Red Dust (1990 film)

Red Dust is a 1990 drama film directed by Ho Yim. A Hong Kong-Taiwanese co-production, the film follows the life of an independent-minded woman writer during the Japanese occupation who falls in love with a man collaborating with the Japanese.

Red Dust
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	滾滾紅塵
Simplified Chinese	滚滚红尘
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Gǔngǔn hóngchén
Directed by	Ho Yim
Written by	Sanmao Ho Yim[1]
Produced by	Hsu Feng[1]
Starring	Brigitte Lin Chin Han Maggie Cheung
Cinematography	Hang Sang Poon
Edited by	Cheung-Kan Chow
Music by	Shih Jei-yong[1] Lo Ta-yu[2]
Production companies	Tomson Films Co.[1] Pineast Pictures[1]
Distributed by	Golden Harvest Productions (Hong Kong)
Release dates	November 23, 1990 (1990-11-23) (Hong Kong) December 8, 1990 (1990-12-08) (Taiwan)
Running time	94 minutes
Countries	Hong Kong Taiwan
Languages	Cantonese Mandarin
Box office	HK$6,656,716[2]

Plot

During the turbulent 1940s in Japanese-occupied Northeast China, Shen Shao-Hua is punished by her father for falling in love with a classmate. Locked away in the attic and surviving a suicide attempt, she channels her emotions into writing. Following her father's death, Shao-Hua grows into a modestly famous novelist, continuously working on her semi-autobiographical novel.

One day, she receives a letter from an admiring reader, Chang Neng-Tsai, a cultural official working for the Japanese. Despite learning of his background, Shao-Hua falls for him. Although Chang bears no blood debt, he often has to evade assassination attempts by nationalists, whom he secretly assists by helping them relocate. Meanwhile, Shao-Hua's childhood friend Yueh-Feng, distressed after fighting with her revolutionary boyfriend, comes to stay. The three spend a brief period of time together. On a day trip, they witness the brutality of Japanese soldiers against Chinese civilians at a checkpoint. Though Chang's travel papers spare them, his identity is exposed. Yueh-Feng, disgusted, sees him as a traitor. The outing ends in a bitter falling-out.

After Japan's surrender, the Nationalist government begins rounding up traitors. Neng-Tsai flees to a rural village and hides, posing as the partner of a local widow. Shao-Hua eventually finds him, but the sight of him living with another woman to survive devastates her. Heartbroken, she returns to live with Yueh-Feng, only for the past to catch up. Neighbors inform on them, and thugs raid the home. Yueh-Feng protects Shao-Hua and is injured in the process.

Their next-door neighbor, Yu, a quiet businessman who has long harbored unspoken feelings for Shao-Hua, steps in to care for her. Not long after, Yueh-Feng and her boyfriend are killed during an anti-government protest. Shao-Hua survives with Yu's support and later runs into a now impoverished Neng-Tsai. On the eve of the Communist victory, Yu trades his gold for two tickets on the last boat to Taiwan, hoping to flee the mainland with Shao-Hua. Instead, Shao-Hua gives her ticket to Neng-Tsai and watches him sail away. Yu, unwilling to abandon her, gives up his chance to escape and remains by her side.

Shao-Hua lives out her days in quiet obscurity. Forty years later, Neng-Tsai returns to the mainland in search of his lost love, only to find a copy of Shao-Hua's completed novel.

Cast

• Brigitte Lin as Shen Shao-Hua
• Chin Han as Chang Neng-Tsai
• Maggie Cheung as Yueh-Feng
• Josephine Koo as Shao-Hua's editor^[1]
• Richard Ng as Yu
• Ho Yim as Yueh-Feng's boyfriend

Awards

• 27th Golden Horse Awards, 1990
  • Best Picture
  • Best Director (Yim Ho)
  • Best Actress (Brigitte Lin)
  • Best Supporting Actress (Maggie Cheung)
  • Best Cinematography (Poon Hang-sang)
  • Best Costume & Make-up Design (Edith Cheung)
  • Best Art Direction (Edith Cheung & Jessinta Liu)
  • Best Original Film Score (Shut Git-Wing)^[3]