Ba wang bie ji

'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

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

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.