"An intellectually and artistically brave film" -New York Times
"A magnificent melodrama, even more visually sumptuous and emotionally draining than the same director's earlier RED SORGHUM.... Its dark wit and fiery pace ensure that even the occasional overheated moments carry conviction." - Time Out
"Visually stunning, with ravishing uses of color and beautifully modulated lap dissolves..." - Chicago Reader
The film that put director Zhang Yimou and star Gong Li on the international cinema map follows beautiful, young Ju Dou as she is married off to an egregiously cruel, and also impotent, owner of a dye mill in the Chinese countryside in the early 20th century. When the boss’s nephew arrives on the scene, they fall for each other with lustful abandon, and their impassioned affair soon leads to a son. After the clandestine couple convinces the despotic husband that he is the father, the boy is raised as his long-awaited heir. However, the myriad complications of infidelity lead to a visceral and psychological melee between the lovers and their ruler with explosively dramatic turns. With its stunning mise en scène and sumptuous use of color, JU DOU was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards and has earned a reputation as one of the greatest Chinese films ever made.
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
The Film Center is ADA accessible. This presentation will be projected without open captions. The theater is hearing-loop equipped. For accessibility requests, please email filmcenter@saic.edu