When a new 4K restoration of the 1993 Palme d’Or winner Farewell My Concubine — the first Chinese film to ever take home the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival — debuted at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival, physical media collectors were waiting for the announcement that it would be released through the Criterion Collection. Well, fans did not have to wait long, as the Academy Award nominee for Best Foreign Language Film is being released by Criterion on both 4K and Blu-Ray, and this gorgeous restoration alone makes this edition worth picking up. That’s not even to mention the quality of the movie itself, which is considered a seminal film in Chinese cinema for both its content and form.
Based on the novel of the same name by Lilian Lee, Farewell My Concubine follows a decades-long friendship between two boys who meet at an opera training school in Peking in 1924, growing up through some of the most tumultuous times in Chinese history. Lee and Wei Lu use the story of a love triangle to frame this exploration of identity, cultural expression, and other themes that serve both as a cultural time capsule and a commentary on issues that are unfortunately still relevant today.
Admittedly, the film does feel somewhat bloated with its two-hour-and-fifty-one-minute runtime. Considering how much time this story spans, it’s unsurprising that the movie had to be on the longer end. However, the pacing feels rather uneven, with the first two-thirds of the film having a lot of fluff and the final act feeling overly condensed.
Farewell My Concubine also suffers from a bleak tone, giving it a one-two punch of discomfort that could be off-putting to many viewers. Particularly in the first act, where the main characters are children, Farewell My Concubine can be difficult to watch. It would be fair to say that most people don’t want to watch what essentially amounts to an hour of children being abused and tortured before we even reach the core of the story.
However, despite being oppressively bleak at times, Farewell My Concubine cements itself as essential viewing, thanks to its commentary on political themes that were unique to this movie at the time. Enjoyment of the film will certainly be enriched by having at least a passing knowledge of Chinese history, as the criticism of periods like the Cultural Revolution will be much more resonant if you have the context to go along with them.
That being said, even those who aren’t particularly familiar with the ins and outs of Chinese history will likely find value in Farewell My Concubine — particularly in the sequences of the theatrical performances by the central opera troupe. These sequences are stunningly shot (it’s no wonder that cinematographer Changwei Gu was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography for his work here) and are utterly immersive and transfixing.
Video
Farewell My Concubine is presented in a 4K restoration in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio. In an interesting aesthetic decision, the first few minutes are in black-and-white, with color slowly bleeding into the frame. It’s a gorgeous-looking movie with loads of visual ambition and a stellar restoration. It’s hard to deny the visual strengths of this release.
Audio
The Blu-Ray and 4K editions of Farewell My Concubine both offer a 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack. Considering the prevalence of the operatic performances in the film, the sound is a crucial quality, and Criterion knocked it out of the park with this one. It’s an incredibly immersive soundtrack, and the quality you hear on this disc is fantastic.
Special Features
Since Farewell My Concubine is a relatively recent movie, and many of the people involved in making the film are still alive, the lack of new special features in this edition is very disappointing. There is only one new feature, with one of the other two being sourced from a previous home media release and the other widely available online. The strengths of this edition are purely audiovisual.
New conversation between Chinese cultural studies scholar Michael Berry and film producer Janet Yang (35:37): A conversation discussing the novel and film versions of Farewell My Concubine, the work of filmmaker Chen Kaige, and the Fifth Generation cinema movement in China.
Documentary from 2003 on the making of the film (23:17): A behind-the-scenes documentary about the making of Farewell My Concubine.
Interview from 1993 with director Chen Kaige conducted by journalist Charlie Rose (18:08): Charlie Rose interviews filmmaker Chen Kaige about the film and its censorship in China.
Final Thoughts:
Despite lacking anything substantial on the special features front, the Criterion Collection edition of Farewell My Concubine is worth purchasing, thanks to the great restoration and audio mix. As for the movie itself, it isn’t without its flaws, but it holds up incredibly well and remains a work of Asian cinema worth remembering.
The Criterion Collection edition of Farewell My Concubine is available beginning July 23.
