M. Butterfly (1993)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

David Cronenberg

Writers (WGA):

David Henry Hwang (play)
David Henry Hwang (screenplay)

Release Date:

1 October 1993 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

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.

Plot Keywords:

Opera | China | 1960s | Cultural Revolution | Betrayal

Awards:

1 win

Cast

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

MPAA:

Rated R for sexuality and a brief bloody sequence.

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Argentina:16 | Iceland:12 | Singapore:NC-16 (re-rating) | Singapore:R(A) | South Korea:18 | Australia:M | Finland:K-14 | Spain:18 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Budapest, Hungary

Company:

Geffen Pictures

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".

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.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "The Directors: The Films of David Cronenberg (#1.10)" (1999)

Stranger Than Fiction

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.