An outstanding but heartachingly tragic tale of female suffering and jealous intrigue in 1920'S China,from the country's leading director Zhang Yimou,and starring the beautiful,great Gong Li.A 19 year old is forced to become the fourth concubine wife of a wealthy master,who arranges for a red lantern to be placed outside the quarters of the wife he will favour and spend the night with.Refined but gorgeously colourful,with sumptuous decor(in a constrained setting),this is possibly the peak of the formidable Yimou-Gong Li partnership- though of the several fine films made by the couple i would also most strongly recommend the marvellous Red Sorghum.