'' Raise the Red Lantern '' received almost unanimous international acclaim . Film critic Roger Ebert of the '' Chicago Sun-Times '' noted its " voluptuous physical beauty " and sumptuous use of colours . Gong Li 's acting was also praised as starkly contrasting with the roles she played in Zhang 's earlier films . '' Raise the Red Lantern '' was nominated in the Best Foreign Language Film category at the 1992 Academy Awards , becoming the second Chinese film to earn this distinction ( after Zhang 's '' Ju Dou '' ) . It eventually lost out to Gabriele Salvatores 's '' Mediterraneo ''
1992 Academy Awards
64th Academy Awards
Zhang Yimou