Raise The Red Lantern Essay

In a broad sense, rules are the hallmark of civilized society. They serve a variety of organizing functions, and can be found in many different forms. Yet no matter the type, rules help construct a symbolic, and sometimes physical, hierarchy of power amongst a group of people. In Zhang Yimou’s film Raise the Red Lantern and Athol Fugard’s play The Island, this hierarchy of power can be seen through character representation and cinematography. Yimou exemplifies social control while Fugard demonstrates political law, but both emphasize power and the movement of this power within a community. Thus, the formation of rules is the cultivation of power; however, this power is transferred to its subordinates differently depending on the type of rule.

Depicted through only long shot, and never truly seeing his face, the viewer is left feeling distant from Master Chen’s character. Yimou does not want the viewer to fully understand who Master Chen is, but instead wants Master Chen’s distance to exemplify his power. In this film, distance shows power because even with Master Chen’s separation the decisions made by the Chen family are guided by the rules in which he enforces. Yimou’s use of long shot illustrates Master Chen’s authority from rule. In addition to his use of long shot, Yimou uses the color red to help solidify Master Chen’s power. Red, symbolizing strength, continually reoccurs in the rules enforced by Master Chen. The most apparent rule being, whoever receives a red lantern will receive a foot massage and the love of the master himself. Through Master Chen’s red lantern selection, he is asserting his power over his wives and establishing his dominance through social control. Yimou’s use of red colors in the film illustrates the power associated with Master Chen and the rules he enforces. Similar to Yimou, Fugard uses specific literary techniques to establish power within The