The Ugly Epitome of Feudal Society under Chinese Patriarchy
bound feudal woman
——A brief analysis of the characters in the movie "The Big Red Lantern Hanging High"
The movie "High Red Lanterns" was adapted by director Zhang Yimou based on Su Tong's novella "Wives and Concubines", starring Gong Li, He Saifei and Ma Jingwu . The film successfully outlines the feudal family system of "polygamy", the life picture of open and secret struggle and intrigue between wives and concubines, and the survival rules formed under the male domination. This film not only deeply analyzes the essence of the phenomenon in terms of themes, but also goes a long way in creating characters.
The comprehension of tragic times
The family system in a special era drives Song Lian crazy. Compromises come one after another. Song Lian stands at the gate of the courtyard before going to bed and waits for the call to be "lit"; for the master's love, she pretends to be pregnant and blocks the lights; one compromise after another, slowly lost original self. In this compound, she gradually had to obey the master's wishes, forcing herself to make endless compromises with the master and the rules in this compound, in order to continue her life better. And the death of the third wife made Song Lian understand that women's lives are being played with at will under male domination. The extremely painful Songlian chose to resist, lighting up the lights of the third wife's house and playing the third wife's opera. Although she temporarily frightened the family, she could not change the destruction of women in this society; in the summer of the following year, a new fifth wife came. The fifth wife in full costumes quietly enjoyed the "hammer feet", and the tragic reincarnation of women echoed in the Chen family compound with Song Lian's crazy laughter. The director sketches a picture of the tragic transformation of women's characters and the ugly faces that are bound in the feudal patriarchal society.
The "retrograde" of the feudal family
The background of the film takes place in the late period of the Republic of China, which is a time when China's new and old society alternates. Song Lian was forced to obey the arrangement of her stepmother and married Chen Master as the fourth wife. In the Chen family compound, there were rows of red lanterns and doors and windows pasted with red paper. The director cleverly uses a large red color block to place it in the picture, which is in stark contrast with the female college student of the Republic of China in white clothes and black skirts. It felt very abrupt, and successfully highlighted Songlian's identity as a "retrograde" in the Chen family compound. She looked at the complex relationship in this courtyard with dignity and arrogance with disdain; she handled the interpersonal relationships with other wives in the Chen family compound in a careless and reckless manner; she did not fight or rob the master's "love". Therefore, the conflict between the special environment and such a clear character is inevitable, and the contradiction in the film starts from this. Actively creating contradictory characters makes the story of the film "High Red Lanterns" full and intense.
Consumables and Substitutes in Patriarchal Society
In this compound, Songlian lost the freedom she should have and the right to pursue her dreams and future. From the moment I walked into this compound, I could only revolve around the master. Whether it is happiness or sadness, you must face it with a smile, and you must not have your own emotions. When Song Lian opened the "hut" upstairs and saw the third wife's death, she became even more convinced that women had no place in this society and this family. She was forced to live in this patriarchal society and was completely reduced to a consumable item in the patriarchal feudal society. At the same time, Songlian is also facing the possibility of being replaced at any time. "Lighting" and "hammering feet" are the only competitions women have in this compound. If she doesn't light the lights, she can only endure the sound of Aunt Cao hammering other people's feet, and other wives will replace Songlian in this family. Importance; she also needs to give birth to a boy and a half girl to be completely based in this family. The feudal ideology of patriarchy is deeply rooted, and Songlian is not a human being in this society. The women represented by Songlian at that time are all consumables and substitutes of the patriarchal society. Their existence is meaningless.
Song Lian's fate was undoubtedly tragic. The director showed the ugly epitome of the feudal society under Chinese patriarchy at that time in a small way. The feudal rule for more than two thousand years has established its supremacy. The distortion and education of women and the control and transformation of women by men have undoubtedly brought tragic fate to Chinese feudal women.
"National Teacher" Zhang Yimou - 1991 - "High Red Lanterns" - Baidu Encyclopedia - https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E5%A4%A7%E7%BA%A2%E7%81%AF% E7%AC%BC%E9%AB%98%E9%AB%98%E6%8C%82/10305762?fr=aladdin
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