Farewell My Concubine (1993)

The story of two men, who met as apprentices in the Peking Opera, and stayed friends for over 50 years.

Director:

Kaige Chen

Writers:

Pik Wah Lee (novel) (as Lillian Lee), Pik Wah Lee (screenplay) (as Lillian Lee)

Stars:

Leslie Cheung, Fengyi Zhang, Li Gong

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 24 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Leslie Cheung	...	Cheng Dieyi (segment "Douzi")
Fengyi Zhang	...	Duan Xiaolou (segment "Shitou")
Li Gong	...	Juxian
Qi Lü	...	Master Guan
Da Ying	...	Manager
You Ge	...	Master Yuan
Han Lei	...	Xiao Si (adult)
Di Tong	...	Zhang the Eunuch
Zhi Yin	...	Douzi as a Teenager
Mingwei Ma	...	Douzi as a Child
Hailong Zhao	...	Shitou as a Teenager
Yang Fei	...	Shitou as a Child
Dan Li	...	Laizi / Peking Opera schoolboy
Yongchao Yang	...	Laizi as a Child
Fei Huang	...	Old Master

Storyline

"Farewell, My Concubine" is a movie with two parallel, intertwined stories. It is the story of two performers in the Beijing Opera, stage brothers, and the woman who comes between them. At the same time, it attempts to do no less than squeeze the entire political history of China in the twentieth century into a three-hour time-frame.

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Plot Keywords:

boy | peking opera | suicide | suicide by hanging | spanking | 

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Taglines:

The passionate story of two lifelong friends and the woman who comes between them.

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Genres:

Drama | Music | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and strong depiction of thematic material

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

China Hong Kong

Language:

Mandarin

Release Date:

15 October 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

Farewell My Concubine

Box Office

Budget:

$4,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$5,216,888

Company Credits

Production Co:

Beijing Film Studio, China Film Co-Production Corporation, Maverick Picture Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

171 min 155 min (USA) (theatrical)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Black and White (flashback sequence) Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The very first film from the People's Republic of China to win the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival.

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Goofs

When Douzi is first examined by the owner of the opera troupe, his extra finger is on his right hand below the thumb. When he withdraws the hand from the opera troupe owner, he pulls back his left arm. When his mother cuts the extra finger off a few moments later, it is now on his left hand, next to his pinkie.

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Quotes

Master Yuan: A smile ushers in the spring.
Master Yuan: A tear does darken all the world.
Master Yuan: How truly does this befit you. To you... only you are possessed of such charm.

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Alternate Versions

The following footage was deleted from the USA version:

• After Laizi's death, Douzi and Shitou mourn next to the coffin. We see the coffin being carted away. (1:24)
• We see Douzi being carried atop the servant's back to Old Man Zhang's quarters (0:09)
• During the "deflowering scene" with Old Man Zhang, after the woman leaves, until Zhang says "Come here." Douzi urinates into a vase, as the old man looks on, getting quite excited. (0:21)
• After Cheng and Duan are accosted by rioting students, after the photo session. They are being carted through the streets on handcarts. Na Kun is following, on foot. They discuss first the student revolutionaries, and then the incident at Old Man Zhang's house, which is now a coffin shop. Dieyi mentions that he was there the day before; Na conjectures that he was probably looking for the sword. (0:51)
• After Cheng and Duan meet Yuan Shiqing for the first time, and Cheng is presented with jewelry. Brief dialogue as Yuan and then Duan leave the room. (0:19)
• After Cheng and Duan argue in the makeup room, right before Juxian leaves the House of Blossoms. Juxian watches a performance of "Farewell". (0:55)
• After Cheng and Duan argue during the "engagement" scene, right before Cheng tucks the baby Xiao Si into bed. Yuan presents Cheng with an elaborate pheasant headdress in his dressing room. (0:51)
• After Japan's march into Beijing, right before Duan gets into a fight with the Japanese. Another opera scene, dealing with drink. Also one line of dialogue as Juxian applies Duan's makeup. (1:31)
• Scene of Cheng singing to Japanese continues, right before Duan is released. Interior shots, Cheng holding a fan. Music, and applause. (0:47)
• More graphic detail in the bloodletting scene.
• Brief shot of Duan caressing Juxian's cheek, right after Cheng and Yuan makeup scene.
• After our first glance of Cheng smoking opium, right before Cheng and Duan visit their old teacher. Cheng steps out of his home, smoking and looking quite listless. He chokes as a car passes. Then we see Juxian showing a group of Duan's friends to the exit of their home, recovering money that her husband has lent them. Juxian complains that Duan doesn't have a real job; Duan responds that all he can do is sing, and Juxian has forbidden that. Juxian mentions that Duan and Cheng's old teacher wants to see them; Duan says that he is too ashamed to face him. (2:02)
• After Juxian visits Cheng in his cell, just before trial. Beginning of the trial dialogue cut, where Peking Opera is described as "pornographic music", and the formal charges of collusion with the Japanese Officer, Aoki, are described. (0:43)
• Later, in the same trial scene, after Na's "testimony", Yuan objects to the idea of Peking Opera as "pornographic music". (1:01)
• After the communists march into Beijing, Cheng and Duan are performing "Farewell" to an audience of communist troops. The troops do not respond, and then break into a patriotic song afterwards. Xiao Si seems to take to their philosophy. This scene cuts into what seems to be one large crowd scene in the U.S. release -- everything depicting Xiao Si (the foundling) skipping through the streets of Beijing comes after this scene. (1:52)
• After Juxian's suicide, and before we cut to the present day, we get a short scene where the traitorous Xiao Si seems to get his due. He is sitting alone with the case of jewelry given Cheng by Yuan, and singing from "Farewell". Behind him, communist troops begin to file in, and Xiao Si is startled to see them in the mirror. One of them approaches and hands him what seems to be some sort of summons. (1:11)

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Connections

Featured in At the Movies: The Best Films of 1993 (1994)

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Soundtracks

Farewell My Concubine Suite (Part III)
Composed by Jiping Zhao
© 1993 Varese Sarabande

User Reviews

A lavish, opulent, and intense film; bring your lunch

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.