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M. Butterfly
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M. Butterfly (1993) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
6.7/10   2,900 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 38% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
David Cronenberg
Writers (WGA):
David Henry Hwang (play)
David Henry Hwang (screenplay)
Contact:
View company contact information for M. Butterfly on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
1 October 1993 (USA) more
Genre:
Drama | Romance more
Plot:
In 1960s China, French diplomat Rene Gallimard falls in love with an opera singer, Song Liling - but Song is not at all who Gallimard thinks. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
1 win more
NewsDesk:
(7 articles)
DVD: Review: Fast Company / M. Butterfly
 (From The AV Club. 16 June 2009, 10:01 PM, PDT)

Won't Get Fooled Again
 (From IFC. 9 June 2009, 8:40 AM, PDT)

User Comments:
Stranger Than Fiction more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Jeremy Irons ... René Gallimard
John Lone ... Song Liling

Barbara Sukowa ... Jeanne Gallimard
Ian Richardson ... Ambassador Toulon
Annabel Leventon ... Frau Baden
Shizuko Hoshi ... Comrade Chin
Richard McMillan ... Embassy Colleague

Vernon Dobtcheff ... Agent Etancelin
David Hemblen ... Intelligence Officer #1
Damir Andrei ... Intelligence Officer #2
Antony Parr ... Intelligence Officer #3
Margaret Ma ... Song's Maid
Tristram Jellinek ... Defense attorney
Philip McGough ... Prosecution attorney
David Neal ... Judge
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

MPAA:
Rated R for sexuality and a brief bloody sequence.
Runtime:
101 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Dolby
Filming Locations:
Budapest, Hungary more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The Chinese opera being performed by Song near the beginning is called "Gui Fei Zui Jiu", aka "The Drunken Concubine", aka "Yang Gui Fei Gets Tipsy". more
Quotes:
Rene Gallimard: You made me see the beauty of the story, of her death. It's, it's pure sacrifice. He's not worthy of it, but what can she do? She loves him so much. It's very beautiful.
Song Liling: Well, yes, to a Westerner.
Rene Gallimard: I beg your pardon?
Song Liling: It's one of your favorite fantasies, isn't it? The submissive Oriental woman and the cruel white man.
more
Movie Connections:
Featured in "The Directors: The Films of David Cronenberg (#1.10)" (1999) more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
15 out of 33 people found the following comment useful:-
Stranger Than Fiction, 3 February 1999
7/10
Author: 0595

M Butterfly is a remarkably compelling film, even though the premise has been spoiled. I think it is David Cronenberg's best film overall. Dealing with the same issues as in Farewell, My Concubine, such as the state of Chinese theater during the revolution, M Butterfly is easier to understand and more involving. Farewell, My Concubine made me want to not care about the history involved because it was just too much to think about at one time, not being previously aware of it. However, M Butterfly explains the setting in a way that has no minimum education requirement. Foremost though, the characters created by Jeremy Irons and John Lone are intricate, conveying their deep commitments to their country and to their own heart, in Song and Rene's cases respectively. However, being familiar with the opera is an advantage to understanding a few complications in the plot. Plus, the ending is daring and dramatic. In real life, however, the person who the character Rene is based on is still alive and I saw an interview with him on ABCNews and just knowing that this man actually thought that he had gotten this other man pregnant makes the movie even more intriguing. This movie does not really delve into how that could have been, physically or psychologically, but it does make subtle inferences. Just the knowledge that the premise is not merely incredulous movie fantasy is enough reason for inquiring minds to give this beautiful film a try.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for M. Butterfly (1993)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
The real 'Song Liling' passes away in Paris at 70. pingvuiini
Did Song care for Gallimard at all? Pearl_Jade
DVD Release set for May oneblood
What about the baby???? (spoiler) mario_braner
Unclear on the reason for posing as a woman Pearl_Jade
Watch Online xlivingxundeadx
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