Farewell My Concubine (DVD)

Farewell My Concubine (1993) starring Zhang Fengyi, Leslie Cheung, Gong Li. Epic Chinese film starts in an opera school for boys in the 1920s and '30s. The boys are routinely beaten, and no punishment short of death seems too severe. Two of the boys (Leslie Cheung, Zhang Fengyi) become opera stars and lifelong friends, and their friendship spans over 50 years of Chinese history. One of them marries a courtesan (Gong Li), and the other must deal with his jealousy. The movie covers the period from the Warlord Era in the 1920s, through the Japanese occupation during World War II, through the short-lived Nationalist Republic, the Communist takeover, the 1966 Cultural Revolution, and on to its tragic denoument in 1977. Though this film is very long, at nearly three hours, I found myself engaged by all of it. It's beautifully filmed; however, the pleasures of Chinese opera still escape me. Extras: None Grade: A