Farewell My Concubine (Criterion) Blu-ray (Rental)

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. BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES New 4K digital restoration of the original director’s cut, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack 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