Review of Farewell My Concubine (1993) by Blackity B — 13 Jan 2011

Despite some inerrant qualities, the acting in particular, I can't say I enjoyed this movie too much. The beginning was indeed great, and set up a potentially exhaustive drama. But after that, the plot sort of started dragging its heels, going about in circles, and becoming more soap-operish than "operatic". I just felt that the tension between the two friends was not enough to sustain a 3-hour long movie, and when it finally spilled over with the introduction of the wife, it just wasn't that interesting any more. There were attempts to bring it into historical context by marking the years and events that passed by, which was very big for China at the time, but that's really all they did with them - they noted their passing and moved on, like a history textbook.

I suspect though that the shorter 2 1/2 hour version may have made it stronger.