Why can't you always see the owner's whole face in Hanging the Red Lantern? What is the purpose of doing this?

In Hanging the Red Lantern, the hero is the representative of feudal male chauvinism. He is integrated with the whole family, and the symbolic meaning is higher than the actual meaning, which represents a bondage of feudal male chauvinism to women's freedom. Moreover, as a representative of feudal male chauvinism, he didn't see the truth clearly, more than appearance, more than extensive. No matter who he is or how big his house is, he can trap women and freedom. If the master is to appear, but vulgar, he becomes a living person, which is limited. He is like an irresistible and invisible shackle of the times, trapping the women of that era, so there are few close-ups of the master's face in the whole play.

Because Master Chen is not the protagonist, there are only blurred photos of his back or side. Master Chen is the supreme ruler of the compound, the man who carries out the old rules and controls all the right to speak. His absence further shows that this tradition has been deeply rooted in this courtyard, and this power has been passed down from generation to generation, infiltrating into the behavior patterns of family members, up and down, consciously and resolutely operating.

As the head of the family, Mr. Chen has never appeared in the film and has no dialogue. He is mysterious. He doesn't seem to exist, but he seems to be everywhere, which makes people curious. In order to highlight the tragedy of women under the patriarchal rule, from beginning to end, although he did not show up, his voice was clear and audible. He easily decides a woman's life and death, and a woman's fate is in her hands. The author of the whole film uses the technique of not showing up, satirizing Master Chen as a bad habit in feudal society, and not allowing him to show up, which represents the left-leaning belief that feudalism will disappear with the passage of time.

In a word, not showing up is a symbol of invisible oppression. The purpose of this is to highlight the role of women and reflect male chauvinism. The hero in the film represents every "master" in feudal society. The oppressors are all the same, but the oppressed women are different. It embodies the oppression of feudal ethics on women. The Chen family courtyard is a trivial matter, and whose woman is not important. The first one increases the fear and the master's control. The second one is that the audience can't see their faces, meaningless powerlessness and absurd life and death.