Farewell My Concubine

(Ba wang bie ji)

Synopsis:

Abandoned by his prostitute mother in 1920, Douzi was raised by a theater troupe. There he meets Shitou and over the following years the two develop an act entitled “Farewell My Concubine” that brings them fame and fortune. When Shitou marries Juxian, Douzi becomes jealous, the beginnings of the acting duo’s explosive breakup and tragic fall take root.

Quick Thoughts:

“Farewell My Concubine” has been on my watch list for years now… and after finally taking the time to watch it, I’m not sure why it took so long! This epic queer music film is simply visually & lyrically stunning. However, traditional Beijing Opera (also known as Peking Opera) is VERY different from a lot of other Western opera & theatrical styles, which may be offputting to viewers – alongside the need for subtitles. But this film beautifully weaves together the story of an actual Beijing Opera called “The Hegemon-King Bids His Lady Farewell” (often referred to as “Farewell My Concubine”) and true historical events spanning over 50 years of China’s tumultuous history. The way that all of this is layered upon each other, while telling an epic & captivating story is simply incredible. I strongly encourage everyone to watch “Farewell My Concubine” – it’s THAT good!

Watched?

No

Reviewed?

No

Worth It?

Thumbs Up

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Country:

Genre:

Language:

Release Date:

15 October, 1993

Duration:

2h51m

Director:

Kaige Chen

Writers:

Pik-Wah Lee, Wei Lu

Stars:

Leslie Cheung, Fengyi Zhang, Gong Li

Websites:

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