# Raise the Red Lantern (1991) — Celluloid fact sheet

Source: https://celluloidscore.com/movies/raise-the-red-lantern-1991/
Last reviewed: 2026-08-31

| Field | Value |
|-------|-------|
| Celluloid Score | 89% |
| Editorial Rating | 96/100 |
| Audience Snapshot | 91% (excluded from composite) |
| Metascore | 93/100 |
| Letterboxd | 4.2/5 |
| IMDb | 8.1/10 |
| Director | Zhang Yimou |
| Genres | Drama |
| Runtime | 125 min |
| Festival premiere | Venice 1991 (Silver Lion) |
| Major awards | 0 wins, 1 nominations |

## Quick answer

Raise the Red Lantern (1991) earns a 89% Celluloid Score — Recommended. Zhang Yimou's claustrophobic palace drama exposes patriarchy with formal beauty and icy precision. Metascore 93/100. Directed by Zhang Yimou.

## Celluloid verdict

Zhang Yimou's claustrophobic palace drama exposes patriarchy with formal beauty and icy precision.

## Synopsis

A young woman becomes the fourth wife of a wealthy lord and discovers brutal competition among concubines in 1920s China.

## Cast

Gong Li, Ma Jingwu, He Caifei

## Accolades

Premiered at Venice 1991, where it won the Silver Lion.
- Nominated for Best Feature Film — Golden Horse Awards 1991

## Where to watch

South Korea: Wavve
Japan: Prime Video, Hulu, U-NEXT

## Critic reviews on Celluloid: 1

## Common questions

**Is Raise the Red Lantern worth watching?**
Raise the Red Lantern holds a 89% Celluloid Score. Zhang Yimou's claustrophobic palace drama exposes patriarchy with formal beauty and icy precision.

**What is Raise the Red Lantern about?**
A young woman becomes the fourth wife of a wealthy lord and discovers brutal competition among concubines in 1920s China.

**Who directed Raise the Red Lantern?**
Raise the Red Lantern (1991) was directed by Zhang Yimou.

**What is the Celluloid Score of Raise the Red Lantern?**
89% — calculated from available Celluloid editorial (96/100), Metascore (93/100), Letterboxd (4.2/5), and IMDb (8.1/10) inputs. Audience sentiment is excluded.

**What awards did Raise the Red Lantern win?**
Raise the Red Lantern earned 1 major award nomination: Best Feature Film (Golden Horse Awards 1991).

**Where can I watch Raise the Red Lantern?**
Raise the Red Lantern is on Wavve in South Korea; on Prime Video, Hulu, U-NEXT in Japan. Availability varies by region.

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Reviewed and scored by Celluloid · Editor: Kaiser Khan (https://celluloidscore.com/author/kaiser-khan/)

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