Red Sorghum – Whole Grain Pictures (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: China, 1988
Director: Zhang Yimou
Writers: Chen Jianyu, Zhu Wei
Cast: Gong Li, Jiang Wen, Ji Chunhua, Teng Rujun

Release Date: July 14th, 2026
Approximate Running Time: 94 Minutes 17 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: LPCM Mono Mandarin
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $29.95

"Shandong, China, late 1930s. A girl named Jiu'er is sent by her parents to marry an old man who owns a failing sorghum wine distillery. When the old man dies under mysterious circumstances, Jiu'er must take over the business... and her tenacity quickly gains the love and support of the rough but kind distillery workers." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "Red Sorghum is presented in a new HD remastered version for the first time in North America."

Red Sorghum comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 43.1 GB

Feature: 26 GB

The source looks excellent, the flesh tones look correct, the colors are nicely saturated, the image clarity, black levels, and compression are solid, and there are no issues with digital noise reduction.

Audio: 5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in Mandarin with removable English subtitles. The track maintains excellent quality, with clear dialogue and well-represented ambient sounds.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a US Blu-ray trailer for Red Sorghum (1 minute 17 seconds, LPCM mono Mandarin with non-removable English subtitles), an interview with Chinese film historian Tony Rayns (55 minutes 10 minutes, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), a video essay by film historian Jonathan Clements titled Red Redemption (13 minutes 31 seconds, LPCM stereo English with non-removable English subtitles for Mandarin film clips), an audio commentary with Michael Berry, a professor of Asian Languages and Cultures at UCLA, and trailers for other films released by OCD Media.

Summary:

Red Sorghum was Zhang Yimou's directorial debut. Zhang Yimou is the most prominent Chinese filmmaker of his generation. Zhang Yimou's notable films are Red Sorghum, Ju Dou, Raise the Red Lantern, To Live, The Road Home, Hero, and House of Flying Daggers.

A young woman named Jiu'er is forced to marry an old man with leprosy who owns a wine distillery. When the old man dies a few days after they are married, Jiu'er takes it upon herself to keep the distillery open.

The story that unfolds takes place in a rural village in Shandong province during the Second Sino-Japanese War. While Red Sorghum is Jiu'er’s story, it is not told by her; it is narrated by her grandson. The opening setup does an exceptional job drawing you in by fleshing out its main characters, and from there the conflict-driven narrative effectively builds momentum to its tragic finale.

Gong Li would make her film debut in the role of Jiu'er. While in college, Gong Li was discovered by Zhang Yimou, with whom eight more films would be worked on together. Gong Li delivers a remarkable performance that foreshadows where she would go as an actress. Another performance of note is Jiang Wen (Let the Bullets Fly) in the role of Yu, a man who Jiu'er falls in love with. Yu is an impulsive character who often loses his temper.

Red Sorghum is a beautifully photographed film, especially moments where everything is bathed in red. The visuals take full advantage of the rural landscapes, and the way the camera moves greatly enhances the mood. For all of its beauty, Red Sorghum is also a film that has moments that are difficult to watch. The most notable are the scene where Jiu'er is raped by a masked man (Yu) and a scene where Japanese soldiers force a butcher to skin alive captured Chinese communist soldiers. Ultimately, Red Sorghum is an outstanding film that has not lost any of its potency.

Whole Grain Pictures gives Red Sorghum an excellent release that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and a trio of exemplary extras. Highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer