlin international film festival.
A stunning visual achievement, this new wave chinese film and yimous directorial debut succeeds on many levelsas an ode to the color red, as dark comedy, and as a sweeping epic with fairy tale overtones. There is a strength in the simplicity of this story, in the almost fairytale quality of its images and the shocking. Red sorghum is a braided story with three different strands, in that the story combines elements of three different generations of the same family, the shandong family. So in my opinion, on the strength a of this one book alone mo yan deserves the nobel prize for literature.
There is a strength in the simplicity of this story, in the almost fairytale quality of its images and the shocking suddenness of its. Even before the serialisations were published into a complete novel, mo yan was approached by the director, zhang yimou, proposing to turn the book into a film. A successful red sorghum wine business and the birth of the narrators father seem to suggest that the village is moving towards abundance. The film relates four stories concerning the death penalty in iran. Here is a solid film by yimou zhang, from the fifth generation of chinese directors. Red sorghum tells of the life between a woman, the narrators grandmother and the narrators grandfather. Sorghum grain is an excellent source of dietary fiber and a wonderful way to include the health benefits of whole grain food in a gluten free diet. Directed by zheng xiaolong, it also features the highly anticipated return of actress zhou xun to television after 10 years. Jun 19, 1998 two pictorially stunning and emotionally powerful films set in the past and shot in distant or untamed landscapes, tian zhuangzhuangs the horse thief and zhang yimous red sorghum are modern.
In the story here, we follow the changing circumstances and experiences of a young woman who inherits and operates a liquor distillery during the 1930s. Red sorghum 1987 yi mou zhang, zhang yimou synopsis. It was a banner year for british cinema, with mike leigh, derek jarman and terence davies all appearing in the nyff for the first timeand each with one arguably one of their greatest filmseven though they had all been working since the 1970s. Containing darkly comic elements, it is also a violent film. Sorghum syrup and hot biscuits are a traditional breakfast in southern appalachia, and the blairsville biskit eatin contest during the sorghum festival is a favorite. Red sorghum, which won the golden bear as the best film shown at this years berlin film festival, is an exotic fable, related by an unseen soundtrack narrator who identifies himself as the. Grain sorghum can take many shapes and sizes from a tightheaded, round panicle to an open, droopy panicle that can be short or tall. Red sorghum film screening a directorial and acting debut for zhang yimou and gong li, respectively, the film catapulted both to international stardom. Also, my copy of it was poor, and amazon should not sell such poor copies of a dvd. Ever since his directorial debut, red sorghum 1987 won the golden bear award at the berlin film festival, zhang yimou has established his reputation as one of the most talented and influential directors today. Red sorghum red sorghum 2014 film serial cinemagia. All about sorghum the united sorghum checkoff program.
As she is being carried over the sorghum fields, bandits attack and she is rescued by a laborer wen. Red sorghum is marked by its strong male subjectivity, making it in this was a counterpart to some of the womens cinema films. He finally returns home only to find that his beloved wife no longer recognizes him. Distributie tongsheng han, xuan huang, matthew knowles. It tells the story of a poor young girl named juier who must enter into a prearranged marriage with a much older man named li datou who owns a distillery. Set in the northern province of shandong during the 1920s and early 30s, a young. Sep 03, 2016 red sorghum is the second of only two films by one of my favourite directors zhang yimou that features on this 1001 list. The film is an adaptation of novel by 2012 nobel literature prize winner mo yan. The novel consists of the volumes red sorghum, sorghum wine, dog ways. Red sorghum ebook by mo yan 9781101656952 rakuten kobo. Goodreads members who liked red sorghum also liked. The red, red setting sun that ends the film might represent the flag of the japanese conquerors, or simply the inevitable shortness of every human life. This novel began as a short story published in 1986, so well received that it later was expanded into five chapters and published as a family saga in 1987, by the peoples liberation army publishing house, beijing.
Red sorghum might be the best chinese film ive ever seen. Gong li, jiang wen, ji cunhua, teng rujun my thinking about culture begins the moment it is in ruins. Oct 02, 2008 and now i have two copies of red sorghum, the first film in zhangs red trilogy. Red sorghum was the first directorial effort of controversial chinese filmmaker zhang yimou. In the nearby red sorghum fields she falls for one of his servants. With its lush and lusty portrayal of peasant life, it immediately vaulted zhang to the. Red sorghumthis is a heroic legend, unfolded with verve and economy, a celebration of love, community and eccentricity, writes philip french. First serialised in various magazines in 1986, the book comprises of five volumes, each with an interesting title red sorghum, sorghum wine, dog ways, sorghum funeral and strange death. Aesthetically, this film beats most of the american films which use cgi or any kind of. Red sorghum won the golden bear at the berlin film festival and was acclaimed at the new york film festival. Enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing red sorghum near you. Red sorghum is a 1987 chinese film about a young womans life working on a distillery for sorghum liquor. Red sorghum is told as a flashback, a narration by the main characters. Set in 1930s china during the second sinojapanese war, the film is about a young woman who is sent by her father to marry the leprous owner of a winery.
Mo yan has written 11 novels, and several novellas and short story collections. Red sorghum 1987 winner of the coveted golden bear at the 1988 berlin international film festival, red sorghum was the definitive confirmation that chinas fifth generation was ushering in a new golden age for chinese cinema. Pages in category golden bear winners the following 84 pages are in this category, out of 84 total. Wang yuejin reads the characters of red sorghum as answering a longfelt lack of positive masculinity on the chinese screen. The directors favorite leading lady gong li plays a young woman of the 1920s whose family sells her into marriage with a wealthy winemaker.
Published in 1986, it was mos first novel and remains one of his bestknown works. With peng chi, tina collins, tongsheng han, xuan huang. In 1930s china a young woman is sent by her father to marry the leprous owner of a winery. Red sorghum is a frank and disturbing history of a period no one else has recorded in such detail and with such brutal nonjudgemental honesty. It is based on the novel red sorghum clan by nobel. The series chronicles the struggles of the protagonist jiuer played by zhou in rural shandong province in early 1930s. In fact, it is 100 percent natural and contains no chemical additives of. Satan doesnt exist, sheytan vojud nadarad is a 2020 iranian drama film directed by mohammad rasoulof.
Five favorite films with lucy liu mar 30, 2012 red sorghum yimou zhang, 1987. Red may dominate zhangs palette, most notably in the climactic sequence in which jiuers blood mingles with the wine and trickles into the sorghum field as an eclipse bathes the entire scene in. The acclaimed novel of love and resistance during late 1930s china by mo yan, winner of the 2012 nobel prize in literaturespanning three generations, this novel of family and myth is told through a series of flashbacks that depict events of staggering horror set against a landscape of gemlike beauty. Red sorghum 1987 u 10101988 us drama, war 1h 31m user score. Mo yans groundup depiction of mo yans novels are often praised because they depict the history of chinas last six or so decades from the ground up. The red sorghum novel community note includes chapterbychapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and quizzes written by community members like you. Oscars best picture winners best picture winners golden globes emmys san diego comiccon new york comiccon sundance film festival toronto intl film festival awards central festival central all events.
I read red sorghum, the novel, without prior knowledge of the film. Jiuer, the wife bought by the leper, and her lover, identified only as my grandpa by the narrator, take over the winery and set up an idealized quasimatriarchal community headed by jiuer. And it closed with the festivals first ever film from mainland china, zhang yimous red sorghum. The way that he shoots a film and takes a time in history and connects it to somebody. It is based on the novel red sorghum clan by nobel laureate mo yan the film marked the directorial debut of internationally acclaimed filmmaker zhang yimou, and the acting debut of film star. Red, orange or bronze sorghum is traditionally grown and is used in all segments of the sorghum industry. Commingling local rituals, a passionate love affair, female emancipation and nationalist struggle against the japanese, yimou succeeds eventually in providing a dramatically intense film with firstclass acting and with equally vivid colors burning the screen and the. I have seen him in shower 1999 in which his personal charisma and strength of character are shown more fully. Sorgo rojo le sorgho rouge rotes kornfeld zhang yimou mo yan guan moye nobel prize berlin film festival 1988 top award.
I had the film on vcd for years, having to put up with the crap burntin subtitles and terrible picture. Young jiuer gong li is sent by her parents to marry an old leper who owns a distillery. Red sorghum 1988, raise the red lantern 1991, the story of qiu ju 1992, to live 1994, not one less 1999, hero 2002, house of flying daggers 2004, curse of the golden flower 2006, flowers of war 2011, coming home 2014 content warning. Red sorghum 1988 regarder par li gong, wen jiang, rujun teng, ji liu. Directed by zheng xiaolong, it also features the highlyanticipated return of actress zhou xun to television after 10 years. Red sorghum 1987 full movie download full hd youtube. Filming it in red is okafter all, the novel is about red sorghum. Unlike some gluten free grains, the hearty, chewy texture of whole grain sorghum is very similar to wheat berries, making it an ideal addition to pilafs and cold salads. Film is a very broad concept, and here youll have the chance to give a look about some aspects of it.
Hong gao liang red sorghum 1987 multisub full film. The first three films directed by zhang yimou form a trilogy linked by their early twentieth century, precommunist settings, themes around social constraint versus personal desire, lavish visual style, and the presence of his muse gong li. Find books like red sorghum from the worlds largest community of readers. Winning the golden bear at the 1988 berlin international film festival, red sorghum was an auspicious debut for both cinematographerturneddirector zhang and its young lead actress gong li. The authors of the film intelligently decide to operate a selection from the large amount of material offered by mo yan. Dec 29, 2015 it is especially so if the film has been adapted from a novel, because theres just so much information in the novel from descriptive language to a great deal more drama that simply cannot be made to fit into a film of less than a couple of hours. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of red sorghum by mo yan.
Zhang would go on to make more accomplished films, and gong would grow more into the luminous beauty she is today, but red sorghum shows that they were. Featuring gong li curse of the golden flower in a mesmerising performance, the astonishing directorial debut of zhang yimou raise the red lantern, hero is a sumptuous. Also sign me up for fanmail to get updates on all things movies. One tablespoon of sorghum syrup supplies 200 mg of potassium, 6 percent of the recommended daily value for the average adult. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. Yellow earth film kaige senses of cinema film journal. Aesthetically, this film beats most of the american films which use cgi or any kind of digital technology to make their films look great. Berry explains the legacy of the socalled fifth generation of chinese filmmakers including yimou, and how red sorghum s production during. Rasoulof explained that the film is about people taking responsibility for their. The sorghum is a symbol of fortitude, and a continuation of life.
Published in 1986, red sorghum is a magical realism novel written by. In the china of the 1920s, a young woman jiuer li gong is entered into an arranged marriage with the leprous owner of a local winery. The fact that it was made in 1988, and shot in china in cinemascope and color, doesnt make it a modern film, but that is quite all right. There are various types of sorghum including red, orange, bronze, tan, white, and black colored sorghum. Red sorghum 1986 the garlic ballads 1988 thirteen steps 1988. Notable in a supporting role is wu jiang as wan erxi the strong young man with the limp who marries the mute daughter. Red sorghum film complet en entier streaming vf francais 1988 qualite hd en sortira le dans le theatre. He is the younger brother of wan jiang who starred in zhang yimous first film, red sorghum. Red sorghum is a movie that was directed by the zhang yimou and it addresses the social, political and economic history of the chinese people. Red sorghum is one of the greatest masterpieces of chinese cinema. Zhang yimou zhang yimou born 2 april 1950 is a chinese film director, producer, writer and actor, and former cinematographer. As she is being carried over the sorghum fields, bandits attack and she is rescued by a laborer wen jiang, with whom she has a son the narrator.