Farewell My Concubine
"Farewell, My Concubine" is a movie with two parallel, intertwined stories. It is the story of two performers in the Beijing Opera, stage brothers, and the woman who comes between them. At the same time, it attempts to do no less than squeeze the entire political history of China in the twentieth century into a three-hour time-frame.
Working with a limited budget of $4.0M, the film achieved a respectable showing with $6.4M in global revenue (+60% profit margin).
Nominated for 2 Oscars. 24 wins & 12 nominations
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
Farewell My Concubine (1993) showcases carefully calibrated narrative architecture, characteristic of Chen Kaige's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 2 hours and 51 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 6.9, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Characters
Cast & narrative archetypes
Cheng Dieyi (Douzi)
Duan Xiaolou (Shitou)
Juxian
Master Guan Jinfa
Yuan Shiqing (Yuan Siye)
Xiao Si (Little Four)
Main Cast & Characters
Cheng Dieyi (Douzi)
Played by Leslie Cheung
A Peking Opera performer who specializes in female roles and becomes consumed by his stage persona, unable to distinguish performance from reality.
Duan Xiaolou (Shitou)
Played by Zhang Fengyi
A Peking Opera actor specializing in male warrior roles, Dieyi's stage partner and lifelong friend who represents pragmatic survival.
Juxian
Played by Gong Li
A pragmatic former prostitute who marries Xiaolou and disrupts the bond between the two opera performers.
Master Guan Jinfa
Played by Lu Qi
The strict opera master who trains Dieyi and Xiaolou through brutal discipline and traditional methods.
Yuan Shiqing (Yuan Siye)
Played by Ge You
A wealthy patron and eunuch who becomes Dieyi's protector and admirer, introducing him to opium and luxury.
Xiao Si (Little Four)
Played by Lei Han
An orphan boy taken in by Dieyi who later betrays his master during the Cultural Revolution.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes 1977 - Douzi and Shitou reunite after the Cultural Revolution at the opera house, establishing the fractured state of their lifelong relationship and the question of what destroyed their bond.. Of particular interest, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 22 minutes when Douzi cannot sing the line "I am by nature a girl" correctly, saying "boy" instead. After a fellow student's suicide and violent correction, Douzi finally submits and accepts his female role, losing a part of his true self.. At 13% through the film, this Disruption is delayed, allowing extended setup of the story world. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 43 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This illustrates the protagonist's commitment to Douzi (now Cheng Dieyi) and Shitou (now Duan Xiaolou) perform "Farewell My Concubine" to great acclaim and are declared the finest opera performers of their generation. They choose to fully commit to their artistic partnership., moving from reaction to action.
At 86 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Significantly, this crucial beat Xiaolou announces he will marry Juxian, a former prostitute. This devastating revelation shatters Dieyi's fantasy that their onstage relationship reflects reality. The perfect artistic partnership begins to fracture., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 127 minutes (74% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, During a Cultural Revolution struggle session, Dieyi and Xiaolou betray each other publicly, denouncing their art and each other. Xiaolou denounces Juxian as a prostitute. The lifelong bond and artistic partnership dies, destroyed by their mutual betrayal., illustrates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 138 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 81% of the runtime. 1977 - After eleven years, Dieyi and Xiaolou are released and reunite at the opera house. They agree to perform "Farewell My Concubine" one final time, understanding that only through their art can they reconcile and find truth., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Farewell My Concubine's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs systematic plot point analysis that identifies crucial turning points. By mapping Farewell My Concubine against these established plot points, we can identify how Chen Kaige utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Farewell My Concubine within the drama genre.
Chen Kaige's Structural Approach
Among the 4 Chen Kaige films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.0, demonstrating varied approaches to story architecture. Farewell My Concubine takes a more unconventional approach compared to the director's typical style. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Chen Kaige filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional drama films include After Thomas, South Pacific and Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights. For more Chen Kaige analyses, see Killing Me Softly, Monk Comes Down the Mountain and The Promise.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
1977 - Douzi and Shitou reunite after the Cultural Revolution at the opera house, establishing the fractured state of their lifelong relationship and the question of what destroyed their bond.
Theme
Master Guan tells young Douzi: "You must be a woman to your very bones" - stating the theme of identity, performance, and the cost of losing oneself in a role.
Worldbuilding
1920s Beijing - Young Douzi is abandoned by his prostitute mother at the opera school. The brutal training regime under Master Guan. Douzi and Shitou form a protective bond as they endure beatings and hardship.
Disruption
Douzi cannot sing the line "I am by nature a girl" correctly, saying "boy" instead. After a fellow student's suicide and violent correction, Douzi finally submits and accepts his female role, losing a part of his true self.
Resistance
Douzi and Shitou mature into accomplished performers. They navigate the dangerous world of 1930s Beijing opera, performing for warlords and patrons. Douzi becomes completely immersed in his role as Concubine Yu.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Douzi (now Cheng Dieyi) and Shitou (now Duan Xiaolou) perform "Farewell My Concubine" to great acclaim and are declared the finest opera performers of their generation. They choose to fully commit to their artistic partnership.
Mirror World
Dieyi meets and becomes involved with Yuan Shiqing, a wealthy opera patron and opium addict, representing the destructive escape from reality that mirrors Dieyi's inability to separate performance from life.
Premise
The golden years of their partnership through the Japanese occupation. Dieyi and Xiaolou navigate performing for Japanese officers while maintaining their art. Dieyi's unrequited love for Xiaolou deepens as he cannot separate the role of Concubine from reality.
Midpoint
Xiaolou announces he will marry Juxian, a former prostitute. This devastating revelation shatters Dieyi's fantasy that their onstage relationship reflects reality. The perfect artistic partnership begins to fracture.
Opposition
Juxian comes between the two performers. Political upheavals intensify - Japanese defeat, Communist victory, and eventually the Cultural Revolution. Each political shift forces betrayals and compromises. Dieyi and Xiaolou's relationship deteriorates through jealousy and external pressure.
Collapse
During a Cultural Revolution struggle session, Dieyi and Xiaolou betray each other publicly, denouncing their art and each other. Xiaolou denounces Juxian as a prostitute. The lifelong bond and artistic partnership dies, destroyed by their mutual betrayal.
Crisis
The aftermath of betrayal. Juxian, devastated by Xiaolou's public denunciation, hangs herself. Dieyi and Xiaolou are separated and imprisoned. Both men process the total destruction of everything they valued.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
1977 - After eleven years, Dieyi and Xiaolou are released and reunite at the opera house. They agree to perform "Farewell My Concubine" one final time, understanding that only through their art can they reconcile and find truth.
Synthesis
The final performance of "Farewell My Concubine." As they perform, the boundaries between art and life, performance and reality, finally merge completely. Dieyi achieves perfect unity with his role.
Transformation
During the sword dance, Dieyi uses the Concubine's sword to kill himself for real, completing the opera's tragic ending in life. He dies as he lived - unable to separate himself from the role, achieving tragic transcendence through ultimate commitment to art.