World Language Resources

A dark, sensual, and visually sumptuous drama, Ju Dou centers on the title character (Gong Li), the wife of a wealthy silk dyer in 1920s China. Forced into marriage, Ju Dou is repeatedly mistreated and tortured by her husband for failing to bear him an heir, even though he is infertile. Her suffering attracts the sympathy of her husband’s younger, kinder nephew, and the two begin a secret affair that could lead to tragic consequences.

Provocative, thrilling and sensual, Lust, Caution is the daring new film from acclaimed Academy Award®-winning director Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain; Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon). Set against the backdrop of a transforming country, a young woman finds herself swept up in a radical plot to assassinate a ruthless and secretive intelligence agent. As she immerses herself in her role as a cosmopolitan seductress, she becomes entangled in a dangerous game of emotional intrigue, love and betrayal.

In 1920s China, women had few options. So following the death of her father, Songlian (Gong Li) a beautiful nineteen-year-old college student agrees to marry a wealthy nobleman. She is to be wife number four at his estate, where daily life revolves around an ancient family custom: the master raises a red lantern outside the house of the wife he desires to spend the night. On the surface, there is harmony between the wives, but trapped inside their gilded cages, with nothing to do but compete for their husband’s favor, the four “sisters” are drawn into a web of petty rivalry that soon escalates into treachery… and tragedy.

When his father dies, Luo Yusheng returns from the city to his childhood village where his father was the much-revered local teacher. But what begins as a short trip to bury his father becomes much more when he learns his mother wants a traditional burial for her beloved husband. She wants to have him carried by foot, honoring the belief that a body returned this way will never forget the road home. As Yusheng enlists the men needed to fulfill her wishes, the story of his parents’ love affair unfolds. In the days of arranged marriages, he learns theirs was the first based on love..

From the director of The Joy Luck Club, and based on the best-selling novel, comes a timeless portrait of female friendship. Centuries ago, two “sworn sisters” are isolated by their families, but stay connected through a secret language written in the folds of a white silk fan. Now in modern-day Shanghai, their descendents must draw inspiration from the past as they struggle to maintain their own eternal bond in the face of life’s complications. What unfolds are two stories, generations apart, but everlasting in their universal notion of love, hope and friendship.

InGong Li gives a luminous performance as Qiu Ju, a stoic peasant woman who demands an apology when her husband is humiliated by the village Chief. But the Chief is a headstrong man who refuses to apologize, sending Qiu Ju on a futile trek through the complicated Chinese judicial system. From her small village, to a nearby city, and finally, to the large and impersonal district court, hers is a universal battle against bureaucracy and indifference.

When the irresponsible Xu Fugui loses his family's fortune during a gambling spree he causes his loved ones incredible hardship. Fugui's father dies from a heart attack upon hearing the news and his pregnant wife abandons him. Unable to put bread on the table even for himself Fugui works as a street vender and when his wife notices his uncustomary humility she returns. Within a year Fugui desires to open a shop but is unable to raise the necessary funds. Instead of money the local loan shark gives him his old shadow puppets. Soon Fugui masters the art of puppetry which increases his paltry income -- but also serves as propaganda for the imminent Communist Revolution.

While on a mission to the Gobi Desert to execute a traitorous soldier (Jiang Wen), a 17th-century Japanese official (Nakai Kichi) encounters a Buddhist monk leading a caravan carrying a collection of priceless artifacts. Agreeing to accompany them to their destination, Kichi has no choice but to turn to Wen for help when the convoy is attacked by a band of thieves. Wang Xueqi, Hasi Bagen co-star