As a mainland Chinese, I think this is the best film that mainland China EVER made. The film, spanning from 1930s to 1970s, covered the most turmoil time of recent Chinese history. The three main characters are just a vechicle that carried us through the several decades. It's a history that you won't hear a lot of Chinese talk about. But you can be assured that it's always somewhere in a corner in their minds.

To watch this movie, is to watch China's pain and deep wounds of that couldn't be articulated in words or understood from history books. And I am not even sure if I can call them scars because I don't think they ever fully healed.

I was often amazed by the warm reception by US audience for the trashy Chinese films such as "Hero" and "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" while great movies such as this one went on unnoticed. But on the other hand, although I own the DVD, I don't watch it as often. It's just too disturbing, too haunting. There wasn't one slice of entertainment in this movie. Definitely not recommended after a happy Saturday night family dinner. But if you ever want to be reminded that movies are also witness to our history and our darkest hours, this is the one.

By the way, the cover doesn't do the movie justice at all. And if you were ever led to expect anything by the cover, then you got it all wrong. The movie couldn't be further away from what the cover might have suggested.

Please note: "Farewell My Concubine" is one of the most brilliant movies I've ever seen, and quite possibly my favorite film of all time. Therefore, I was kind of disappointed with the lack of extras featured with the disc. The visual and audial qualities of the movie were high, but as such an avid fan of the film -- which won many awards and much acclaim -- I was disappointed and surprised that there weren't any interviews with the actors or the director, or some kind of biography of the star, Leslie Cheung, may he rest in peace. I don't usually go in for DVD extras, but I would have loved to know more about the making of this extraordinary film.

Having said that, there's a little bit of extra footage on the disc that the VHS version doesn't have, blended in seamlessly with the rest of the film. That was a pleasant surprise! Hooray for the Director's Cut.

It took several viewings of Farewell My Concubine before it became ***** stars for me. There was so much to take in from different aspects. The first time I watched FMC was because it was a Leslie Cheung film [long after it was originally released]. Beautiful as the concubine was, I was disappointed that the handsome Leslie was barely recognizable. The story seemed complicated because I didn't understand the historical period it was set in. The next time I watched this movie I had read up on the history of the time and the Peking opera style. Then Farewell My Concubine became a sad and devastating story. I found the scenes such as the mother cutting off young Dieyi's finger, the harsh punishment doled out to the all the young students and especially the torture of Dieyi for not being able to get his mind around the phrase that changed his sexual identity, particularly cruel. The invading soldiers and later cultural revolution seem to depict the history books well from certain points of view.
I was compelled to watch this movie the third time after learning about Leslie Cheung's dedication to his role. How he arrived in China 6 months early to learn to speak Mandarin. He had previously recorded several albums in Mandarin but speaking the language convincingly in a dialog would be very different. He also spent much time learning the intricate art of the Peking opera from masters on the Mainland. As a native Hong Konger, it was a also a challenge for Leslie to travel to the Mainland for the first time at the age of 33, knowing that his family fled from there just a generation ago.
So, at last, with the sad and haunting story, my history lesson learned and understanding the hard work and dedication of Leslie Cheung to venture to China to undertake this project, Farewell My Concubine became ***** stars in my books!

The movie on DVD is the director's cut, which includes several scenes taken off for U.S. release. The film is certainly great, but the DVD cover design is beyond gay. It neither reflects the nature of the film nor shows any artistic planning; probably too cheap for a film that received Grand Prix in Cannes and an Oscar nomination.

I am in awe of this film. I sat transfixed on a hard wooden table for the three hours of its duration. Even though I had not slept the night before and had a very nerve racking day ahead of me, i was completely enveloped and forgot about everything else. It is brutal in its realism, especially towards the cruel treatment that the young boys are subjected to. The actors are perfectly cast, with Leslie Cheung playing the effeminate Douzi to perfection. Indeed, when he is fully dressed in his opera regalia he appears totally androgynous. You just wouldn't know. I will not be buying this dvd because it has many important scenes cut out, presumably to make it easier on western viewers. I have a vested interest in Beijing opera and yet many of those scenes were cut. They also cut out a molestation scene with Douzi when he was a boy, which, although horrifying, is an integral part to the build of his character. The original film is 171 minutes long and can be purchased on specialist sites or on ebay. Shame on Miramax for not keeping this film as the director intended it.