The north of China in the twenties. Songlian, a 19-year-old girl, is forced to mary an old man after the death of her father. She becomes the fourth wife of Chen Zuoqian, the old lord and master of a powerful family. Songlian becomes involved in a struggle for power between the various wives of master Chen; a struggle which ends fatally.The title of the film refers to the custom in the Chen family of having a red lantern burning in front of the residence of the woman with whom the master spends the night. For the rival women this is a sign of recognition. Songlian feels neglected and humiliated and takes this out on her servant. She feigns pregnancy to win the master’s favour and becomes increasingly isolated in a fantasy world.As in Zhang’s earlier films, the leading lady is played by Gong Li; her relationship with Zhang is already being compared to that between Marlene Dietrich and Von Sternberg. The film was shot in the area of Taiyuan on location. The change of the seasons plays an important role in the film, both in the course of the story (which has a tragic outcome in the winter) and in the visual splendour of the film. It is photographed in beautifully styled images which stress the remoteness of the area. Zhang says his images are inspired by Chinese paintings.î
