Ju Dou

Ju Dou is a 1990 Chinese film directed by Zhang Yimou and Yang Fengliang (though it is almost universally considered to be a product of Zhang's vision as director) and starring Gong Li as the title character. It is notable for being shot in vivid three-strip Technicolor long after the process had been abandoned in the United States. It was also the first Chinese film to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, in 1990. The film is a tragedy, focusing on the character of Ju Dou, a beautiful young woman who has been sold as a wife to Jinshan, an old cloth dyer. The film was banned for a few years in China, but the ban has since been lifted. The Chinese government gave permission for its viewing in July 1992.