Ba wang bie ji (1993)

User Rating:

7.9/10   

Director:

Kaige Chen

Writers:

Lillian Lee (novel)
Lillian Lee (screenplay)

Release Date:

15 October 1993 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Music | Romance

Tagline:

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

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Opera | Peking | Peking Opera | Prostitution | Drug Addict

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 13 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

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
Chun Li	...	Xiao Si (in his teens)
Han Lei	...	Xiao Si (adult)
Di Tong	...	Zhang the Eunuch
Mingwei Ma	...	Douzi as a Child
Yang Fei	...	Shitou as a Child
Zhi Yin	...	Douzi as a Teenager
Hailong Zhao	...	Shitou as a Teenager
Dan Li	...	Laizi / Peking Opera schoolboy
Wenli Jiang	...	Douzi's Mother

Also Known As:

Ba wong bit gei (Hong Kong: Cantonese title)
Farewell My Concubine (International: English title)

MPAA:

Rated R for language and strong depiction of thematic material.

Runtime:

171 min

Country:

China | Hong Kong

Language:

Mandarin

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Brazil:14 | Iceland:12 | South Korea:15 | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Chile:18 | Finland:K-14 | Germany:12 | Peru:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R | Singapore:PG

Company:

Beijing Film Studio

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.

Goofs:

Continuity: 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.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "American Dad!: Failure Is Not a Factory-installed Option (#2.3)" (2006)

Beautiful, captivating movie...

'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