Chen Kaige

Farewell My Concubine

Farewell My Concubine

A breathtakingly intimate romance unfolds against a sweeping backdrop of social upheaval in renowned director Chen Kaige’s sumptuous saga of passion, fate, and the transcendent possi­bilities of art. Spanning fifty years of twentieth-century Chinese history, Farewell My Concubine follows aspiring actors Cheng Dieyi (a heartbreaking Leslie Cheung) and Duan Xiaolou (Zhang Fengyi) as they emerge from a childhood of brutal training to become Beijing-opera stars, with life mirroring art as Dieyi’s unrequited love for Xiaolou and the country’s changing political tides engulf them in their own personal tragedies of jealousy and betrayal. The first Chinese film to win the Palme d’Or is epic filmmaking of the highest order—visually and emotionally ravishing from frame to exquisite frame.

Film Info

  • China
  • 1993
  • 171 minutes
  • Color
  • 1.85:1
  • Mandarin
  • Spine #1228

4K UHD + BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES

  • New 4K digital restoration of the original director’s cut, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack
  • One 4K UHD disc of the film and one Blu-ray with the film and special features
  • New conversation between Chinese cultural studies scholar Michael Berry and film producer Janet Yang
  • Documentary from 2003 on the making of the film
  • Interview from 1993 with director Chen Kaige conducted by journalist Charlie Rose
  • Trailer
  • New English subtitle translation
  • PLUS: An essay by author and scholar Pauline Chen

    New cover by Eric Skillman

Purchase Options

4K UHD + BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES

  • New 4K digital restoration of the original director’s cut, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack
  • One 4K UHD disc of the film and one Blu-ray with the film and special features
  • New conversation between Chinese cultural studies scholar Michael Berry and film producer Janet Yang
  • Documentary from 2003 on the making of the film
  • Interview from 1993 with director Chen Kaige conducted by journalist Charlie Rose
  • Trailer
  • New English subtitle translation
  • PLUS: An essay by author and scholar Pauline Chen

    New cover by Eric Skillman
Farewell My Concubine
Cast
Leslie Cheung
Cheng Dieyi
Zhang Fengyi
Duan Xiaolou
Gong Li
Juxian
Lu Qi
Guan Jifa
Ying Da
Na Kun
Ge You
Master Yuan
Lei Han
Xiao Si (adult)
Tong Di
Old man Zhang
Credits
Director
Chen Kaige
Produced by
Hsu Feng
Executive producer
Hsu Bin
Executive producer
Jade Hsu
Original novel by
Lilian Lee
Screenplay by
Lilian Lee
Screenplay by
Lu Wei
Director of photography
Gu Changwei
Editor
Pei Xiaonan
Art director
Chen Huaikai
Production design
Yang Yuhe
Production design
Yang Zhanjia
Costume design
Chen Changmin
Makeup
Fan Quingshan
Makeup
Xu Guangrui
Music by
Zhao Jiping
Sound recordist
Tao Jing

Current

Farewell My Concubine: All the World’s a Stage
Farewell My Concubine: All the World’s a Stage

Chen Kaige’s sweeping epic chronicles the history of twentieth-century China through the story of two childhood friends, contrasting the unchanging traditions of their Beijing-opera milieu with the nation’s swift and turbulent transformation.

By Pauline Chen