Film Screening: Chen Kaige's "霸王别姬" (Farewell My Concubine)
Speakers: Natalie Deam
Winner of the Palme d’Or at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival, Farewell My Concubine traces the intense relationship of two stars in a Peking opera troupe across 53 years: from their severe childhood training in the street, to their rise in the public’s and patrons’ eyes, to their fall during the Cultural Revolution. The film’s title comes from the name of the song that the two stars, Douzi (Leslie Cheung) and Shitou (Zhang Fengyi), perform: Shitou playing the king, and Douzi the concubine, and at times it becomes difficult for the actors to distinguish their own lives from their operatic roles. Cheng Kaige’s powerful film gracefully deals with transgender themes and homosexuality and is renowned for its striking visuals, ambitious scope, and beautiful portrayal of love across historic upheaval.