Farewell My Concubine

"With a sword like this, the King of Chu would have won." "I want you to have a sword like this some day."

"I play a fake King, but you are really the concubine"

"A sword is the classic gift between the most intimate of friends..."

"Don't! That is a real sword"

"What do I want with a sword?"

"Why must the concubine always die?"

The target audience is not Chinese- it was made for the international market- in Hong Kong with money from international backers.It is a self reflective movie, from the Chinese perspective, and a "spectacle" for international audiences- both at the same time.

The movie ends where it begins- with Douzi, Shitou and the opera.