Farewell My Concubine: Chen Kaige

I'm not sure if it's fair to say that I watched Chen Kaige's Farewell My Concubine. Most of the time while "watching" it I was too busy clamoring at the sheer beauty of the cinematography and the ingenious use of camera angles and shot composition. Farewell My Concubine can be considered as a crash course in the methods of mise en scène and formalistic film-making. Every shot serves a magnificent purpose and has a Kubrickian sense of perfectionism. Of course, any film student will tell you that such things are merely tools for the telling of a story. And what a story Farewell My Concubine has to tell. It tells the tale of two Beijing Opera performers who become close friends at childhood. One of them, Douzi, grows up to be a homosexual and falls in love with the other, Shitou. Shitou spurns his advances and marries a prostitute named Juxian. All of this leads to a powerful love triangle that is destined for tragedy. Most people claim that Farewell My Concubine is two stories in one: Douzi and Shitou's friendship framed against the political and cultural upheaval of China in the early 20th century. They weather such storms as the Japanese Occupation during World War Two, the Kuomintang regime, the People's Liberation Army entering their city in 1949, and the Cultural Revolution. The film could be about these historical events alone and it would remain a powerful piece of art. But they are used to frame the turmoil and hardships faced by the central characters. But I would claim that there is a third story in Farewell My Concubine: that of China itself. The Beijing Opera is repeatedly lauded as an ancient and beloved piece of Chinese culture. Throughout the film it is beaten, bruised, and assaulted by outside forces. But still it survives...much like China during the 20th century. In summation, this is a film about three central struggles: 1) the relationships between the characters, 2) political battles and transformations, 3) the survival of China itself. Farewell My Concubine is a dazzling film to behold and a true treasure of Chinese cinema.

10/10