Kino Eye: One of China’s best films, Red Sorghum
Directed by Zhang Yimou, Red Sorghum is set in the thirties in Shandung province around the time of the second Chinese-Japanese war (1937-45). Jiu’er (Gong Li) is sold in an arranged marriage to Li Datou, a leper, who owns a distillery which brews Red Sorghum wine. Jiu’er falls in love with a distillery worker, “Grandpa” (Jiang Wen), who rescues her from bandits and later they have a child. Li Datou dies (possibly murdered); he has no heirs and Jiu’er becomes the owner of the distillery. Grandpa is the butt of a practical joke and peevishly urinates in the huge wine vats (don’t try this at...