User reviews

I finally got a chance to see "Farewell my Concubine." I'd been anxious to see it since its initial release in 1993. It surprised me in its depth and technical skill.

Three points make this film outstanding. The first is the technical skill of the director and the luscious taste of the director of photography. The entire film is a feast for the eyes, taking full advantage of elaborate costumes and exotic locations. The second strength is in the actual storytelling. The plot is a fascinating tragedy, it feels almost Shakespearean. The acting is nothing short of incredible. Some of China's finest actors demonstrate their ability to carry a story that covers 52 years. Normally, these two strengths alone would be reason enough to see a film, but "Farewell my Concubine" succeeds in satisfying one more category (the bain of any epic): historical accuracy.

"Farewell my Concubine" is exceptionally accurate in portraying the monumental changes that were sweeping China at the time. The film doesn't just treat these events as background events, but drags them right into the plot and pins the characters into their surroundings. This is interesting when you consider that the story takes place in the Peking Opera, not the most likely place for these events to have effect. Instead, as we see the new China emerge, we watch these vestiges of old society fall, and the work of all involved make this transition an achievement to behold. The power of this film was not missed by Chinese censors who banned, removed, and then banned the film again several times over -debating whether or not its artistic brilliance was worth subversive portrayals of suicide and homosexuality. Unlike "The Last Emperor," this film was made by Chinese film makers and is in tune with its subject. I recommend this film highly!

As one last note, the version I saw was a DVD containing the original 170 minute version of the film, in its wide-screen splendor. From what I understand, the shorter versions released internationally deleted and shortened some opera scenes for fear that they would be lost on Western audiences. Having no prior experience with any Peking Opera, I found the scenes fascinating and integral to appreciating the entire story. Spend the extra time if you can.

The film paints the story of two actors, from their first encounter at school in the Twenties through their success as stars of the Peking Opera, difficulties during the Japanese occupation, the Communist takeover in 1949 and the traumas of the Cultural Revolution in the Sixties…

For the so-called Fifth Generation of Chinese filmmakers, the film touches new ground on two fronts… In the first place, though it does not avoid from acknowledging the sufferings under the old regime, it takes an embittered view of Communist society and of the Cultural Revolution specifically…

The two friends, Xiaolou and Dieyi, adopt a young man, Xiao Si, who becomes one of the Red Guards and quickly informs the political sins of his benefactors…

Second the film is a love story of a rare kind… Dieyi is a homosexual and suffers rejection when Xiaolou begins an affair with Juxian (Gong Li), a gorgeous prostitute… The personal conflict of each character is the heart of this exceptional movie

This is, without the doubt, the very best of Chinese film making, acting and story telling. I didn't watch this movie only until last year, and there are no words were powerful enough to express my feelings. The acting were flawless, and the emotion in the entire film were so real and strong, you'll feel so attached the whole time. Leslie is the one and only actor who can fully deliver the role of ChengDieYi, and his work in this film is remarkable. A true milestone performance of his career and film acting. The story, The history, The culture, The acting!!!

A must see film!!!

I have seen this movie only once but it left an indelible impression on both me and my wife. It is a beautiful film with gorgeous photography, invisible direction and fantastic acting. What struck us most about this film was how many levels it had. It was a story about politics, love, life, faith, all rolled into one exceptional package. Yet none of these messages are hammered into you. They just flow over you in well-timed waves. Many of these Chinese movies are so interesting because of their unique perspective. It's wonderful to immerse yourself in a great film from a different culture. The many points of beauty in this movie are subtle, delicate and drenched in China's magnificent history. You have to experience it for yourself to understand, and once you do you'll fall in love with the world of Chinese cinema.

I've seen this movie more times than I can count and I cry every time. I first saw it in the theater in 1993 and I was rooting for it to win Best Foreign Film Oscar, but it lost to the far inferior Belle Epoque (Spain). As to the person who wrote that this film made Cheng Dieyi seem like he was made to be gay because of abuse, I think you need to take another look. To my mind, Dieyi seemed to be infatuated with Shitzou as soon as he got there. However you look at it, this is a film that has great performances all around. I especially loved Leslie Cheung as the adult Cheng Dieyi (requiem eternem Leslie, 1956-2003), not to mention Gong Li. An excellent film, but be forewarned: it's almost three hours long. 10/10

As an WASP American married a lady from Mainland China, I have a great interest in and curiosity about China. My wife's mother and father actually saw these men perform. I have discussed this movie with many Chinese friends, most of whom saw it before coming to this country. Some of them knew the story from real life as well as the movie. They are quick to point out the accuracy of the story in its detailing of Chinese history from the end of the last dynasty until its end during the Cultural Revolution. They also claim that the major happenings in the movie are real events, not the norm for most of Hollywood's "real life" stories. One point of conjecture in the movie is the sexually of Dieyi. It is presumed he is/becomes a homosexual. However, from what I have learned about the Peking/BeiJing Opera through reading and discussions, it is more likely that Dieyi was virtually unaware of his own sexuality. As opposed to being a hetero or homosexual, he was asexual in a way like it had be surgically removed from his being. It had been taken from him through the rigors of his training and years of performance. His love for Xiaolou is powerful, maybe even surpassing ordinary man/woman love, but platonic in as much as his mind is devoid of its sexuality. He suffers the same jealous anger and sense of betrayal as might be found when a wife discovers the cheatings of her husband, and reacts, unfortunately, accordingly (Heroin). His real, enduring love is performing. It is the one constant that has seen him through. He throws himself into it, being willing to perform for anyone, even as it drives the story to the end. The end of the movie is not satisfying to everyone. It was not a Hollywood ending. However, it was reality.

quote by tedg: "Opening scenes are seductions, promises. They transport one to the world of the story and establish who you as viewer can expect to be. Done right, they are an art to themselves. This film's opening is among the best I've seen, establishing the world of performance: politics as theater and love as both. It lets you know the perspective is centered on a stylized stage and concerns loss, sexually ambiguous brotherhood and betrayal. All in a couple minutes."

Well put. Also noteworthy is that at the end of the movie the opening scene is being mirrored (the two actors on stage being lit by a spot light), the film thus coming full circle. Quite ingenious.

What is good about the movie is that we (Westerners that is) learn a lot about recent Chinese history, which cannot be a bad thing considering the direction in which China is heading.

Oh, and Leslie Cheung's - may he rest in peace - performance is simply outstanding. But then, the acting is first rate all round.

This is one hell of a movie.

And, off topic, I have once again realised that the problem with sub-titled films is that one misses so much/too much of the actual acting, making it really necessary to view movies twice. Still, (a lot) better than viewing dubbed films though.

As far as story and content goes this owes more than a little to The Last Emperor (1987), which is not surprising since Director Kaige Chen was a member of the cast of that film and no doubt was influenced by its success. But stylistically, and especially as the film was directed and cut, "Farewell, My Concubine" is original and stands alone. If The Last Emperor was a Western movie about the Chinese political experience in the Twentieth Century, then Farewell, My Concubine is a Chinese movie, influenced by the West, about that same experience. While the former focused on the emperor and those around him, "Farewell..." focuses on two actors of the Beijing opera. Admittedly, "Farewell..." is long (I saw the 157-minute version) and sometimes strays from it intent, but gains and maintains power and keeps our interest mainly because everything is presented in a starkly-lit, intensely focused manner. The epic-like story itself is good if a little pedestrian at times. The lavish and stunning sets in opulent color and design, are just fascinating to view. Everything from the extras in the crowds to the porcelain for tea is carefully chosen and presented. Particularly striking are the traditional costumes and makeup, shown to advantage through the fine camera work. But what makes the film is the glimpse we get of the world of the Beijing opera and its traditions. From the Dickensian boy's school for the actors to the intrigues with patrons and the political powers that be, there's the sense of a world beyond our experience. The acting was also excellent. The beautiful Gong Li, who played Duan's wife was captivating as she displayed a wide range of emotion. Leslie Cheung as Dieyi, "the concubine," and Fengyi Zhang as Duan, "the king," were also excellent. The boys who played the actors as children, especially the actor who played Douzi, were first rate.

I've always boasted that I could make a better film about China, about the Cultural Revolution in particular, until I saw this film. It triggered an out-burst of many of my emotions I hadn't had since I left China. In the movie, as the events developed, the tragedy, caused by the human feelings : love, hate, jealousy, and guilt under the social unrests, came so naturally to me. It is a movie which should not be missed.

I don't know y'all but to everyone growing up in Taiwan or hongkong or China this is like The Godfather that kind of classic. This movie deserve at least a 9.0 for sure. Western people can not really understand this. But we Chinese people feel it with our heart.such an heartbreak and terrific film.best movie I've ever seen

An intriguing tale, with a fascinating chunk of modern Chinese history serving as the background. Spanning over 50 years, the film tells about the ups and downs of a traditional Peking Opera troupe, and its two stars, from 1924 to 1977. Not only do we see the various political events of the time, but also how the traditional opera and its stars are treated during different eras.

The two stars, Dieyi and Xiaolou, are brought up and trained to play specific roles - that of concubine and king respectively - in a famous play. Dieyi (Douzi) is trained, or should I say, forced to behave, sing, move and dance like a girl, from a very young age. The two of them share a unique and close bond, and this balance gets affected when a woman, Juxian, enters the picture. Their political naiveté get them into many problems, but it's their properly unresolved love triangle that causes more trouble.

The lines between fact and fiction are blurred when we realise the similarities between the play and their actual lives. Dieyi's devotion to opera and Xiaolou are as strong as the concubine's devotion to the king. (The lines are blurred even more when Leslie Cheung, bisexual himself, takes his life in 2003) The end is inevitable, as we realise while the story progresses, but it's reached with proper momentum and after an intriguing chain of events.

The acting by the three leads is really terrific. Leslie Cheung as the female-role playing opera star who's completely devoted to his art, Fengyi Zhang as a talented and playful man who can easily separate his private and work lives, and Gong Li as the prostitute-turned-wife whose shades of determination and compassion keeps us from not having a fixed view of her character. With Chen Kaige's talented direction and Gu Changwei's spectacular cinematography, the movie has many colourful and memorable scenes.

I really liked the movie, and wasn't bored for a single second. The movie deals with so many interesting themes - Modern Chinese history, sexuality, art and its reception, devotion and passion - but yet it somehow makes me feel that it had the potential to be much more compelling. Other than the political events, the characters could have been explored a little more.

"Farewell My Concubine" is a very good film. The story is interesting and upsetting. The acting is exceptional (Li Gong is fantastic) and everything from cinematography to the script is brilliant. It's a bit too long, if you ask me, but the film is, nevertheless, interesting until the end.

This is only the second Chinese film I have seen, but it is almost as good as the absolute masterpiece "Raise the Red Lantern" (Li Gong is in that film as well). Recommended. (7/10)

A masterpiece in every sense of the word, Chen Kaige's breath-stealing parable of China's multi-layered political revolution, is centred on two men. Chen presents us with an absorbing story of a 52 year-old relationship between two opera actors mounted upon an impossibly large canvas. But without sacrificing any intricate plot development or smudging over any delicate complexity in the relationship.

Considered by many to be one of the greatest epics of all time, this film rightly established Chen's reputation as one of the most brilliant narrative and artistic directors of our time, along with other such contemporary auteurs as Kieslowski, Bertolucci and Kurosawa.

You can not call yourself a film-buff if you haven't seen this movie. And film-students: you can witness the true art of filmmaking and story telling through the skilled hands of Chen Kaige's Farewell My Concubine.

The movie isn't finished yet... until the chinese government allows this movie to the people of china and accepts flaws of its history after almost 30 years since the opening... nothing changed. what a masterpiece

In 1993, when I was only a pupil, my grandfather took me to the cinema to see this great movie for the first time. At that time, I was too young to understand this movie and only surprised by the beautiful scene. Twenty years passed and I see this movie again because of my friend's recommendation. This time, I carefully follow the movie plot in about 2 hours and never feel any boring. This film is as perfect as an artistic works in every aspects such as photography, plot, acting skills and spiritual core. I think the most attractive element for me is the spiritual core. Through the story of two Beijing Opera stars, the movie shows an scroll of the Chinese social change among more than 50 years. It also focus on the ordinary people's hardship and suffering. Although the love is the topical subject for this movie as its name shows. But I think the director want to express more than love. It tells much more about the humanity under the extreme conditions. In one word, a person cannot say he is familiar with Chinese film if he hasn't seen this "farewell my concubine".

I have had a great deal of trouble writing this review. Every time I make a start I can find nothing to get my teeth into and no coherent thread to interconnect my thoughts. While there are many potential sub-topics they all seem to stand in isolation. While this may simply be a reflection of my inability to string two sentences together I think in this case it pretty accurately summarizes the issues I have with this movie.

It is difficult to figure out what this movie is and if asked to summarise it in 25 words or less I would be flummoxed. Is it a Chinese history movie? An opera movie? A Chinese culture lesson? A love story? A story of betrayal? A story of pseudo or actual homosexuality? It is snippets of all of these and probably more, but it does not really do justice to any of them. Basically it suffers from multiple personality disorder and unfortunately we don't get enough time with any of them to relate to any of them. Yes, the history and cultural aspects are interesting in their way but don't really add anything to our understanding of the horrors of the Japanese invasion of China, the Nationalist/Communist struggle, the early Communist era and the later Cultural Revolution. Yes, it is a "love story" between the two actors who play the King and the Concubine, but we never experience any passion or come anywhere close to connecting to either of these characters to really care. The "King" character in particular is very undeveloped, little more than a cardboard cut-out who happens to be the object of the "Concubine's" unrequited love. The character played by Gong Li is also skin deep and we never really care about her or her relationship with the "King" actor – indeed the random and non-sensical way in which these two characters become engaged simply nukes any credibility that this relationship might have had, and by extension destroys the credibility of any other relationship on the movie, most importantly the pivotal one between the "King" and the "Concubine". The betrayal, which I gather meant something personal to the director, is dealt with too curtly to have any effect at all. The character of the "son", raised from an abandoned baby, is totally illogical and we simply don't get to know him well enough to care about him or understand why he would possibly want to betray his adoptive parents. It all just seems facile and silly. We never really understand (or at least, I don't) the "homosexual" overtones of the "Concubine". Was he simply beaten into a form of insanity in which he thinks he is always in character as a woman? Is he actually a homosexual? His "king" friend seems to be too thick to understand the "Concubine's" feelings for him and this to me trivializes the whole "affair". And to be honest, none of the characters come across as being particularly nice, in fact the Concubine character comes across more as a petty, whinny, jealous, lightweight flake than a tragic figure we could weep for.

OK, just because a film is not perfect doesn't mean you should not watch it. "Farewell My Concubine" is one of those films which is a "must see" despite its failings. If it falters as an emotionally satisfying and coherent movie it is a stunning technical tour de force and a masterpiece of its kind. Just to have made a movie of this scope is an achievement, almost to the point that its success is secondary, crazy as that may sound. It is a movie of such breadth that it is impossible to take in completely in one sitting, and that is perhaps the ultimate test – you know you need to see it again to understand it but can you care enough about it to make that effort? But – trust me - you need to see this movie – your education as a movie goer is incomplete unless you do. You will enjoy it, and you will be moved to have an opinion, one way or the other.

I'm not a fan of Chen Kaige. Most of his films are either too melodramatic or big on concept but fail to deliver on the human level. He knows his craft, is hugely ambitious, but there is something missing in his soul.

It would help the viewers to know something about the historic background of this film. Google Chu-Han Contention, Xiang Yu (the king/hegemon), Battle of Gaixia. May help to know a bit about the more recent events in modern Chinese history such as the Cultural Revolution too, but that's not at the heart of the story.

The best developed character is of course Dieyi. Based on the traditional Chinese role of the tragic heroine, with the additional complexity of gender confusion. not very appealing, despite hitting all right notes of the traditional femininity, unless you got yellow fever. Xiaolou, the king who is not really a king, like Xiang Yu, strong but unable to control his fate. the easiest character to relate to. Juxian is not well developed, the king's horse? Yuang is potentially interesting character, well acted, but again not developed enough.

It is Chen Kaige's best movie I've watched. Worth watching, but ultimately not as satisfying as the more straight-forward and honest movie by other fifth generation Chinese directors. I would watch Hong gao liang over this any day.

Two boys meet at an opera training school in Peking in 1924. In time they form a operatic duo and become famous and revered as top-class performers. However, their act and, ultimately, their friendship is tested by changes China endures over the next few decades, in particular the Japanese invasion and occupation, the communist takeover and Mao's Cultural Revolution. In 1990 they are reunited and perform their act for the first time in many years.

Okay, but not great. The historical aspect was good: showing the history of China from 1924 to 1990 through the eyes of two friends who happen to be opera stars. This is quite powerful and edifying, especially the communist era, showing the oppression the average person faced (and still faces, to a degree).

The story about the two friends is less interesting though. It starts off badly enough: the boyhood era was repetitive and overplayed. We got it the first time: the teachers were sadists and the boys had it very bad. No need to labour the point.

Their story does get more interesting with the introduction of Juxian as she changes the dynamic of the friendship and the film. Still, everything seems laboured, with scenes and sub-plots being drawn out unnecessarily.

The most powerful part, and almost the only reason to watch the movie, is towards the end, during the Cultural Revolution. Takes some perseverance to get that far though...