Product Details

• Actors: Zhu Xijuan, Chen Qiang, Wang Xingang
• Directors: Xie Jin
• Format: Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: Chinese
• Subtitles: English
• Region: All Regions
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: Qilu Audio and Video Press
• DVD Release Date: December 15, 2007
• Run Time: 110 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000W0H5EW
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #63,985 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A disapointing war movie, with a nice photography, May 24, 2009

By 

Thibaut Mathieu "Mathieu Robot" (Lille, France and Gothenburg, Sweden) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Red Detachment of Women (DVD)

The Red Detachment of Women is based on a real story that happened during the 30s where a military regiment made up of young communist women fights and wins against a rich and conservative governor.

The movie was released in 1961 in China and directed by Xie Jin.

It is absolutely not the ballet from the 60s that have also been adapted into a movie under the same title, it is a "realist" war movie.

The story itself doesn't turn out to be more than this short pitch even if it focuses more on the engaging characters. In other words, you will not be surprised by the story that was more made to edify the audience to the enlightenment of the communism. The lack of surprise in the story makes the movie turn out to be a bit long.

To me the interesting point in this movie is the direction, especially photograph and light directions that are carefully produced (unfortunately the film have not been restored, so the picture doesn't look as good as it must have been from the origin) This perfection in the light direction will sometime remind you of the best propaganda painting and photographs from the Mao era. Some interesting borrowings from the theatre are also noticeable.
Another interesting thing is the beautiful Chinese landscape that we have not been used to see from that time, as most of movies were not distributed outside China.


A last bad thing for this DVD is that there is no extra material.

To conclude, The Red Detachment of Women is a movie to see for its kitsch/retro pictures and ideology, don't expect more.

Please notice that this DVD is an "ALL ZONE" DVD and can be played in any country, not only in the US.

2 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Ballet, Orchestral Music and Singing, December 7, 2008

By 

Wei En Lin "Wei Enlin" (States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Red Detachment of Women (DVD)

This comes close to fulfilling Wagner's requirement for Total Art. The cover is partly misleading. The work is mostly ballet, with some songs, set to quasi-Western style orchestral music, with some reliance on pentatonic scales, that give the work its "Chinese" flavor. It is one of the eight so called "model works," popular during the period of the Cultural Revolution in the People's Republic of China (1966-1975). Some of the scenes, like the first three, are balletic in the Western sense. Other scenes were considered in their day to be very innovative, and relied on a new type of choreography for women, designed to show females as strong figures (as opposed to demure girls in tutus). The groups scenes are militaristic and proletarian, with the woman's detachment dancing with guns, and the male lead dancing with a saber.

Here is a wikipedia article with the whole ballet delineated by acts and scenes:

The Red Detachment of Women (Chinese: ''''', pinyin: Hóngsè Niángz'j'n) is a Chinese ballet which premiered in 1964. It is perhaps best known in the West as the ballet performed for U.S. President Richard Nixon on his visit to China in February 1972. Based on the novel of the same title as well as the film adapted from the novel by Liang Xin, it depicts the liberation of a peasant girl in Hainan Island and her rise in the Chinese Communist Party. The ballet was later adapted to a Beijing opera, and as the ballet itself, both stage and film versions were produced.
The film version of the ballet made Xue Jinghua (as Wu Qinghua) and Liu Qingtang (as Hong Changqing) superstars along with a dozen other artists who were cast as protagonists in other model plays of the time.
It is one of the so-called eight model plays, the only plays, ballets and operas permitted in China during the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976). With The White Haired Girl it is regarded as a classic Chinese ballet, and its music is familiar to almost every Chinese person who grew up during that time. It was made into a film in 1972 and is now part of the permanent repertoire of the National Ballet of China.
Despite its political overtone and historical background when it was created, it remains a favorite of music and ballet lovers nearly 30 years after the Cultural Revolution in China. Many numbers were based on the folk songs of Hainan Island, a place that, with its coconut trees rustling in tropical wind, evokes much romantic ethos. Though there are unmistakable elements of Chinese music, the music of this ballet was performed with basically a Western symphony orchestra.
It was written as a collaboration, with music by Du Mingxin, Wu Zuqiang, Wang Yanqiao, Shi Wanchun and Dai Hongcheng, and choreography by Li Chengxiang, Jiang Zuhui and Wang Xixian.
Contents [hide]
1 Synopsis
1.1 Prologue
1.2 Act I
1.3 Act II
1.4 Act III
1.5 Act IV
1.6 Act V
1.7 Entr'acte
1.8 Act VI
2 See also
3 References
4 External links
[edit]Synopsis

Place: Yelinzhai, Hainan Island, China
Time: The Ten-Year Civil War (1927-1937)
Main Characters:
HONG Changqing, Commissar of the Red Detachment of Women
WU Qinghua, daughter of a peasant, later a soldier, and finally the Commissar
Lian Zhang, literally the Company Commander
Xiao PANG, or "Little PANG," the Messenger
Nanbatian, literally "the Tyrant of the South"
OU Guangsi (Lao Si), Nanbatian's Lackey
[edit]Prologue
In his dungeon, Nanbatian, the despotic landlord, has imprisoned his tenants who are unable to pay their exorbitant rents. Wu Qinghua, daughter of a poor peasant, is chained to a column. Lao Si comes with the order of Nanbatian to sell Wu. Lao Si releases Wu from the chain. While Lao Si is in an unguarded moment, Wu kicks him, and he loses his balance and falls. Wu manages to escape while two other inmates hold Lao Si to the ground.
Major numbers:
Pas de deux of two inmates
[edit]Act I


Hong Changqing (Liu Qingtang) points out the revolutionary road for Wu Qinghua (Xue Jinghua) in Act I.
Immediately after the prologue. Night has fallen in the coconut forest and Wu Qinghua is desperately running away from Lao Si and his lackeys. She is soon recaptured. Nanbatian and his entourage arrive. The Tyrant whips Wu until she loses consciousness. A thunderstorm approaches, so Nanbatian and his followers leave and Wu is left for dead.
Hong Changqing, the Commissar, and Xiao Pang, the Messenger, who are on a reconnaissance mission in disguise, pass by. They save Wu and point her the way to the camp of the Red Army.
Major numbers:
Dance of Lao Si and his lackeys
Wu Qinghua's Solo No. 1
Wu Qinghua's fight with Lao Si
Wu Qinghua's fight with Nanbatian
Group dance of slaves
Wu Qinghua's Solo No. 2
Pas de trois of Hong Changqing, Wu Qinghua and Xiao Pang
[edit]Act II


Soldiers of the Women's Detachment perform rifle drill in Act II. This is from the 1972 production of the National Ballet of China.
In the camp of the Red Army beside the Wanquan River, a newly formed Detachment of Women is being trained. Wu Qinghua arrives to meet Hong Changqing and Xiao Pang, who introduce her to others. In a solo dance, Wu tells the Red Army soldiers the enormity of Nanbatian's crimes. She then ceremoniously receives a rifle and is accepted as a member of the Women's Detachment. With determination, they plan to liberate the peasants and slave girls under the oppresion of Nanbatian.
Major numbers:
Group dance of the Detachment members
Rifle drill of the Detachment members
Hong Changqing's bayonet dance
Group bayonet dance of the Detachment members
A young women soldier's solo
Seven-inch dagger dance of the Red Guards
Group dance of all
Wu Qinghua's solo
[edit]Act III
In the luxurious manor of Nanbatian, an extravagant birthday celebration for the Tyrant is going on in the garden before his house. Mountains of gifts are brought in; visitors are arriving, Li girls are driven in with whips at their backs to dance for the guests.
Hong Changqing, disguised as a wealthy merchant from southeast Asia, arrives on the scene, calm and dignified, to congratulate Nanbatian on his birthday. Meanwhile, the members of the Women's Detachment have secretly gathered around the manor of the Tyrant. It has been agreed that Hong is to fire his gun at midnight as signal for the Detachment to break in to wipe out the Tyrant and his gang in one fell swoop.
At night, all people recede into the houses. Nanbatian comes out to see some of his guests off. Overcome by deep personal hatred, Wu Qinghua shoots Nanbatian, prematurely issuing the battle signal. Nanbatian is merely wounded and escapes from a secret tunnel with a few of his lackeys.
Nanbatian's prisons are opened, and the prisoners are liberated. Hong leads them in opening the granary of the Tyrant and distributing the grain.
Wu is reprimanded for her blunder, and her gun is removed from her.
Major numbers:
Group dance of slaves
Li Girls' dance
Broadsword dance of Nanbatian's lackeys
Xiao Pang's solo
Pas de deux of Wu Qinghua and her comrade-in-arm
Opening the granary and distributing grain
[edit]Act IV
Back in the camp of the Red Army. Hong Changqing, the Commissar, is giving a lecture to the soldiers in the early morning. Wu Qinghua comes to grips with her mistake. Hong and the Company Commander are pleased to see Wu's progress. The Company Commander returns the gun to her, and together they practice marksmanship and grenade throwing.
The local people visit the Red Army and present them with doulis and lichees.
Suddenly, the sound of cannons is heard and Xiao Pang, the Messenger, arrives on horseback with the information that Nanbatian has assembled a large number of troops, and they are on their way to attack the base of the Red Army. The members of the Detachment immediately bid goodbye to their dear ones and set out to the battle field.
Major numbers:
Hong Changqing's solo
Group dance of the soldiers
Wu Qinghua's solo
Pas de deux of Wu Qinghua and Company Commander No. 1
Dance of five female soldiers and the head cook
Douli Dance
Pas de deux of Wu Qinghua and Company Commander No. 2
Dance of Hong Changqing and male soldiers
Group dance of all
[edit]Act V
On the battlefield at a mountain pass. In order to annihilate the enemy's effective power, the main force of the Red Army strategically shifts to the rear of the enemy, and the Company Commander leads most of the members of the Detachment in moving away with the main force. Hong Changqing and a small group of Red Army soldiers and Red Guards form a covering force to divert the enemy. After a series of fierce fights, the goal is achieved.
As they prepare to withdraw, the enemy starts yet another attack. Hong gives his portfolio to Wu Qinghua and orders her and other members to retreat while he and only two other soldiers stay behind to fend off the enemy.
Hong's two comrades-in-arm are killed and he himself is captured.
Major numbers:
Dance of Wu Qinghua and other soldiers
Wu Qinghua's fight with an enemy
Fight between two soldiers and two enemies
Red flag dance
Dance of Hong Changqing and two comrades-in-arm
Dance of Hong Changqing and two enemies
[edit]Entr'acte
The main force of the Red Army is pressing forward with the momentum of an avalanche. Their group dance.
A memorable moment in the entr'acte is the precisedly synchronized grand jete of members of the Women's Detachment crossing the stage in a seemingly... Read more ›