Ju Dou

Synopsis: A woman married to the brutal and infertile owner of a dye mill in rural China conceives a boy with her husband's nephew but is forced to raise her son as her husband's heir without revealing his parentage in this circular tragedy. This tale of romantic and familial love in the face of unbreakable tradition is more universal than its setting.
Genre: Drama, Romance
Director(s): Yimou Zhang, Fengliang Yang (co-director)
Production: Live Home Video
  Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 4 wins & 1 nomination.
 
IMDB:
7.7
Rotten Tomatoes:
100%
PG-13
Year:
1990
95 min
156 Views


Copy from the film by: KOKI = Jasikevicius.

China Film Co-Production Corporation

China Film Export and Import Corp.

Tokuma Shoten Publishing Co, Ltd.

Tokuma Communications Co., Ltd.

Xi An Film Studio

Producers:
Zhang Wenze

Yasuyoshi Tokuma, Hu Jian

Executive Producers: Zhao Hangao

Shigeru Mori, Hiroyuki Kato

Production Directors:

Fen Yitin, Michio Yokoo

JU DOU:

A small village somewhere in China

in the 1920s.

Story by Liu Heng

Starring:

Gong Li, Li Baotian, Li Wei

Directors:

Zhang Yimou, Yang Fengliang.

The Yang Family's Dye Mill

Uncle!

You took long enough!

There were bandits...

How come they didn't kill you?

How much money is there?

Count it yourself.

Hey, boy!

Tianqing, you're back!

Don't bother to come back

tomorrow.

With only that boy for help,

I turned down many orders.

The horse looks much thinner.

Go, now. We start work early

in the morning.

What took you so long?

I was doing all your work.

I did my best,

but those bandits...

Look at my hands...

They're as black as coal.

For all that work your uncle

paid me only two dollars.

The miser!

Your uncle bought himself

another wife. Did you see her?

I just saw the

wedding decorations.

Her name is Ju Dou.

A good-looker...and expensive.

Your uncle is cheap.

Did you know he tortured your

first two aunts to death?

They didn't give him

any children.

It served him right.

Listen how your new aunt...

screams at night.

I'll kill you!

Let me rest a while.

Let you rest?

You'll never make an heir

for the Yang family!

You're not good for nothing!

Go, call your aunt.

Aunt...

My uncle wants you

to come downstairs.

You realize what time it is,

dear lady?

You're very late.

I didn't buy a freeloader!

Hey...Master Yang!

Master Yang!

Master Liu wants these

in a hurry.

He wants two in bright red,

and...

...five in golden yellow.

Sure.

26 pounds, 7 ounces.

Master Yang...

...with so much work...

...why not hire someone?

That would add to my expenses.

Tianqing is enough.

Tianqing is in his forties.

He ought to get married.

That would be one more

mouth to feed.

It might help you.

We'll wait and see.

She wouldn't cost much.

Tianqing is almost

like a son.

A son? Bullshit!

He doesn't have my blood.

That orphan wouldn't have

survived if I hadn't adopted him...

...after his parents died.

My son wouldn't be

as dumb as he is.

Careful, huh!

If you ruin that,

you'd better watch out!

Tianqing...

Don't waste any pigment

while you measure it.

I bought you, now obey me.

When I buy an animal,

I treat it as I wish.

And you're no better

than an animal.

You love that, eh?

Obey me. Give me a son,

and I'll be your slave.

Otherwise, watch out!

Tianqing!

What are you doing?

Hurry up!

I'm coming.

It's already very late.

I'm coming!

Hurry!

All you're learned

is how to be lazy.

You could at least answer.

These are delicate dye jobs.

Ask for higher prices.

Learn how to bargain.

Don't sell at a loss.

Choose inexpensive inns.

Don't spend more

than you earn.

I'll go to the stable.

Jinshan, you bought lanterns?

Go, make children...

It brings good luck.

You've come back?

Aunt... what happened

to your face?

I was careless

and fell down.

Your uncle is killing the pig.

It's an offering for

the Moon Festival.

Aunt...

You've hurt your arm?

Yes, when I fell down.

I'm so clumsy.

Let's go home.

You're so skinny.

Tonight we'll eat pork.

Listen to the pig

screaming for its life!

Are you satisfied?

I can't stand it any more!

Who's there?

Who?

It's me.

It's you, Tianqing?

Yes.

Did you feed the horse?

Yes.

Is my aunt sick?

It's nothing.

It's a little indigestion...

something she ate.

Is it serious?

I'll go get Li, the healer.

It's not necessary.

She's already feeling better.

I'll go to bed.

What was that noise?

It scared me.

It was too dark.

Who knows?

Aunt...

What's wrong?

Tianqing, I want to tell you...

Your uncle will kill me sooner

or later. I can't go on.

Let him kill me. Don't stop him.

I don't want to live any more.

He does have a bad temper.

He's not human.

He's not a man.

Tianqing, I'll tell you

the truth.

The old man's sick. He can't do it!

All he does is torture me.

I really can't go on.

I can't take it any more.

Did you feed him

during the trip?

Three times a day,

and once at night.

He may have colic.

Zhang wants his light blue...

...and Tsui wants his pink. Here's

the cloth. Don't waste any fuel.

I know.

Go back.

Rest easy, Tianqing.

His horse is sick.

That old jerk

won't be back tonight.

Aunt...

Wake me up tomorrow.

I'll start working early.

I sleep like a log.

Really? Since when?

He's not here.

What are you afraid of?

You're really a log!

Tianqing... are you afraid?

Me? Afraid?

Then why did you

latch your door?

You're a grown man...

Am I a wolf?

You think I'll eat you?

My uncle...

He can go to hell!

If someone comes by...

That didn't stop you from

looking through the hole...

Why didn't you plug it up?

Tianqing...

...I've kept my body

for you.

My prescription worked well.

She's pregnant.

Really?

Is it a boy or a girl?

With some luck, a boy.

Ancestors...

...grant me a son!

Let the Yang family line

continue forever, Ancestors.

I'll be forever grateful to you.

I'll shower you with gifts

if it's a boy.

Ju Dou.

Tianqing!

Are you pregnant?

Yes.

And that old bastard

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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