New Trailer for Zhang Yimou's 'Raise the Red Lantern' 4K Restoration by Alex Billington September 20, 2026Source: YouTube "After a few days
New Trailer for Zhang Yimou’s ‘Raise the Red Lantern’ 4K Restoration
by Alex Billington
September 20, 2026
Source: YouTube
“After a few days, you won’t want to leave.” Film Movement revealed a novel trailer for the 4K restoration of this 1991 Chinese classic titled Raise the Red Lantern. One of the early films in acclaimed director Zhang Yimou’s oeuvre (his 4th feature at the time), this premiered at both the Venice & Toronto Film Festivals in 1991 before opening in the US in 1992. “As visually striking as it is dramatically effective,” Zhang’s Oscar-nominated Raise the Red Lantern sumptuously captures 1920s China while “subtly exploring the politics of power & control.” A adolescent woman becomes the fourth concubine of a wealthy man and soon realizes there’s fierce competition for his attention & associated privileges. Starring Gong Li, Ma Jingwu, He Saifei, Cao Cuifen, and Jin Shuyuan. The 4K restoration of Raise the Red Lantern was carried out by the Udine Far East Film Festival on the occasion of its 26th edition. The original image & sound negatives were used under the supervision of Director Zhang Yimou. The vintage positive copy, shown at the 1991 Venice Film Festival and preserved at Venice Biennale’s Historical Archive of Contemporary Arts, was used for color reference. The restoration was made in 2024 at L’Immagine Ritrovata. I’ve seen this film – it’s, indeed, truly stunning.
Here’s the novel 4K trailer (+ poster) for Zhang Yimou’s classic Raise the Red Lantern, from YouTube:
19-year-old Songlian (Gong Li), a promising student whose family has been destroyed by their father’s death, is forced to abandon her studies and marry into wealth, becoming the fourth and newest concubine of the aging, unseen Master Chen. Inside his walled estate, she discovers a household ruled by a merciless ritual: each night, red lanterns are lit outside the chambers of whichever wife the master chooses to visit, granting her privilege and status while the others are cast into chilly irrelevance. Songlian is drawn into the orbit of her rivals, each shaped by years of fighting for the same scraps of attention. Determined at first to rise above the games, Songlian is gradually worn down by the isolation and humiliation until she strikes back, trading secrets and favors to secure her place in Master Chen’s hierarchy. As petty cruelty turns even more dire, Songlian is forced to confront what all these desperate measures will cost her soul…
Raise the Red Lantern, also known as 大红灯笼高高挂, is directed by acclaimed Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou, his fourth feature film at the time after making Ju Dou (1990) and before making The Story of Qiu Ju (1992) after. The screenplay is written by Ni Zhen. Adapted from the novel Raise the Red Lantern (aka Wives & Concubines) by Su Tong. Produced by Hou Hsiao-hsien, Chiu Fu-sheng, Zhang Wenze. This first premiered at the 1991 Venice & Toronto Film Festivals and opened in US theaters first in February 1992 the next year. This restoration played at the 26th Udine Far East Film Festival. Film Movement debuts Zhang’s Raise the Red Lantern in 4K in select US theaters starting November 6th, 2026. Stop by the official site.
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