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Chen Kaige plays two films at once: an epic of China's recent history and a drama behind the scenes of the Beijing Opera. At first glance, this may not seem logical: What does the birth of a modern nation have to do with the extinction of a traditional form of theatre? But everything in Farewell My Concubine flows effortlessly into one another. We are overwhelmed; so much so that objectivity doesn't matter any more anyway. In the beginning we see how two orphans are prepared for their theatre careers. Years later they reach their zenith, are famous. Douzi (Leslie Cheung) in the role of concubine as transvestite, Shitou (Zhang Fengyi) as king. A life outside their roles is not granted to either of them. Their relationship survives the Second World War, finally the Cultural Revolution. Although famous, they are politically undemanding. The relationship between the two is not balanced. While Douzi has homosexual feelings, Shitou marries the beautiful Juxian (Li Gong). She is the heroine of the movie and stands by both men. Just as the royal Peking opera survives the red times of communism, when Anachrosnimus is accepted, the relationship grows. Can the two even develop their own personality, detached from the other? But the Cultural Revolution is a time of mutual denunciation. Douzi in particular has to suffer as a result. Finally, Xiaolou denounces him as a homosexual; he in turn denounces his friend's wife as a hooker. Obviously director Chen Kaige has his own experiences with the cultural revolution... Farewell My Concubine won the Cannes Film Festival and was subsequently banned and performed again. Especially the homosexual aspects of the story might have been difficult for the communists. Considering the circumstances under which the film was shot, the calm, the elegance of the work is almost monstrous! It is also wonderful with how much love for detail the Peking Opera is presented! And with what colours! A modern epic that takes us to a strange place in a different time. A modern classic!