FILM MOVEMENT’S 30TH ANNIVERSARY RELEASE OF THE 4K RESTORATION AND DIRECTOR’S CUT OF FAREWELL MY CONCUBINE
STRIKES BOX OFFICE GOLD
One of the Year’s Most Successful Re-Releases, the Original, Complete
and Uncut Palme d’Or-Winning Film Has Found Both Critical Acclaim and
Box Office Success; Currently in its 9th Smash Week at NYC’s Film Forum and Reaching 70+ Markets Across North America
New York, NY (November 14, 2023) – This past October, in celebration of its 30th anniversary, Film Movement Classics opened the restored 4K version of FAREWELL MY CONCUBINE at New York City’s Film Forum. Now, entering its 9th smash week, the film continues to sell out shows to appreciative cineastes, and has been one of the theater’s – and industry’s — most successful re-releases of 2023. Moviegoers across North America have also clamored for the film that Time Magazine named as one of the “100 Best Films in Global History” and the only Chinese-language film to ever win the Cannes Palme d’Or, and through the end of the year, it will have opened in more than 70+ major markets throughout the U.S. and Canada. This past week, the film opened at Alamo Drafthouse theaters in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Austin, St. Louis, Chicago, Dallas and elsewhere, and also hits the Belcourt Theater in Nashville, the AFI in Silver Spring MD, and continues to play in Montreal, Vancouver and Ottawa. Upcoming openings include Atlanta, Toronto, San Diego, Houston and Honolulu. (Details here: https://www.
“We’re excited to share the pristine restoration of this landmark film with movie lovers everywhere,” said Michael Rosenberg, President of Film Movement. “And while we’re not surprised at the reception of Kaige’s legendary classic, we’re thrilled that we continue to open new markets and book new theaters more than nine weeks after we premiered. Ultimately, it speaks to the strength of the cinematic experience, as this is certainly a film that needs to be experienced on the big screen.”
The long-out-of-print international sensation and Golden Globe Winner – also nominated for Best Foreign Language Film and Best Cinematography at the 1994 Academy Awards® — is a film of undeniable cultural and social relevance. In Chen Kaige’s adaptation of the Lilian Lee novel, Cheng Dieyi (Leslie Cheung) and Duan Xiaolou (Zhang Fengyi) grow up enduring the harsh training of the Peking Opera Academy, where instructors regularly beat the students to instill in them the discipline needed to master the complex physical and vocal techniques of this ancient art. As the two boys mature, they develop complementary talents: Dieyi, with his fine, delicate features, assumes the female roles while Xiaolou plays masculine warlords. Their dramatic identities become real for Dieyi when he falls in love with Xiaolou, who fails to fully reciprocate Dieyi’s affections and marries a courtesan, Juxian (Gong Li), creating a dangerous, jealousy-filled romantic triangle. Spanning 50 years from the early 20th century to the tumultuous Cultural Revolution, Kaige’s passionate, exquisitely-shot film captures the vast historical scope of a changing country (and the mesmerizing pageantry of the opera) while also revealing the intimate and touching details of a unique, tender, heartrending love story.
Kaige’s much acclaimed masterpiece features incredible lead performances from international stars Leslie Cheung, Zhang Fengyi and Gong Li, and was a critical and audience favorite upon its release. Of the re-release of Farewell My Concubine, Brian Tallerico of Rober Ebert.com says, “…the movie is more stunning than ever, a daring blend of history and personal storytelling with one of the most striking performances of its era from Leslie Cheung, a performer who left us way too soon…As for the restoration, it looks better than ever… It took 30 years, but if this version brings Farewell My Concubine to a new audience, it will have been worth the wait” and Lee Jutton of Film Inquiry writes, that the film “…looks positively spectacular… As both a monumental piece of Chinese cinematic history and a lasting tribute to the special brilliance of its star, Farewell My Concubine is an essential viewing experience.”
