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M. Butterfly
Truth is stranger than fiction. This film's based on a successful play, which is based on the real life story of a French consul who falls in love with an opera singer in '60's China but fails to realise that she's a man. Strange, non? In fact, how does one turn that into a play/film?
Jeremy Irons stars as Rene, the French consul. If anybody can pull off the role, it's him. He manages to smoulder and play the tragic lover as well as portray the deeper significance- that Rene is an example of Western aggression pushing their sterotypes onto the Chinese, unaware that the 'schoolgirl' is actually male. People will go to ridiculous lengths to deceive themselves and play out their fantasies- the audience know that Rene must on some level know the truth but arrogance or tragic delusion means he persues the romance to the end.
The stumbling block for most people is that John Lone doesn't really look like a woman but in a way, it creates dramatic irony and serves to make Rene's pathetic downfall and dubious treatment more tragic and the political allegory of the relationship more obvious. Film is a literal medium though- whilst theatre-goers expect metaphors, motifs and allegory, generally film-watchers expect realism and plausbility. Perhaps the film concentrated too much on the relationship and trying to portray it realistically...I don't know.
If you're willing to look past the implausbility of mistaking Lone for a woman, this is a disturbing but rewarding film- a tragedy based on cultural ignorance and arrogant/delusional fantasies, plus an ironic spin on Madame Butterfly (those who know French will understand why 'M' has a dot after it in the title).
Truth is stranger than fiction. This film's based on a successful play, which is based on the real life story of a French consul who falls in love with an opera singer in '60's China but fails to realise that she's a man. Strange, non? In fact, how does one turn that into a play/film?
Jeremy Irons stars as Rene, the French consul. If anybody can pull off the role, it's him. He manages to smoulder and play the tragic lover as well as portray the deeper significance- that Rene is an example of Western aggression pushing their sterotypes onto the Chinese, unaware that the 'schoolgirl' is actually male. People will go to ridiculous lengths to deceive themselves and play out their fantasies- the audience know that Rene must on some level know the truth but arrogance or tragic delusion means he persues the romance to the end.
The stumbling block for most people is that John Lone doesn't really look like a woman but in a way, it creates dramatic irony and serves to make Rene's pathetic downfall and dubious treatment more tragic and the political allegory of the relationship more obvious. Film is a literal medium though- whilst theatre-goers expect metaphors, motifs and allegory, generally film-watchers expect realism and plausbility. Perhaps the film concentrated too much on the relationship and trying to portray it realistically...I don't know.
If you're willing to look past the implausbility of mistaking Lone for a woman, this is a disturbing but rewarding film- a tragedy based on cultural ignorance and arrogant/delusional fantasies, plus an ironic spin on Madame Butterfly (those who know French will understand why 'M' has a dot after it in the title).