1977 BEIJING, CHINA
Who are you?
We're with the opera troupe.
Oh, I didn't recognize you!
I'm a great fan of you both.
Is that so?
It's been over twenty years since you performed together, hasn't it?
Twenty-one.
Twenty-two.
Yes, twenty-two years.
And it's been ten since we last saw each other.
Eleven. Eleven years.
That's right, eleven years. Yes.
It's due to the Gang of Four and the Cultural Revolution.
Isn't everything?
Things are better now.
That's for sure. Everything's fine now.
Please, wait here a moment. I'll go turn on the lights.
Sorry to trouble you.
FAREWELL, MY CONCUBINE
1 92 4 BEIJING THE WARLORD ERA
Hey, Yanhong, is that you?
It's been ages. I've really missed you.
Whore!
Ladies and gentlemen, enjoy the show!
Laizi is trying to run away again.
Brat! See how far you get!
Quick, go catch him!
Gentlemen, please be patient.
Sirs, do forgive us.
Trash! How dare you show yourselves around here?
Fuck you all!
Don't anyone move. You'll get your money's worth!
Just as sure as my name is Shitou...
I'll give you something to look at.
What are you screaming for? I haven't even said hello yet!
You're a disgrace. You couldn't even play a monkey right.
What are you going to do with your life?
Thought you'd get away with that brick act, didn't you?
It's garbage.
Bring your knives for sharpening!
Sharpen your knives!
This child isn't fated to be an actor.
Not with that extra finger.
Think of it.
He'd scare off the audience!
Sharpen your knives!
I can afford to raise him...
but he's getting too big to keep at the brothel.
Help me. Please take him.
If only you take him, you can do anything you like.
Don't look down on us.
Don't be foolish.
Prostitutes and actors are equally despised by society.
But I have no place for him. What can I do?
Ma, my hand is freezing. It feels like ice.
Ma!
Get away from us, you son of a whore!
It's from the whorehouse! Drop it on the floor!
It's freezing!
Are you bullying him?
Come over here. Sleep with me!
You're really something!
Laizi, go snuggle up with the Little Monk.
Catch!
It's so cold outside...
the piss froze on the tip of my dick.
I nearly turned a somersault!
If you belong to the human race, you go to the opera.
If you don't go to the opera, you're not a human being.
Pigs and dogs don't listen to opera.
And are they human? They're beasts!
And where there's opera, there's work for us actors!
Stop squealing!
I'm not!
Straighten that back!
If you think you're above everyone else...
you'll learn the hard way.
This is just the beginning. Wait till you see what's in store.
Don't worry, Douzi. We're already halfway through.
Just keep at it.
Shitou, are you helping someone cheat?
But, Master, I was looking up. I didn't notice what was on the floor.
Bullshit! Get me my sword.
And hurry up!
Master!
Get up!
Don't you have something to say?
Yes. '' Forming cliques is prohibited and will be punished.''
I'm not fucking scared of anything.
From the time opera began...
it's never enjoyed such popularity as it does today!
You're lucky to be part of it!
We are!
'' Heaven's will, not a lack of material skill...
has doomed my kingdom of Chu.''
I've been practicing kung fu to keep myself warm.
It's cool outside, quite cool.
But I've become a man of fire. Get away from me.
I am so strong
I can uproot the mountains
My courage is renowned
I've fallen on bad times
Yet even my horse
Won't run away to save itself
''These are our rules. We must learn them well.
From ancient times, man has needed a skill.
Having chosen this one, devote ourselves we will.
In youthful striving lies the foundation for future fame.''
Now go off and practice!
Let's hear '' Fleeing by Night.''
''I look back at the Celestial Court and hurry onwards in flight...
heedless of... heedless of...''
Heedless of what?
'' Heedless of loyalty and filial piety.''
''I am so strong, I can uproot the mountains.
My courage is renowned.
I've fallen on bad times, yet even my horse...
won't run away to save itself.
If it won't run away, what can I do?
And my beloved concubine, what shall I do about her?''
Excellent, not a word out of place.
Give me your hand.
This is so you'll remember to do as well the next time.
''At sixteen I am a nun. My hair is shorn at youth's prime.''
Go on.
''I am by nature a boy--'' Huh?
''I am by nature a boy--''
You are by nature a girl! Can't you see you're wrong?!
I'll punish you, Laizi!
You still can't get it right, can you?
Don't hit me! I won't do it again!
Sing '' Dreaming of the World Outside the Nunnery.''
''I am-I am by nature--''
Spit it out!
''I am by nature a boy--''
Is a nun a male or a female?
A-a boy--
You really are in character. You can't even tell male from female.
''I-I-I am by nature a boy--''
You've forgotten everything the master has taught you!
Do it again, and I'll beat you within an inch of your life.
Wrong! Wrong!
You'd better remember this.
If by chance I'm beaten to death tomorrow...
I want you to have...
the three copper coins hidden under my mattress.
Careful!
If your hand doesn't heal properly, your acting career's finished.
Douzi, in a few days, you'll be initiated into the troupe.
Just pretend you're a girl, and don't mess up the lyrics again.
Laizi, have you ever eaten sweet pea cakes?
What's the big deal about sweet pea cakes?
Have you ever had millet rolls?
'' Basin cakes''?
They're about as fucking special as dog farts.
So what do you like?
There's nothing yummier than a stick of candied crab apples.
If I make it big, I'll eat candied crab apples every day for dinner.
Candied crab apples for sale!
Don't look at us like that. We're not sticks of candied crab apple.
Laizi, you're drooling!
What the hell are you doing? Get back here.
Wow, so many big kites!
Come back!
Douzi!
Run for it!
Hold it right there!
Douzi!
Don't forget the money under my mattress.
You're worthless. Get out of my sight!
Where'd you get that?
I bought it with your three copper coins.
Forget Shitou. I'm spending your money now.
Ten apples on each stick. I'll give you two. How about it?
What's wrong with you?
I have to pee real bad.
Not in the middle of the street.
Come on!
It's Manager Wang!
The stars have arrived! Here, come this way.
My dear sir, this is like a visit from Heaven!
All you need to do is sneeze and you get a standing ovation.
We've put you to so much trouble.
We'll be lucky if no one is trampled to death in there!
BEIJING OPERA '' FAREWELL, MY CONCUBINE''
I'll sit on your shoulders for a while, then you sit on mine.
The king! It's the King of Chu!
What does it take to become a star?
How many beatings?
When will I ever enjoy such fame?
Hey! You're pissing all over me!
What the hell are you doing?
I knew you'd go back.
You couldn't live without Shitou!
We're going to get a taste of the sword. But I'm not afraid.
For me, it's like having an itch scratched.
I've eaten my candied crab apple. I'm a fucking star already.
Who the hell do I have to be afraid of?
You little runts, you've come back after all.
Good! I deserve it!
Why the hell did you let them go?
I've had it with you!
Skipping class and running away must be punished!
Master, I'll never do it again. Please let me go!
I wouldn't dare do it again, Master. I was wrong.
Who told you to let them go? I'll kill you!
Master, it was I who ran away. He had nothing to do with it.
Beat me instead!
Didn't you think you'd get yours? I'll kill you!
Douzi, speak! Say something!
Beg for mercy! Say he's beaten you well!
I'll kill you! Running away?!
Speak!
Let's just disband the troupe!
You're killing Douzi!
I won't let you do this!
Master Guan! Something terrible has happened!
Laizi, he--
The opera '' Farewell, My Concubine''...
tells the story of the struggle between the Chu and Han kings.
What sort of man was the King of Chu?
A peerless and invincible hero...
a bold and resourceful general capable of defeating vast armies.
But fate wasn't on his side.
At Gaixia he was outwitted...
by the Han king.
As they prepared for battle, Han's troops sang victory songs...
which carried on the wind and echoed through the valley.
Fearing the rest of their land was already conquered...
the Chu warriors fled in a great panic.
Even the king was weeping.
No matter how resourceful you are...
you can't fight fate.
The king had once been all-powerful, but in the end...
all he had left was one woman and one horse.
He tried to get his steed to run away, but it wouldn't go.
He wanted his concubine to flee, but she stayed too.
For the very last time, Concubine poured wine for her king...
and danced for him with a sword...
then cut her throat with it, faithful to the king unto death.
There's a lesson in this story for all of us...
that each person is responsible for his or her own fate.
I am so strong
I can uproot the mountains
My courage is renowned
I've fallen on bad times Yet even my horse
Won't run away to save itself
If it won't run away What can I do
Old Man Zhang has commissioned you to hire an opera troupe.
You're like a fairy godmother to us.
With your patronage, the children will have new clothes to wear.
Clothes are not a problem.
Good opera, however, is not so simple.
When he was a palace eunuch...
Old Man Zhang attended operas with the Empress Dowager herself.
So you can't put anything over on him. Not that anyone would try.
You realize that if the performance doesn't make the grade...
I could lose a lot of respect. But that's nothing.
He could have you locked up!
I understand.
This kid's got something.
How many years has he been in training?
Douzi, come here and pay your respects.
He's got a nice little figure too.
Can you sing any old-style operas?
Yes, two.
'' Dreaming of the World Outside the Nunnery''...
is the hardest female role.
Let's hear a bit of it.
''At sixteen I am a nun...
my hair shorn at youth's prime.
Yet I am by nature a boy, not a girl.
Why--''
Mister Na, I am terribly sorry!
He's usually very good.
Master Guan, I'll see you some other time.
You screwed up bad! I'll teach you a lesson.
Open your mouth. Open it!
You've screwed it up for all of us!
I'll teach you to keep getting that line wrong!
Come here!
''I am by nature a girl, not a boy.''
''At sixteen I am a nun...
my hair shorn at youth's prime.
Yet I am by nature a girl, not a boy.
Why must I wear these sexless robes?
I see the joyful couples pass...
in their splendid brocades.
Despite myself, desire burns in my heart...
and I rend my Buddhist gown.''
For year upon year '' FAREWELL, MY CONCUBINE''
All over the land
I've followed my king
On his military campaigns
Enduring the wind
And frost and hard toil
I hate only the lawless tyrant Who has plunged our people
Into an abyss of misery
This little boy...
Master Guan...
Mister Zhang, may you live as long as South Mountain.
This... little boy--
The people have suffered Untold hardship and pain
The king has returned to the camp
Your Highness
I've caused you so much grief
This is a token...
of the old man's appreciation for the two young actors.
Yes, sir!
The Chu king would have won with this sword!
If I were emperor, then you'd be queen of the palace.
I want you to have a sword like this.
Careful, my little man!
That's a real blade!
No need to run!
What's wrong?
The sweat stings the scratch over my eye.
Aren't the two kids going in together?
No. It's an old rule around here.
Master Guan, I'm sorry if you don't understand.
The concubine has to die one way or the other.
Isn't it so?
Master?
Douzi!
What year is this?
This is... this is 1932.
Wrong!
This is still the Ching dynasty!
Come over here.
I... I want to find Shitou.
I need to pee.
Pee into this. Just pee into this.
Don't waste it. Pee into this.
Come to me!
Douzi!
What's happened to you? Say something!
Have you gone dumb? Speak to me!
Douzi.
Fate has determined each of our lots.
Leave him to his destiny.
All right, look at the camera!
Gentlemen, you have done grandly for yourselves.
You look so dignified, absolutely striking...
in any style of clothing.
That's it!
Oppose Japan's invasion of North China!
Damn! It's those students again.
1 937 ON THE EVE OF WAR WITH JAPAN
Down with Japanese imperialism!
Aren't those the two actors in the photograph?
You're playing into the hands of theJapanese!
How can you put on makeup and sing opera at a time like this?
Have you no feeling for your country?
Take a good look.
We're Chinese too, Chinese to the core!
Look at us, goddamn it!
That's right, that's right, we're all Chinese here!
Chinese mustn't fight among themselves!
We've all descended from the same ancestors!
And don't you forget it!
Who the hell do they think they are?
Why don't they go out and fight the Japanese soldiers?
Would they dare do that?
Those students!
They are only trying to find a way...
to kill their spare time!
The one who was yelling the loudest would make a good actor.
Remember the first time we performed '' Farewell, My Concubine''?
Only you remember that kind of thing.
Master Duan! How could you forget?
It was Mister Zhang's birthday party. I am the one who introduced you to him.
Where you two became stars!
Dieyi! It has become a coffin shop now!
I went there yesterday.
I know you've been looking for the sword, but it's long gone.
SHITOU AND DOUZI, NOW FAMOUS ACTORS...
HAVE TAKEN THE STAGE NAMES DUAN XIAOLOU AND CHENG DI EYI.
Cheng Dieyi! Cheng Dieyi!
Candied crab apples for sale!
There's a sea of awestruck people in there...
craning their necks to catch a glimpse of their idols.
Master Yuan has come especially to see you perform tonight.
It's a great honor for us.
There'll be a slight delay!
Mister Duan...
the orchestra's been warming up for ages. Please hurry!
I know. Let me first practice a few scales.
That way they know they're getting their money's worth.
Master Yuan!
Year after year all over the land
I've followed my king
On his military campaigns
Enduring wind
And frost and hard toil
You be the judge.
Has he not blurred the distinction between theater and...
male and female?
I hate only the lawless tyrant Who plunged our people
Into an abyss of misery
Your Highness
I've caused you
So much grief
So, Master Yuan has come to see us tonight.
I know. I sang so loudly, I drowned out the horns.
But I wanted him to know that even without his patronage...
we'd still be the talk of the town here in Beijing.
You shouldn't exert yourself like that.
Don't worry.
At key moments...
I squeezed my waist with my hands...
so I wouldn't run out of breath.
Here?
No.
Here?
Stop it!
Master Yuan!
It's an honor.
Your reputation turns out to be well-deserved.
You're very kind.
Please accept a small, rather slapdash token of my esteem.
I don't believe the Empress Dowager herself...
ever bestowed such a gift upon her favorite actors.
If so, I never heard of it!
Master Yuan, how can our Dieyi be worthy of your favor?
'' Farewell, My Concubine'' has a long history.
It evolved from the old-style opera ''Story of the Precious One.''
Many famous actors have fallen down in this role.
Your evocation of Concubine Yu lifts it into a higher realm.
Impressive.
For a moment or two...
this Yuan fellow was so entranced...
he believed Concubine Yu had actually come back to life!
Master Duan...
when the king returns to camp and meets Concubine Yu...
custom has it--
Yes, Master Yuan?
Custom has it he takes seven steps. You take but five.
If the King of Chu fails to bear himself with majestic dignity...
he's little better than a gangster putting on airs!
Master Yuan, you are a master of the theater arts.
You are an expert in all the varieties and facets of opera.
Could we doubt your word?
Indeed, we are presumptuous to parade our meager talents...
in the theaters of Beijing.
Please give us the benefit of your advice and criticism.
If it's not beneath you, I'd like to invite you...
to my humble home for some wine.
There is still so much to be said about this opera.
I'm terribly sorry, Master Yuan.
I've another drinking engagement...
with a courtesan.
You have other refined entertainments planned.
Excellent.
And Mister Cheng?
Ah, then we shall exchange poetic thoughts some other day.
Excuse me.
Master Yuan, thank you for coming.
Dieyi! I am leaving too.
Girls! Come entertain our guest.
Mister Duan, this way please.
We haven't seen you for a while, Mister Duan. We've missed you.
I'd like to see Miss Juxian.
Ah, how shall I put it?
You should have said something... earlier.
She's not here at the moment.
She was asked out to dinner.
What can be done? How about this?
We'll find you a good substitute.
Caifeng, come keep Mister Duan company.
I'll take my leave.
Tell me the truth. Where is Juxian really?
Upstairs or down?
The phoenix roosts on the highest branches, of course!
But she's pretty high-class. You reckon she'll go for you?
You bet!
I specialize in high-class.
Oh, Miss Juxian--
Bastards! Okay, we're bastards!
Go ahead then. What are you waiting for?
I'll bet those guys make mincemeat out of you!
I'm really angry now!
We like it when you're angry!
Cut it out or I'll jump!
Jump! I'll follow on your heels.
Such a death would be ecstasy. I'd be a very happy ghost.
If you die, we'll all die and be the planks in your coffin.
Xiaolou!
These guys are revolting!
They were forcing me to drink wine from their mouths.
Come on, assholes. Jump!
This lady has done it. Now it's your turn!
Bastards! Pack of fucking sissies!
All right, if we have to go down, let's go!
Oh, it's Mister Duan!
Listen, we're all here to have a good time...
and spend lots of money.
So let's not pick fights with each other.
Keep out of it, and get lost.
Don't get upset.
Scared?
Juxian, this is really all your fault.
Didn't you tell these gentlemen today's a special day?
That we decided to announce our engagement today?
That's right!
Today is the lady's happy day.
Aren't you going to offer congratulations?
Drink a toast to me!
Think you can fool us with this little act?
Gentlemen, on this, my happiest day...
allow me to drink to all of you!
And now, something to sober you up.
Wish us well.
I heard you got into a fight at the House of Blossoms.
You know the old story...
about Pan Jinlian's husband meeting the man who screwed her?
Did he have any choice but to fight?
Does this mean there's a Pan Jinlian in your life?
What are you saying? What do you want to hear?
I was just fooling around.
You know, damsel in distress and all that.
Come with me sometime. You'll see what it's like.
I'm sorry. I really am!
I wasn't thinking. I really put my foot in it this time.
I'm a damn fool.
Have you forgotten the secret of our success?
Don't you remember our teacher's words?
Which words were they?
''Stick together until the day you die.''
I want you to be with me.
I mean...
I want to be with you the rest of my life.
We've come this far together, haven't we?
It's not enough. I'm talking about a lifetime.
One year, one month, one day, even one second less...
makes it less than a lifetime!
Dieyi, you really are obsessed.
Your obsession with the stage carries over into your everyday life.
But how are we going to get through the days...
and make it in the real world among ordinary people?
Give me a hand with my makeup, will you?
So you want to become a rich man's wife!
Go live out this goddamn fantasy, then.
Don't think that when you walk out this door...
you'll become a lady of virtue!
You think the wolves and tigers won't recognize your scent anymore?
I'm so scared!
Let me tell you something.
Once a whore, always a whore.
Just remember that.
This is your fate!
Fine. See you around.
Master Yuan has presented you with a pennant.
It reads, ''The Beauty of the Age.''
What are you doing here?
What is it, Juxian?
Come on in!
No, you come out!
What are you doing barefoot on such a cold day?
What's happened?
I was kicked out.
The House of Blossoms won't keep an engaged woman.
Come. Let me introduce you.
This is Miss Juxian.
This is my stage brother, Dieyi.
You may have seen him as Concubine Yu.
Xiaolou speaks of you so often, I feel like we're old friends.
Miss Juxian. Excuse me, I must be going.
Xiaolou, that day at the House of Blossoms...
if you hadn't caught me, I'd be six feet under by now.
Remember, it was you who proposed to me.
I'm used to hardship.
If you take me in...
I'll wait on you hand and foot.
If you tire of me, I'll kill myself.
No big deal, really.
What a dragon lady!
Incredible! This is a major production.
When's the performance of...
''Candlelit Night in the Bridal Chamber''?
Tonight.
Hold on.
I want a formal engagement ceremony...
to which the entire company is invited.
I want to enter your home as a proper bride.
You don't think I plan to cut corners, do you?
The formal engagement ceremony will be tonight.
Gentlemen, we request the pleasure of your company.
Miss Juxian...
where did you study opera?
Me, study opera? What makes you think I studied opera?
Just the way you're overplaying your part.
Dieyi, she's going to be your sister-in-law.
Be nice.
Also, at the engagement party tonight...
I'd like you to be best man.
I haven't learned the opera ''Gangster King and His Whore.''
Our teacher never taught us that one.
What are you talking about?
Dieyi, Xiaolou has only the nicest things to say about you..
both in public and in private.
Don't leave!
Where are you going?
None of your business.
Xiaolou!
Please don't go!
Master Yuan wants us to visit him tonight.
He wants to become our patron.
Who does he think he is? No one tells me what to do.
I'm just a fake king. You really are Concubine Yu.
Let him patronize you if you like.
Xiaolou!
This feather headpiece is rare and precious.
The feathers are collected from the tails of live peacocks.
That's the secret...
to keeping the feathers soft and colorful.
I'll be waiting for you.
In this world, there is foulness in both men and women.
Only the bodhisattva embodies both male and female essences.
Such ecstasy!
This sword has a history.
It once belonged to the eunuch Zhang.
When Zhang went bankrupt, I went to great trouble to acquire it.
I can see from this...
you're old acquaintances.
Amazing. One searches far and wide for something...
only to stumble upon it by chance.
Like it?
I--
Let's not have any vulgar talk of money between us.
A precious sword is the classic gift for one's most intimate friend.
Mister Cheng...
will you be my most intimate friend?
The soldiers of Han
Have invaded
The songs of Chu
Can be heard on all sides
Since the good king
Has lost his fighting spirit
Why should his humble concubine
Value her life
Don't!
It's a real sword!
''A smile ushers in the spring.
A tear does darken all the world.
How truly does this befit you.
Only you are possessed of such charm.''
Where are you going?
He's crazy.
Ah, Mister Cheng. I knew you'd come.
We saved a seat at the head table for you.
Xiaolou! Xiaolou!
Well, if it isn't Dieyi!
It's a good thing you showed up.
Otherwise--
Have a look at this.
What a sword!
But we're not on stage. What would I want with a sword?
Dieyi, you've come so late.
I ought to punish you by making you drink this.
Yes, drink up!
My gratitude, Miss Juxian.
Dieyi? Mister Cheng!
Xiaolou...
from now on, we'll no longer perform together.
Mister Cheng, you can't do this!
This isn't-The fans won't--
This is terrible!
Japanese troops have entered the city!
Dieyi. Where is Dieyi?
BEIJING OPERA ''THE DRUNKEN CONCUBINE''
Dieyi said it looks better if the eyebrow is very high.
Please! Your troops are upsetting the performance.
Look at this, Mister Duan.
I won't stand for it! Tell him to take it off immediately.
Xiaolou!
What's the fuss? It's only a costume.
If it was the shroud from your grandma's coffin...
you'd still have to give it to me.
Understand me, lowlife?
Tell the Japanese I'll be there right away.
Hold on a moment.
It's not some private party.
They're blackmailing you to sing for them.
On the other hand, you're the only one...
who can save Xiaolou.
On the other hand, if anything happened to you...
this theater of mine would--
All right, go then.
Miss Juxian, what are you doing?
Mister Cheng isn't at home!
Where's Dieyi? Dieyi?
Hurry! I've heard the Japanese feed prisoners to their dogs!
And you know Xiaolou's temper.
If you delay, he might not have a life to save!
Dieyi!
But you allowed them to take him away in the first place.
What are you saying?
Xiaolou has looked after you since you were small.
Glad you realize that.
Mister Na, would you mind leaving the room for a moment?
I have something to say to Dieyi in private.
Everyone says Miss Juxian is quite clever...
and her timing in this case certainly proves it.
We're all trying to help Xiaolou. Talk it over.
How about a clear answer? Are you going or not?
Say something!
I know what's on your mind.
I have a proposal.
If you can get Xiaolou out of there in one piece...
I'll go back to the House of Blossoms.
I'll keep away from both of you. How's that?
At the House of Blossoms, you don't have to worry about much.
Life is a lot simpler there.
Just remember, you said it, not me.
I give my word.
KUEN-STYLE OPERA '' PEONY PAVILION''
The flowers have blossomed
Their season is past
All has fallen
Into ruin and decay
Xiaolou!
My brother!
Xiaolou, are you all right?
Did you sing for theJapanese?
There's one called Aoki. He genuinely likes opera.
Xiaolou!
All right. Come here!
Let me have another drink!
Okay. I'll drink one for you.
Come on!
I think this opera, '' Farewell, My Concubine''...
has turned into...
'' Farewell, My King.''
The king's really irrelevant.
Drink this and your voice will pierce the heavens...
yet be tender and more fluid than water.
Don't move!
Forget the opera.
Let's just live a quiet life.
We'll have a fat little baby boy.
Then I'll have everything I want. That's enough.
No more opera.
Let's go! Let's go!
See you around, Xiaolou!
Wait! You forgot something.
Don't think he's stupid! Give him back the money!
We need the money!
Get lost!
Some friends they are!
They only wanted to take advantage of us.
Get a job? I am an actor.
What else do you want me to do!
You are the one who doesn't want me to sing opera anymore. Now what?
Get a job? That's easy for you to say. I know nothing but opera.
Happy now?
You're not mad at me, are you?
Here, take this.
Are you finished?
All right. I knew I shouldn't have said that.
But your friends really leave me no choice.
They are a bad influence!
Master Kwang wants you to work for him.
I am not going. How could I face my master?
Watch out, here I come.
Sir, they're here!
Who? Dieyi and Xiaolou.
They came as soon as they heard you wanted to see them.
Oh, this really is something!
Master!
The two famous actors are here!
We are unworthy of you.
You are so kind to come by.
I'm deeply honored.
Please, have a seat.
Let this decrepit old man pay his respects.
Master, we wouldn't presume.
Wouldn't presume! What wouldn't you presume?!
Cheng Dieyi...
Xiaolou helped make you what you are today.
Now he's not singing anymore.
It's time for you to give him a hand.
Come on!
Do it!
Little Douzi!
Little Shitou!
There's been a lot of water under the bridge...
since you were children.
Now...
you're great actors, but you're arrogant.
But have you forgotten?
Don't you have the heart for it anymore?
Did I tell you to spoil and indulge him?
Did I tell you to cover up for him?
Did I tell you to sit by while he wastes his talents?
Master!
It's my fault. I'm a failure.
Punish me!
Listen to me, grandpa.
Can you guess what I have to say?
Xiaolou belongs to me these days.
If you want to hit him, you've got to notify me first.
Juxian!
It's that girl from the House of Blossoms, isn't it?
Today, you are our number one guest.
Make yourself comfortable.
Have a drink and a look around.
Please.
Did I teach you to indulge yourself and go whoring?
Did I teach you to pawn your costumes?
To desecrate the opera?
Good! I deserve it!
Hold on!
If he's desecrating the opera, you ought to punish him.
But don't you think his stage brother...
has a part in it as well?
Juxian!
I'm from the House of Blossoms.
This is none of my business...
but as their teacher...
shouldn't you listen to both sides of the story?
Shut up! This is between us men! Keep out of it!
Duan Xiaolou...
you really are a tender soul!
Hit me again! If you don't shut up, I'll kill you.
Don't!
Go ahead.
You'll take two lives at once.
The Duan family line will stop with you!
Who told you to stand up?
Shitou, are you paying attention?
You're going to be a father.
If you keep wasting your time and lose your skills...
how are you going to afford a celebration for the baby?
Kneel closer to one another!
Closer!
Get to work!
Straighten up!
Stretch those legs! Stretch!
Wait a minute!
You're practicing '' Fleeing by Night,'' aren't you?
You're playing Lin Chong. Who's this Lin Chong?
He's head of the palace guard, not some sneaky little thief.
Take this.
Attention, everyone!
This is what a great hero is like.
''A man doesn't lightly shed his tears...
unless his heart has broken.''
Don't! Master told me to kneel for seven days as punishment.
The troupe has disbanded.
What's the point of this idiotic kneeling?
Master said that only you can make yourself a great actor.
Everyone else has left. You ought to go home too.
I was found on the street as a baby. I've got no other home.
Do you know who found you?
No! They said if I knew, I'd get a swelled head and wouldn't work hard.
Do you still want to sing opera?
Yes, even if I have to beg to support myself!.
What's your name?
Xiao Si.
1 945 THE JAPANESE SURRENDER...
AS CHIANG KAI-SHEK'S NATIONALIST ARMY RETAKES BEIJING.
I hear the talk of the soldiers
Xiao Si, go tell the manager to avoid trouble.
And it is all about running away
What's this? Why aren't you singing?
Don't make trouble!
Don't go, Xiaolou. It's not worth it!
Soldiers! Gentlemen!
Waving flashlights is not acceptable behavior in the theater.
Even the Japanese didn't do this sort of thing.
Everyone's here for the opera. Please return to your seats.
Well put. Back to your seats, everyone!
But can we let him get away with speaking up for the Japanese?
No!
Get him!
Fuck your mother!
Xiaolou!
Leave him alone!
Juxian!
Hurry!
I'm here, Juxian.
Get her a stool. Hurry!
We have to get her to a hospital.
Save her first and worry about the baby later.
Let us through!
There was only a minor disturbance.
Is such a show of force really necessary?
You can fine us.
Why do you need to arrest anyone?
The theater's been trashed, people beaten...
and you still want to arrest him?
Why?
What for?
Cheng Dieyi betrayed the country to the Japanese.
Move it!
How can you say that about him?
Teacher, teacher!
Mister Duan!
Mister Duan, I'm afraid she's lost the baby.
Xiaolou, I'm so sorry.
Go help Dieyi if he's more important to you.
I don't know whether Dieyi goes looking for trouble...
or if it's trouble that comes looking for him.
But sooner or later, they always meet.
Whenever you're with him, my heart's in my throat.
Now that I've lost our child, you're all I have left.
I don't care if I have to beg with you on the streets.
All I ask...
is peace of mind.
If you help him now, we'll no longer owe him anything.
Don't perform with him anymore.
Promise me this. Put it in writing.
Master Yuan...
Dieyi's life is in your hands.
Count this. If it's not enough--
If only you'll save Dieyi...
we'll give all our earnings for the next three years.
You think I need your money to keep my birds from starving?
And this gentleman is...?
Don't you recognize Xiaolou?
He plays the king to Dieyi's concubine.
Then it should be he who saves Concubine Yu!
My dear man, that's only a play!
All Beijing knows that Master Yu is the true king of the theater!
It's true.
Speaking of theater, I'd like to ask Mister Duan something.
When the king returns to see Concubine Yu...
how many steps should he take?
Seven.
Show me.
Come on, show me!
Master Yuan.
Is this the honorable home of Mister Yuan?
When a man called Cheng Dieyi was arrested, he said...
the owner of this sword would be able to rescue him.
Have a look. Do you recognize it?
From your expression, I see I've come to the right place.
Good. I'll put the sword here.
I'm so relieved to have found its owner.
But sometimes one's hopes are misplaced.
Master Yuan, you mustn't blame Dieyi.
I see.
He didn't say I... I put him up to it, did he?
If you were involved...
he wouldn't be in trouble, would he?
True!
Oh, dear!
There's a roomful of reporters waiting at home.
Xiaolou, Mister Na, let's go.
Wait a moment! Let's talk.
Master Yuan asked me to talk to you.
Tomorrow in court...
say the Japanese put a gun to your head.
Say they tortured you.
Master Yuan has made arrangements for everything else.
This is from Xiaolou.
Dieyi, don't be angry with us.
The death of Xiaolou's child...
was karmic retribution for your partnership.
After you get out of here, just go your own way.
Cheng Dieyi betrayed the country by performing for theJapanese.
You encouraged the enemy and disgraced your people.
Aoki continued to resist even after Japan officially surrendered.
That's why we shot him when we found him.
We've collected these pictures as evidence...
and they confirm the defendant sang for the Japanese.
We call on the witnesses Yuan Shiqing, Duan Xiaolou and Na Kun.
The government has always been good to me.
I wouldn't dare deceive the court.
Nor would I betray the laws of Heaven or my own conscience.
Cheng Dieyi was taken away in handcuffs by the Japanese.
They put a gun to the back of his neck.
Duan Xiaolou! Uh, it's true.
The Japanese beat up my stage brother.
Exactly as Master Yuan has just described.
Na Kun!
He--
The prosecutor claims Cheng performed obscene material.
That is ridiculous!
Cheng performed highlights from '' Peony Pavilion'' that night.
Anyone with any common sense knows that...
'' Peony Pavilion'' is the quintessential Chinese opera.
How can that be obscene to the prosecutor's eye?
How dare they insult our tradition and culture like this!
Who's disparaging Chinese tradition...
and disrespecting its culture?
We ask the accused, Cheng Dieyi:
Have the witnesses told the truth?
The court wishes to hear...
what the accused has to say.
Cheng Dieyi!
I sang for the Japanese.
I hate the Japanese too.
But they didn't lay a hand on me.
Cheng Dieyi...
you have the right and duty to clear your name.
Reconsider carefully and tell us again what happened.
If Aoki had lived...
he'd have taken the Beijing Opera to Japan.
Why don't you just kill me?
Master Yuan, Master Yuan!
How did you people get in here?
Please, Master Yuan, don't leave.
What does it matter? He's as good as dead.
Master Yuan, you can't go. If you go, he's finished for sure.
The court has made its decision.
The case of the traitor Cheng Dieyi is suspended.
The accused is released under bond.
Court dismissed!
What's going on?
Dieyi, are you playing with me, goddamn it?
Good-bye, Mister Cheng.
This way, Mister Cheng.
NATIONALIST HEADQUARTERS
The commander has arrived.
Attention!
KUEN-STYLE OPERA '' PEONY PAVILION''
Chunxiang!
Miss!
How can one know spring's color...
unless one visits the garden?
'' Ma, did you get my last letter?
Everything's fine here. Don't worry about me.
My stage brother Xiaolou looks after me with great kindness.
We rehearse by day and perform at night...
just like before.
-The world's not what it used to be, but all we ask is a peaceful life.
We sing and get paid for it. What more could you want?''
Lucky, the cat, wants you to blow more opium smoke at her.
See that? It sure makes her come to life!
Dieyi, should I mail this to...?
The usual address. Done!
All you classic consumptive heroines burn your letters.
Have you seen this?
Do you want it?
If you don't, I'll tear it up.
I'll do it!
Xiao Si!
I gave Master Duan the sword returned to you by Master Yuan.
The river's course is twisted, but in the end it flows to the sea.
But what gulf still lies between our concubine and our king?
Talk to each other already.
The Han king is about to enter the city!
1948 THE EVE OF THE NATIONALIST EVACUATION TO TAIWAN
THE COMMUNISTS HAVE SURROUNDED THE CITY.
For better or worse, we Manchus ruled for three centuries.
The Republic's only just begun, and already it's being overthrown.
But even the Communists have to have opera.
The empire may change hands, but rest assured...
you'll still get top billing at the celebrations for the new regime.
We're just waiting to see what their money looks like.
Well, do you still want to fight their ragtag troops?
Of course I'll fight them... if they don't behave themselves.
If you had Master Yuan's class, you'd prosper...
no matter who was in power.
It's not the same for us!
Do you recognize me?
Cigarettes! Buy one!
Mister Zhang, don't you know us?
Buy a pack!
1949 THE COMMUNIST PEOPLE'S LIBERATION ARMY ENTERS BEIJING.
Xiao Si...
have them sing whatever the crowd wants to hear.
Just avoid a scene.
Honorable guests...
I'm very sorry.
Today my fellow actor is--
Mister Cheng, if you can't take it, have another smoke.
Xiao Si, go call Mister Duan.
Down with the counter-revolutionary Yuan Shiqing!
Yuan Shiqing is an enemy of the People and he must die!
We must raise our level of vigil and see what has been going on!
Yuan Shiqing has always opposed...
the Communist Party and the People.
He has harmed his community and is guilty of monstrous crimes.
Only execution can satisfy the People's anger!
Down with the counter-revolutionary Yuan Shiqing!
Down with the tyrant of the opera world, Yuan Shiqing!
Death to Yuan Shiqing!
Execute Yuan Shiqing!
Take him away!
Only execution can satisfy the People's anger?
Just like that?
They're going to kill Master Yuan?
Keep your voice down.
Let me go! Release me!
Fuck you!
Stop carrying on!
Are you listening? You'll get over it with time.
Good, calm down. Everything will be okay.
Fuck you!
Cut it out or I'll hit you!
How is he?
We may need to wean him from the opium slowly.
Keep an eye on him. Don't let him hurt himself.
Don't go, Xiaolou.
If he really wants to overcome his addiction...
he's going to have to go through hell! This is just the start.
My hand is freezing!
It feels like ice.
My hand is freezing!
It feels like ice.
My hand is freezing.
It's okay.
Everything's all right.
The sky of the liberated areas is clear and blue.
The people of the liberated areas are all very happy.
Mrs. Duan!
Where were you?
A meeting.
A meeting?
Xiaolou, the whole troupe's come.
Come on in. Quick!
Ah, a costume change!
Thank you all for coming to see me. I'm fine now.
Sounds easy now. You didn't see him suffer!
Dieyi, get out of bed.
All of Beijing is waiting with bated breath...
for the next appearance of the King and his Concubine!
It'll be the goddamn golden hit of a golden era.
You've asked me to say a few words. I'm not sure how to put it.
I think these modern operas are interesting...
but the costumes aren't very attractive.
The backdrops are too realistic. Nothing pleases the eye.
Yet Beijing Opera puts great value on ambiance.
Song recital, movement and acrobatics are part of this ambiance.
But if you're wearing outfits like these...
and standing in front of those backdrops, it just doesn't work.
I fear that this will be the end of opera as we know it.
What do all of you think?
Are you saying that modern operas aren't Beijing Operas?
What is Beijing Opera after all? You can put it succinctly.
'' No sound is but a song, no movement is but a dance.''
It must have beauty.
For instance--
Teacher, I don't get it.
Practice. When you've sweated enough to fill buckets, you'll get it.
I still don't understand.
Xiao Si!
I just don't get it.
Why is it Beijing Opera when ancient heroes and beauties take the stage...
but not when the laboring masses do?
You're talking apples and oranges. Upstart!
What kind of attitude is that?
I'd like to hear from Teacher Duan.
Xiaolou!
It's going to rain. I've brought your umbrella.
Catch!
Yes, yes, run along home now.
Theoretical questions give me a headache.
I say if it uses the traditional forms, then it's Beijing Opera.
Am I right?
I'd like to say something.
I've been part of the New Society since giving my theater to the state.
Comrade Cheng, I believe you're wrong.
Modern opera is a new venture. It deserves our support.
If opera relied on being a smart-ass, you'd graduate with honors.
Opera requires practice, skill and talent.
There are no shortcuts!
By forcing me to kneel, you're breaking the law.
And if I don't punish you, you'll always be third-rate.
You want to be a great actor? Dream on!
And when did you ever seriously want me to succeed?
All you've ever wanted was a coolie, a stagehand...
a follower, a bit player!
How dare you! You're speaking absolute rubbish!
Kneel down!
You won't live to see the day!
Xiao Si!
Go, then! Be a bit player your whole life!
Mister Cheng...
I can hardly believe this.
It's like something out of the Old Society!
If I continue to get bit parts, I'll be unworthy of your patronage.
So, you know?
Uh, I just learned myself.
That's not true, Teacher Duan.
You were there at the meeting last night.
Xiao Si! You said you'd notify Dieyi that you were replacing him.
I had second thoughts. I decided you should tell him.
Don't you agree?
If you couldn't tell him, who could?
Take it off!.
Don't. Don't be like that!
I won't fucking sing anymore!
Let whoever wants to perform do so.
Xiaolou, you mustn't go.
Comrade Duan...
that audience is made up of the laboring masses.
You decide whether you'll sing for them or not.
Xiaolou, the concubine is on stage. You'd better hurry.
Xiaolou... Mister Duan!
I've followed my king
On his military campaigns
Enduring the wind and frost
And hard toil year after year
I hate only the lawless tyrant
Who has plunged our people
Into an abyss of misery
The people have suffered
Untold hardship and pain
The king has returned to camp!
I'm here.
Your Highness.
I've caused you so much grief.
Thank you very much, Miss Juxian.
Dieyi!
Dieyi, open the door! Open up!
Dieyi!
Won't you accept my apology?
That little snake you rescued...
has turned into a veritable dragon!
You have to go along with it! What else can you do?
No matter what, as you told me, you have to keep on singing!
Come on out...
and see what's playing in the theater of life these days.
Douzi, listen to your stage brother.
Go with the times! I'll still be the king and you my concubine!
Why does the concubine have to die?
Dieyi, why are you so impossible?
That's the play, for heaven's sake!
1966 THE EVE OF THE CULTURAL REVOLUTION
Central People's Radio will now broadcast...
the decision of the Chinese Communist Party Central Committee...
regarding the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution...
passed on August 8, 1966.
This new stage in socialist revolution...
is an event that will touch...
the very soul of the People!
A good Communist must be brave...
speak righteously and fight for the revolution.
The greatest virtue for a revolutionary soldier...
is to overthrow the reactionary powers.
This is the foundation of our revolutionary struggle.
If a soldier does not do this, he is not a true revolutionary.
Those who oppose the revolution...
will be sent to reform school to adjust their attitudes.
There they will find their anti revolutionary stance will diminish.
There are those who repeatedly complain...
that revolution is not appropriate...
that it's too violent...
that it's too aggressive...
that it's too abrupt for the people.
All of that is ridiculous.
How can you drink at a time like this?
I feel like it.
Anyway, jade cups were part of the ''Old Society.''
We can't keep them, so we might as well use them one last time.
Come on!
It still won't break!
I'm so afraid!
I dreamed I was on top of a tall building alone amongst the clouds.
I wanted to jump.
Jump! I'd catch you.
You weren't there.
Xiaolou, you wouldn't leave me, would you?
Where did this sword come from?
Cheng Dieyi gave it to me.
How many times did he give it to you?
Twice.
When was the second time?
Shortly before the liberation of Beijing.
Where?
On... on the street in front of the theater.
What did you say to each other?
It was quite chaotic. I don't remember.
Think about it.
We didn't say anything!
Keep thinking.
If we did, I can't recall.
Something about what you'd do to the Communists?
No! Certainly not!
I'd stake my life on it.
But what if we've got a witness?
Who? Bring out the bastard!
Na Kun!
What did I say?
I'll give you a hint.
Something about ragtag troops.
Na Kun! This is pure slander!
You reactionary old theater boss! You only want to protect yourself!.
You said you'd take on their ragtag troops.
No! I never said that!
What I meant was--
What I said was--
No, I said nothing at all!
Mr. Na, help me. Mr. Na!
Duan Xiaolou...
you've been smashing bricks since you were a boy, haven't you?
Do one for us.
Do it!
Come on!
Duan Xiaolou, aren't you the '' King''?
No, I'm not.
But you've always been the '' King,'' haven't you?
That's just an opera.
It's not real life.
Did you go to brothels in the Old Society?
Yes.
Don't you think that's shameful?
Yes.
When you married Juxian, what was she?
A prostitute.
Good.
Now tell us what we need to know about Cheng Dieyi.
Of course, you don't have to tell us anything.
You saw what happened to Yuan Shiqing.
Make your own decision.
Sweep away all Cow Demons and Snake Spirits!
If the enemy doesn't surrender, we will destroy him!
Uncover the Black Gangs! Cut off the Black Hands!
Seize the Black Hands that have infiltrated the cultural world!
Revolution is no crime. Rebellion is justified!
Sweep away all Cow Demons and Snake Spirits!
Xiaolou!
Duan Xiaolou is the reactionary king!
Duan Xiaolou isn't telling the truth!
Duan Xiaolou and Cheng Dieyi are anti-Party elements!
Down with Duan Xiaolou! Down with Cheng Dieyi!
Talk! Talk!
Obliterate all class enemies!
Talk!
All right, I'll tell you.
He's totally mad about opera. He's obsessed!
Who? Make yourself clear.
Come on!
Cheng Dieyi!
All he cares about is opera.
No matter who was in the audience, which class they belonged to...
he'd still give it his all.
Stop avoiding the real issues.
You're not being straight with us!
If you don't give in, we will annihilate you.
At the start of the War of Resistance...
he sang for the Japanese.
He was a... a... a traitor!
Down with Cheng Dieyi!
He sang for wounded Nationalist soldiers...
for reactionary theater bosses.
He sang for capitalists, landlords, the idle rich...
their wives and daughters.
He sang for hooligans, for soldiers and policemen.
He sang for the tyrant of the opera world, Yuan Shiqing!
Down with Cheng Dieyi!
What else? Tell us.
Talk!
He smoked opium like there was no tomorrow.
He smoked away the blood and sweat of the laboring masses.
Keep going. Get to the point.
Speak!
Go on!
Down with Cheng Dieyi!
Talk!
Xiaolou!
Talk!
In order to get on Yuan Shiqing's good side--
He-Did you or did you not?
He became Yuan Shiqing's-his--
Xiaolou!
Didn't you? Didn't you?
You were-were-his--
Sweep away all Cow Demons and Snake Spirits!
Scholars and beauties, kings and ministers.
Cow Demons and Snake Spirits.
You've all betrayed me!
Betrayed me!
I've got something to unmask as well!
I want to unmask the ugliness behind the glamorous facade.
Xiaolou, you've no conscience.
You are as greedy as a wolf, as cruel as a wild dog.
You're a shell of a man.
From the moment you got involved with this woman...
I knew you were finished.
Everything was finished.
You think disaster just falls from the sky?
No.
We have come step by step towards this fate.
It's retribution.
I'm despicable, and I have been so for a long time.
But now even the King of Chu is on his knees begging for mercy!
Can Beijing Opera survive this indignity?
It's doomed, is it not?
This is what's called retribution!
Karmic retribution!
And I have something else to unmask.
See that woman?
Who is she? I'll tell you.
Slut!
Top whore at the House of Blossoms! Pan Jinlian!
Fight against her!
Fight against her to the death!
Duan Xiaolou, is it true she was a prostitute?
Well, was she?
Tell us!
Yes.
Do you love her?
Do you?
No.
No, I don't love her!
Is this the truth?
Really! I really don't love her.
I'll never have anything to do with her again.
Nothing at all.
Leniency to those who confess, severity to those who resist!
Obliterate all class enemies!
Juxian! Juxian!
Listen to Grandma talk of revolution
a tale of heroism and tragedy
I was a child of the rain and wind
''THE CULTURAL REVOLUTION IS A POWERFUL WEAPON...
IN THE HANDS OF THE PEOPLE'S CONGRESS.''
1977 ELEVEN YEARS LATER
My king, quickly give me your precious sword.
No, you mustn't take your life!
My king, quickly give me your precious sword.
No, you must not do this!
It's no good.
I'm old. I can't do it anymore.
At sixteen I am a nun.
My hair shorn at youth's prime.
I am by nature a boy.
Not a girl.
Wrong! You've done it again!
I am by nature a boy...
not a girl.
Come on, let's try it again.
My king, quickly give me your precious sword.
No, you mustn't take your life!
My king, quickly give me your precious sword.
No, you must not do this!
Give me your sword.
No, never!
My king, the soldiers of Han... they've entered the city!
Where?
Dieyi!
Douzi?