Controversial melodrama from China has a middle-aged man falling for the abused wife of his "adopted" uncle while working in a dye plant on the outskirts of town. Directors Fengliang Yang and Yimou Zhang have fashioned a no-holds-barred human tragedy here, painted in rich, vivid colors, but the downbeat tone of the whole thing is a bit wearing, especially since the film runs too long. Plenty of florid atmospherics--and smoldering Gong Li as the wife--still hold interest. Banned in its own country for showing the Chinese people in a negative light, the movie went on to earn an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Film. ** from ****
Review of Ju Dou
