Farewell My Concubine (1993)
…………………………………………………
Farewell My Concubine Movie Review
Farewell My Concubine is a 1993 Chinese historical drama film directed by Chen Kaige. It’s a long, but respectable epic.
………………………………………………….
“A smile ushers in the spring“
…………………………………………………..
…………………………………………………..
In 1924, young Cheng Dieyi begins training at the Beijing Opera House at the same time as Duan Xiaolou. Cheng specializes in playing female parts, often against Duan’s commanding male leads. While pretending to be in love with Duan onstage, Cheng begins to develop actual romantic feelings for his co-star, which are not reciprocated. Over the next 50 years, the two men maintain a complicated friendship as China undergoes turbulent changes.
Needless to say, this is a very complicated movie when it comes to the subject of sexuality. Cheng’s homosexuality here is portrayed very awkwardly and in a dated manner by suggesting that him being raped as a child led to him becoming gay. That was so problematic, and this entire relationship between the two men, though interesting, is still quite troublesome.
I liked both of their characters quite a bit, and the movie paints both of them very well and as complex human beings, but I personally wanted a more decisive portrayal of homosexuality, and not this ambiguous, and at the end of the day very dated portrayal.
But Farewell My Concubine really worked in many other areas. The story is epic, and the movie is very epic admittedly. Yes, it’s long, but it mostly doesn’t feel too long given its solid pace and a particularly strong grip on history and portraying this period of Chinese history.
…………………………………………………..
…………………………………………………..
The dialogue is stellar, and I personally loved the first act the most as it was a great, very moving set-up. The rest of the film was good, but not as strong or as emotional. But I did adore the film’s cinematography as it is stupendously shot across the board, the direction from Chen Kaige is also very good and the performances from all of the actors are excellent. The score is also wonderful, and the entire movie is technically terrific. I just wished for a more timeless storyline, and not just an epic one.
Farewell My Concubine surely is complicated and dated in the area of sexuality and it is a very long movie, but it mostly doesn’t feel too long given its solid pace, strong direction and an emotional first act. The story is flawed, but the characters are memorable and the film is so well shot, scored and epic in scope.
