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Farewell My Concubine

Play trailer 1:33 Poster for Farewell My Concubine R Released Sep 16, 1993 2h 37m Drama LGBTQ+ Play Trailer Watchlist
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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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Farewell My Concubine

Farewell My Concubine

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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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Critics Reviews

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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 Full Review 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 Full Review Scott Nye Battleship Pretension What Farewell My Concubine is, most clearly, immediately, and strikingly, is staggeringly beautiful. Aug 20, 2024 Full Review 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 Full Review 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 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (724) audience reviews
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 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 Full Review zhou H this movie corectly tell us what is the ancient China history Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/28/23 Full Review Enrique P Wonderful story. Love it! Rated 4 out of 5 stars 09/25/23 Full Review I loved the plot and it was a great movie to watch. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/23/23 Full Review 很好看的电影,通过微小人群的一生,讲述了那个年代的历史。这是第二次看了 Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/19/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Farewell My Concubine

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

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
Miramax Films, Artificial Eye
Production Co
Beijing Film Studio, Tomson Films
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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