China / Hong Kong,
1991, 125 min
Plots(1)
In a Chinese town in the 1920’s, four wives in a polygamous marriage jockey for what limited power is available to them within a claustrophobic and patriarchal household. Issues of class, gender and sexual hierarchies, and questions about the role of history versus fate emerge in the increasingly tension-filled atmosphere of this marital hothouse, where servants who are keenly aware of rank and status also act to resist and perpetuate the traditions of the Chen household. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Awards
- Winner
- Nominations
Academy Awards
- 1992 - Yimou Zhang (Best Foreign Language Film)
Independent Spirit Awards
- 1993 - Yimou Zhang (Best International Film)
British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA)
- 1993 - Best Film not in the English Language
Guldbagge Awards
- 1992 - Yimou Zhang (Best Foreign Film)
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards
- 1992 - Fei Zhao (Best Cinematography)
- 1992 - Yimou Zhang (Best Foreign-Language Film)
New York Film Critics Circle Awards
- 1992 - Best Foreign Language Film
- 1992 - Fei Zhao (Best Cinematographer)
Venice Film Festival
- 1991 - Yimou Zhang (Silver Lion - Award for Best Director)
- 1991 - Yimou Zhang (FIPRESCI Prize)
- 1991 - Yimou Zhang (Golden Lion for Best Film)