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 19 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

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

Jackie Chan was originally offered the role of Duan Xiaolou due to his own childhood experience of training in the Peking Opera. But he turned it down, fearing that the film, which deals with themes of homosexuality, might tarnish his image.

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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

Miramax Films mogul Harvey Weinstein purchased the distribution rights and removed ten minutes. This is the version seen in U.S. theaters (and also in the U.K.) According to Peter Biskind's book, "Down and Dirty Pictures: Miramax, Sundance and the Rise of Independent Film", Louis Malle, who was president of the Cannes jury that year, said: "The film we admired so much in Cannes is not the film seen in this country (referring to the U.S.), which is twenty minutes shorter - but seems longer because it doesn't make any sense. It was better before those guys made cuts." The uncut version (171 Mins) has been released by Miramax on DVD.

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Connections

Featured in Naamsaang-neuiseung (1998)

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Soundtracks

Bygone Love
Composed by Jiping Zhao
© 1993 Varese Sarabande

User Reviews

I'll not make a film better than this.

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.