Lebewohl, meine Konkubine

'Farewell My Concubine' is, in a word, excellent.

Though often portrayed as haunting and disturbing, it's also quite touching at times... attributed largely to the outstanding emotional performances by the film's lead cast. Hands down, Chen Kaige has directed one of the most beautiful films involving the fall of the great Imperial China... and subsequently... the friendship of two of China's greatest leading opera performers.

Leslie Cheung's role as Cheng Dieyi, the tormented 'concubine' of the story, is absolutely astounding, and is probably one of his greatest performances to date. Fengyi Zhang plays well opposite Cheung, and Gong Li is fantastic as always. The production sets are superb, as are the costumes and cinematography.

Definitely a must see for all fans of foreign cinema, and certainly worthwhile for all newcomers.

10 out of 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.

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

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.

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!!!