The much heralded renaissance of New Chinese Cinema can be an acquired taste to many Western filmgoers, but this handsome period piece (directed by the cinematographer of 'Yellow Earth', 1984) is livelier and more accessible than most. Part folk tale, part historical drama, it tells the story of a young virgin (sold by her father into marriage with a wealthy leper, in return for a mule), who after her husband's mysterious death continues to run his successful vineyard, with help from her loyal wedding bearers. And yet for all its undeniable physical beauty and colorful action the film can be a dry experience, at least until the outbreak of the second Sino-Japanese War in the 1930s. With the Japanese occupation some emotional urgency finally breaks through the film's mantle of reserve, which up to that point had marked even the more bawdy episodes of communal singing and drinking.

RED SORGHUM, the first film made by famed Chinese director Zhang Yimou, is an adaptation of a Mo Yan novel that sees a beautiful young woman - played by Yimou's muse, Gong Li - travelling to a remote winery to marry the leprous owner. What follows is a film that's visually striking, beautifully made and distinctly non-PC.

Feminists or fans of gender equality made have a few issues with this film and in particular its depiction of the power struggles between a pair of lovers. Let's just say the character of the grandfather is very, er, backward, in his treatment of women, and yet the script never seeks to chastise or make him see the error of his ways; even worse, the female character appears to condone his behaviour. This kind of stuff sat oddly with me, even if it is a true depiction of the era.

Still, there's plenty of stuff to like here, particularly the last couple of reels in which things get a lot darker, including one set-piece which is cringeworthy indeed. The ending is abrupt and the characterisation is fairly limited, but Yimou's film has so many visual flourishes and is so vibrant to look at that it's hard to dislike.

It's 1930s China. Jiu'er (Li Gong) is sent by her father to marry the leper winery owner Li Datou. On the way there, there are fields of red sorghum growing wild. She goes home to deliver the mule from Li Datou. She is taken out into the fields by Luohan where they have sex. Li Datou is killed by an unknown assailant and the winery is left to Jiu'er. Luohan returns drunk and making demands on her. He is thrown out. After he sobers up, he urinates into the wine and picks her up like in the field into her home. Surprisingly, the urine wine turns out to be the best ever. That night Luohan leaves and Jiu'er has a child. Nine years later, Luohan returns and the Japanese arrive.

It starts off as a funny quirky film. It has moments of originality. When the Japanese come, the movie goes to another gear and another level. It's jarring and compelling. The red color infiltrates everything like the film itself is bleeding. Li Gong makes a terrific debut. The final orgy of violence is shocking.