Ju Dou Review: 35 Years Later, Zhang Yimou's Love Story Remains A Vibrantly Colored Tragedy

" Uncle bought another wife. Her name is Ju Dou. Pretty looking... expensive. "

So begins our first introduction to Gong Li's titular character, and the film's ethos is introduced. Depending on your outlook, Zhang Yimou's Ju Dou is either a cynical, cautionary tale about the immutable vengeance of the gods, or it is a tragic story of love and class solidarity. Either way, Zhang's third feature, which is now 35 years old, captivates anew in 4K.

Ju Dou's Inherent Contradictions Are Sometimes A Gift Of Moral Reckoning

The first Chinese film to garner an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film, Ju Dou almost plays like a film noir, except it's shot in glorious color film by Gu Changwei and Lun Yang. Taking place in a "small village somewhere in China in the 1920s," Ju Dou