Farewell, My Concubine

UPC: 717951002723

Studio: Miramax

MPAA Rating: R   Contains:[Violence, Adult Situations, Substance Abuse]

Summary: Until Farewell, My Concubine (Ba Wang Bie Ji), not many people were aware that most members of the Peking Opera were originally orphans or illegitimate castaways with nowhere else to turn. Such is the case of the film's protagonists, Duan Xiaolou (Zhang Fengyi) and Cheng Dieyi (Leslie Cheung), two homeless outcasts, trained from childhood in the grueling rigors of the Opera by master Lu Qui. The film traces the 52-year friendship between Xiaolou and Dieyi, a friendship pockmarked with fiery conflicts and tender reconciliations. Though the delicate Dieyi specializes in female roles and the gutsy Xiaolou plays noble warriors, theirs is an essentially heterosexual relationship; still, when Xiaolou takes upon himself a prostitute bride (the magnificent Gong Li), Dieyi is as petty and jealous as an outcast mistress. Farewell, My Concubine holds the viewer in thrall from start to finish; as such, it is thoroughly deserving of its many international film awards and nominations. Surprisingly, this worldwide success was something of a flop in its home country of China; perhaps it hit too close to home for those viewers who'd lived through the same years so painstakingly recreated in the film. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Category: Drama

Awards: Best Foreign Language Film – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Foreign Language Film – null Best Foreign Film – Los Angeles Film Critics Association Best Cinematography – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Foreign Language Film – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences FIPRESCI Award for Best Film in Competition – Cannes Film Festival Palme d'Or – Cannes Film Festival Best Foreign Film – National Board of Review Best Supporting Actress – New York Film Critics Circle Best Foreign Film – New York Film Critics Circle Film Presented – Telluride Film Festival Best Foreign Language Film – Hollywood Foreign Press Association

Features: Director's cut
2.0 Dolby Surround
Widescreen [1.85:1]

Farewell, My Concubine

Format: Digital Video Disc (DVD)

Release Date: 12/14/1999

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Theatre Wide-Screen

Audio: 2 PCM stereo

Runtime: 172 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Subtitles: English

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Side #1
0. Chapter Selections
1. Opening Credits [:31]
2. From The Brothel [5:39]
3. By Nature A Boy [6:12]
4. The Price Of Fame [7:48]
5. Performing For Zhang [9:26]
6. A Determined Fate [8:24]
7. Master Yuan [5:34]
8. A Special Day [10:23]
9. An Engaged Woman [5:53]
10. Most Intimate Friends [10:31]
11. To Save Xiaolou [7:26]
12. Forget The Opera [9:49]
13. The Old Master [3:27]
14. A Show Of Force [8:50]
15. Cheng's Trial [7:28]
16. The People's Anger [11:56]
17. Modern Opera [12:31]
18. Out With The Old Society [10:25]
19. Betrayal [12:11]
20. Farewell [7:51]
21. End Credits [6:34]

Lucia Bozzola

Banned in China, Chen Kaige's Farewell, My Concubine (1993) was internationally celebrated for its rich detail in depicting the lifelong friendship of two Peking Opera singers, from the 1930s Japanese invasion to the 1970s aftermath of the Cultural Revolution. While the film ran into trouble for, among other things, its unstinting portrayal of the personal destruction wrought by Communism, the grandly scaled epic also meant to celebrate the tradition of Peking Opera, with its Dickensian training rituals. The loss of the opera becomes a loss of beautiful artistry, as the opera's passionate hues are perverted into political Red and the spectacle of operatic performance turns into vituperative social chaos after the Revolution. Co-winner of the Palme d'Or at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival (with The Piano), Farewell, My Concubine was also nominated for the Best Foreign Film Oscar as the entry from Hong Kong, as well as Best Cinematography. After its international success, Farewell, My Concubine was briefly released in China in edited form before being banned a second time. ~ Lucia Bozzola, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Zhao Jiping  Composer (Music Score) 
Chen Kaige  Director 
Don Ranvaud  Producer 
Lu Wei  Screenwriter 
Hsu Feng  Producer 
Leslie Cheung  Actor 
Zhang Fengyi  Actor 
Gong Li  Actor 
Lu Qi  Actor 
Ying Da  Actor 
Ge You  Actor 
David Wu  Actor 

Country: China,Hong Kong