San Diego Asian Film Festival 2009

Chinese filmmaker Chen Kaige returns to the subject that first brought him critical acclaim – the Beijing Opera.

Like Farewell My Concubine (1993), FOREVER ENTHRALLED is an opulent period drama about the true story of Mei Lanfang (Leon Lail, Fallen Angels), a Peking opera legend whose fame spread worldwide; even Charlie Chaplin and Sergei Eisenstein filmed him in the early 1900s. As a man playing a woman onstage, critics often said that Mei was more feminine than a real woman; his roles and pitch perfect voice mesmerized audiences.

The film begins in his early adolescence as Mei must rival with a veteran actor in a kind of “battle” of the musicals, and emerges the victor. His fame spreads quickly but disaster sets in as the Japanese invade Manchuria and Mei’s refusal to sing upon request of the Japanese threatens his career and family. Zhang Ziyi (most notable for her breakout role in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) plays an admiring fellow opera singer, a woman posing as a man onstage, who begins a romantic affair with Mei. She poses another threat to Mei’s career: a possible distraction from his work and his demanding fans, managers, and especially his devoted wife and family. The entire cast delivers solid performances, Lai and Ziyi displaying the Peking opera training they undertook to master its delicate, intricate body language.

FOREVER ENTHRALLED is a fascinating biopic about a man regarded as a great national treasure but whom yearned to be ordinary at times. The film is also strongly traditional and elegant, delivering what most audiences would expect from a Chinese period piece. At 147 minutes, there is no shortage of dazzling authentic costumes, gorgeous sets, and exquisite interior lighting evoking 1930s China. This latest work may lack the complexities and emotional impact of Farewell, but it certainly seems like Kaige is back to the filmmaking he does best. – Mye Hoang

Co-presented by:
House of China
San Diego Arthouse Movies
SDSU Confucius Institute