I’m currently a teaching assistant for my professor’s World Cinema class. Throughout the entire class, my professor is trying to nudge students into transitioning away from the tried and true research paper, creating new ways of analyzing and discussing the film medium. Her preferred method is the video essay.
I taught a lecture on this film, prepared a PowerPoint (linked below), and made this video essay to provoke discussion on the use of setting within Zhang Yimou’s Raise the Red Lantern.
I wanted to avoid shots of the faces, to simply pluck out scenes of the house and hopefully highlight the director’s use of color and sound. I did add another audio track beyond what is given in the film – the piano background comes from Game of Thrones Light of The Seven (season 6 finale). I thought it appropriate since the track is known among fans as the ‘Mad Queen’ theme. Madness, as any of the viewers who have seen this film certainly know, has its role within the film narrative.
It's 3 A.M. Again 