Farewell My Concubine

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Farewell My Concubine

R

Released Sep 16, 1993

2h 37m

Drama

LGBTQ+

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

91%

Tomatometer

53 Reviews

93%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

Chen Kaige's much acclaimed, long out of print masterpiece chronicles the rise of two young stars of the Beijing Opera House, their turbulent relationship, and ultimate downfalls. Beginning in 1924 and spanning nearly half a century, Farewell My Concubine's sumptuous narrative is interwoven with moments from some of the most troublesome times in modern Chinese history, including Japan's 1937 invasion though to the Chinese Cultural Revolution and its aftermath.

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Critics Consensus

Chen Kaing's epic is grand in scope and presentation, and, bolstered by solid performances, the result is a film both horrifying and enthralling.

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Clayton Dillard

Slant Magazine

Chen Kaige offers a definitive vision of what it looks, sounds, and feels like to realize that the personal is always political.

Jul 28, 2024

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Brian Tallerico

RogerEbert.com

The movie is more stunning than ever, a daring blend of history and personal storytelling with one of the most striking performances of its era from Leslie Cheung.

Rated: 4/4

Sep 21, 2023

Full Review

Kenneth Turan

Los Angeles Times

An unhurried journey on the great tide of modern Chinese history, this gorgeous, intoxicating epic is confident enough of its visual and narrative power not to rush the telling.

May 9, 2023

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Scott Nye

Battleship Pretension

What Farewell My Concubine is, most clearly, immediately, and strikingly, is staggeringly beautiful.

Aug 20, 2024

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Mattie Lucas

trans|cendental cinema

A tale in which gender roles and sexuality clash in a world built on tradition and artifice, becoming intertwined with the ever-shifting march of time that leaves little time for personal truth.

Rated: 3.5/4

Aug 5, 2024

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Matt Brown

ScreenAnarchy

It remains a bravura act of filmmaking. ... The restoration of Farewell My Concubine for this release is among the finest I've seen in the Criterion Collection.

Jul 22, 2024

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bao s

absolutely perfect!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/21/25

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Gee R

The costumes, cinematography, makeup, music and acting - superb!

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

07/15/25

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Clara Y

I couldn't really understand it the first time I watched this when I was a child... Anyway a stunningly beautiful and emotionally powerful epic could span decades.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/26/24

Full Review

JP K

A masterpiece of art, FMC shows and later reveals the human experience in all of its ugly beauty ("Beauty will be 'convulsive'". -Breton). For my sensibilities, though I haven't seen FMC in 10 years, the scene of both main characters, in full regalia, behind the curtain is one of those moments in movies where text, sub-text, the personal, the political, the sweeping arcs of history... the minute yet vastness of life... are all co-mingling. I remember after seeing its first run thinking, like all great art, that I am a better person for having seen FMC. There aren't enough superlatives to describe what Kaige has achieved... it's breathtaking.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/20/25

Full Review

Alec B

A stunning epic about the sacrifices required for great art and how failure and triumph are ultimately intertwined. Also this might be the definitive depiction of the horrors of the Chinese cultural revolution, with it all happening based entirely on personal recriminations and individual lust for power.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/27/24

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zhou H

this movie corectly tell us what is the ancient China history

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/28/23

Full Review

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Chen Kaige

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Leslie Cheung

Cheng Dieyi (segment "Douzi")

Fengyi Zhang

Duan Xiaolou (segment "Shitou")

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Farewell My Concubine: 4K Restoration Trailer

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Synopsis

Chen Kaige's much acclaimed, long out of print masterpiece chronicles the rise of two young stars of the Beijing Opera House, their turbulent relationship, and ultimate downfalls. Beginning in 1924 and spanning nearly half a century, Farewell My Concubine's sumptuous narrative is interwoven with moments from some of the most troublesome times in modern Chinese history, including Japan's 1937 invasion though to the Chinese Cultural Revolution and its aftermath.

Director: Chen Kaige
Producer: Feng Hsu
Screenwriter: Wei Lu
Distributor: Artificial Eye, Miramax Films
Production Co: Tomson Films, Beijing Film Studio
Rating: R
Genre: Drama, LGBTQ+
Original Language: Chinese
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 16, 1993, Wide
Rerelease Date (Theaters): Sep 22, 2023
Release Date (DVD): Jul 14, 2007
Box Office (Gross USA): $332.2K
Runtime: 2h 37m
Sound Mix: Surround, Stereo

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