Synopsis
Abandoned by his prostitute mother in 1920, Douzi was raised by a theater troupe. There he meets Shitou and over the following years the two develop an act entitled "Farewell My Concubine" that brings them fame and fortune. When Shitou marries Juxian, Douzi becomes jealous, the beginnings of the acting duo's explosive breakup and tragic fall take root.
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Cast
- Leslie CheungCheng Dieyi / Xiao Douzi
- Zhang FengyiDuan Xiaolou / Xiao Shitou
- Gong LiJuxian
- Lu QiMaster Guan
- Ying DaNa Kun
- Ge YouMaster Yuan Shiqing
- Lei HanXiao Si
- Yi DiZhang the Eunuch
- Yin ZhiXiao Douzi (teenager)
- Ma Ming-WeiXiao Douzi (child)
Recommendations
- 100
Chicago Sun-Times
Farewell My Concubine is a demonstration of how a great epic can function. I was generally familiar with the important moments in modern Chinese history, but this film helped me to feel and imagine what it was like to live in the country during those times. - 100
The New York Times
A vastly entertaining movie. It's also one of such recognizably serious concerns that you can sink into it with pleasure and count it a cultural achievement. - 100
ReelViews
No film can ever hope to convey the complex mosaic of cultural upheaval caused by everything that happened between 1924 and 1977, but Farewell My Concubine does an excellent job presenting samples of the flavor while telling a story that is both epic and intimate. - 100
Chicago Reader
This film's extraordinary unity of style, theme, and plot is what sets it apart from the superficial historical epic. Behind all the color, movement, and elaborate decor of this "commercial" film lies an exceptionally taut structure. - 90
Time Out
Appropriately operatic, Chen's visually spectacular epic is sumptuous in every respect. Intelligent, enthralling, rhapsodic. - 88
Boston Globe
Thanks to Chen's eye and the strong central performances, Farewell My Concubine comes together with historical resonance and stirring, full-blooded sweep. [29 Oct 1993, p.51] - 78
Austin Chronicle
Director Chen and screenwriters Lilian Lee and Lu Wei (based on Lee's original novel) create a tapestry of detail woven with visual spectacle, historical saga and human drama. At over 2 1/2 hours running time, Farewell My Concubine is both too brief and too luxurious. - 63
Washington Post
It's a lovely film, but a little inert. It reaches its high point with glorious close-ups of the children. From there, it's all downhill.
