Ba wang bie ji (Farewell My Concubine) poster & wallpaper
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Leslie Cheung, Fengyi Zhang, Li Gong, Qi Lü, Da Ying ... see more see more... , You Ge , David Wu , Chun Li , Han Lei

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... read more read more... 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

Flixster Users

91% liked it

15,195 ratings

Critics

88% liked it

33 critics

R, 2 hr. 34 min.

Directed by: Kaige Chen

Release Date: January 1, 1993

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DVD Release Date: December 14, 1999

 

Stats: 817 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (817)

  • binky013
    January 25, 2010
    binky013
    What does it take to become a star?

    Wow! 92% of Flixsters and 88% of "critics" liked this one. Okay, I just have to preface this with two statements:

    You all know how much I like Gong Li, right? She's the bomb!

    And no, Walter, I did NOT add this to our little list

    ... read more of films I can't sit all the way through -- although I was tempted.

    I never thought I'd write this, but . . . this lengthy little film became extremely tedious after Gong Li arrived on the scene.

    What great potential this one had. When I think about folks like Jackie Chan having come up through the Bejing Opera training ranks, I just have to pray that his personal story had happier days.

    Corporal punishment. I hear exhausted teachers joking about this all the time. I know they don't mean it, but they say: Yes, the laying on of the strap could be very useful" . . . I guess. In this movie, well, it's actually funny at times. Why? I have no idea. I am totally opposed to the idea of beating students. Ever. But really, what does it take to become a star? Six fingers? No, "freaks" are apparently out. Thank goodness for sharp knives . . . I guess.

    Great until . . . sadly he says . . . Gong Li comes on the scene. From then on? Well, the initial tension between the two males is the great energy that pushes the first half of the film. I believe the introduction of a (??another??) love interest, with Gong Li, is supposed to heighten the tension between the two, but ironically, for me at least, she absolutely blocks up the energy, the flow, the qi/chi/ki/mana of the story.

    Oh well, I bow to Walter's recommendation. Walter, what say you? Thumbs up or thumbs down?
  • kiriyamakazou
    July 29, 2009
    kiriyamakazou
    A wonderful sprawling epic that perfectly captures it's time period. Although it deals with some very important and deep political issues it is essentially a tale of two friends. The film starts with the men as children and we see their friendship grow as they deal with their rou... read moregh childhood. Friendship soon turns to love but the arrival of Gong Li creates tension. The film has two incredible performances, one from Zhang as the stronger and more independent friend and Cheung as the tragic and needy Dieyi. The film has one of the most expertly crafted narratives I've ever seen. Every scene has a point and though it jumps through the decades, the mesmerizing editing means the film flows without interruption. This is a beautiful 3 hours, a film where everything comes together and makes a powerful and enlightening experience.
  • thmtsang
    July 14, 2007
    thmtsang
    Brilliant movie.
  • jimbotender
    August 14, 2008
    jimbotender
    Introspective epic,culminating pictures,aspect supported by the marks of the great Leslie Cheung (and of Li Gong's stealing-the-show performances), the political backdrop along with the luxurious art direction.
  • donnarenee2006
    October 4, 2007
    donnarenee2006
    I found this movie to be very well written and directed. I had different ideas on what this movie was going to be about, and it threw me way off. But it's a unique tale of the story, with amazing performances by both the young boy actors to the adult men that portray these charac... read moreters. Very well writtend and directed as well as the Art Direction and score for the film that made it more beautiful. ;) I liked it alot.
  • ileo
    April 10, 2007
    ileo
    Loved this film! First watched it when I was a teen.
  • tamsonhouse
    March 11, 2012
    tamsonhouse
    This movie didn't work for me at all. I guess it's a cultural difference thing; I couldn't stand the Chinese opera scenes, and they are pivotal to the movie. The voices of the men playing women is like nails on a chalkboard; I couldn't stand it. It doesn't help that the rest of t... read morehe movie left me cold and uninterested in the main characters. I wouldn't say it's the actors faults - although Zhang Fengyi didn't make much of an impression on me. Gone Li and Leslie Cheung were solid, but had little to really do.
  • fb35906603
    February 22, 2012
    fb35906603
    Thought this movie would be a Chinese version of a love story about a prostitute-not exactly. I liked the film a lot, but I've found it confusing. One of those films you can watch several times. Some other really good Chinese films like this that I've seen were confusing as well ... read morebecause they don't say as much and a lot of it is implicitly implied with expression. For instance, not sure why the Deiyi is replaced at the end by his protege and I wasn't really sure about a lot of parts in the film until I read about them. The ending was confusing and also if Deiyi was gay or not. A lot of the film is open to interpretation. It was actually very depressing and this is the one of the only movies that has made me literally gag (when Zhang makes the kid pee and then goes to molest him-so disgusting). Leslie did a phenomenal job as his part-very interesting character and he was so convincing and so was Li Gong. I liked the beginning better, but towards the second half with all the editing and politics I don't know that much about, it got messy. Lots of little details were unexplained like why he was carried off in a carriage being called crazy etc.., although I got the main picture. Very disturbing as far as the child abuse in the beginning of the film and the fact that a kid actually kills themselves. Later the political scenes are just as degrading and frightening. Lots of emotional and controversial scenes and great acting-really enjoyed costumes, music, and mesmerizing opera scenes.
  • wumeixian
    November 26, 2011
    wumeixian
    I would give it 5 stars if there wasn't animal cruelty in it. Seriously it reminds me of myself eating that poor water turtle because i was forced to. It is more horror than anything watching animals being killed. Other than that, this movie is perfect to the max. I don't even ca... read morere that it's long. The acting is perfect and I adore Leslie Cheung. For a while I was wondering how he actually acted and I see that he is not just handsome, but also talented. I just have a serious animal loving problem.
  • HuskersNC949597
    August 2, 2011
    HuskersNC949597
    Lots of Chinese history crammed into 171 minutes, but I can't do anything but laugh at the Frankie Valli on cocaine style of Chinese Opera. Authentic though it may be.

View All Ba wang bie ji (Farewell My Concubine) Reviews

Critic Reviews

Richard Corliss
August 12, 2008
Richard Corliss, TIME Magazine

The scenes in the Peking Opera School, where boys are caned for doing wrong or right, are no less horrifying than the later tableaus of public humiliation at the hands of the Maoists. Full Review

Jonathan Rosenbaum
August 12, 2008
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

This is entertaining filmmaking on a grand scale. Full Review

Derek Elley
May 21, 2008
Derek Elley, Variety

Seductively lensed but emotionally uninvolving. Full Review

David Ansen
April 7, 2008
David Ansen, Newsweek

Chen's remarkable movie uses an unusual love triangle to telescope more than 50 years of tumultuous Chinese history. Full Review

Vincent Canby
May 20, 2003
Vincent Canby, New York Times

One of those very rare film spectacles that deliver just about everything the ads are likely to promise. Full Review

Roger Ebert
January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

The film flows with such urgency that all its connections seem logical. And it is filmed with such visual splendor that possible objections are swept aside. Full Review

Desson Thomson
January 1, 2000
Desson Thomson, Washington Post

Like Cheung's ethereally plaintive voice, the movie is a siren song that's appealing at first, but held too long. It becomes an increasing whine. Full Review

Hal Hinson
January 1, 2000
Hal Hinson, Washington Post

The director carries us through this early history with impressive sensitivity; he has a beautiful, graceful touch, both with the camera and with his actors. Full Review

James Berardinelli
January 1, 2000
James Berardinelli, ReelViews

A motion picture experience that few will soon forget after leaving the theater. Full Review

Phillipa Bloom
August 12, 2008
Phillipa Bloom, Empire Magazine

With stunning set pieces and the dramatic backdrop of the revolution, Kaige captures perfectly the relationship between the two boys. Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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