In Theaters 10.03.2025

Ju Dou

Directed by Zhang Yimou, Yang Fengliang
Film Movement Classics
1990
95 Minutes
China, Japan
Mandarin
Drama, Romance, Classics, Asian
PG-13
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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’ nephew arrives on the scene they fall for each other with lustful abandon. 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.

Restoration effected at Hiventy Laboratory (Paris) by IMPEX Films with the support of ARTE, France.

Director & Cast

  • Director: Zhang Yimou
  • Director: Yang Fengliang
  • Starring: Gong Li
  • Starring: Baotian Li
  • Starring: Wei Li
  • Starring: Zhang Yi

Where to Watch

Trailer

Photos

Reviews

  • "Critic's Pick! ''Ju Dou'' is an intellectually and artistically brave film. "
    Caryn James, The New York Times
  • "Delirious melodrama, Chinese style. Ju Dou is a juicy and stylish potboiler that keeps the pilots turned on full blast."
    Marjorie Baumgarten, Austin Chronicle
  • "The film appealed to me for two reasons. First, because of its unabashed, lurid melodrama, in which the days are filled with scheming and the nights with passion and violence. Second, because of its visual beauty."
    Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-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."
    Geoff Andrew, Time Out
  • "Powerful, poignant, and visually stunning, Zhang Yimou's Ju Dou was deservedly nominated for the Best Foreign Language Oscar."
    Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
  • "Visually stunning, with ravishing uses of color and beautifully modulated lap dissolves..."
    Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
  • "The Chinese Oscar nominee, "Ju Dou," is as sumptuously cinematic as it is woefully fatalistic...."
    Rita Kempley, Washington Post
  • "The performances are uniformly excellent and once seen their characters are unforgettable."
    Stuart Galbraith IV, DVD Talk
  • "Viewable as an allegory for the old and new guard in China, a strong statement on pre-revolution socio politics or simply as a tale of doomed romance, this film is bold, beautiful and breathtakingly brilliant...."
    Amber Wilkinson, Eye For Film
  • "Ju Dou draws a superbly compelling psychological portrait of love, jealousy, revenge, and frustration. One of the most sensual movies of the year, Ju Dou is also a gorgeous film to watch, with the beauty of the Chinese countryside and the striking primary colors of the long bolts of dyed cloth vying for equal attention with the story."
    Randy Pitman, Video Librarian
Winner
Gold Hugo
Chicago Int'l. Film Festival
Winner
Golden Spike
Valladolid Int'l. Film Festival
Winner
Best Cinematography
Academy Award of Beijing Film Academy
Winner
Best Sound
Academy Award of Beijing Film Academy
Nominated
Best Foreign Language Film
Academy Awards, USA
Nominated
Palme d'Or
Cannes Film Festival
Official Selection
Toronto Int'l. Film Festival
Official Selection
New York Film Festival

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