Farewell, My Concubine

I'm really glad I don't live in a Communist country. In many ways this could be described as the Chinese Doctor Zhivago. It's nearly three hours long, focuses on three people, and has the backdrop of a Communist revolution -- actually most of 20th century Chinese history and culture can be found in this film. That alone is an accomplishment. The opening scenes concern primarily two boys who have been given over to be trained (brutally) as actors for the opera. These scenes feel like a perverse rendition of Oliver Twist in the treatment of the children and the somewhat disturbing undertones. Then they grow up and become big stars in the Beijing opera and one of them falls in love with a prostitute played by the incredibly lovely, Gong Li, who both has the ability to steal the screen and amaze you with her subtle performances at the same time. From then on, China seems to fall apart in front of them. The scenes during the Cultural Revolution are incredibly frightening in an Orwellian sort of way. If it's not a great film, it is a great accomplishment in Chinese filmmaking. I prefer the simpler, more humanitarian films of Zhang Yimou, but this is by no means a waste of its running time.