The behind-the-scenes production of Farewell My Concubine

When Chen Kaige attended the film festival on 1988, Feng Hsu took the initiative to meet him and came to see him with Li Bihua's novels. He saw it and said it was necessary for Chen Kaige to make such a film. The ending of the old version of Li Bihua's original novel is that Cheng Dieyi and Duan Xiaolou met in the bathroom in Hongkong several years later, naked, honest and affectionate, and then went out and went their separate ways. Chen Kaige told Li Bihua that the ending must change. Farewell My Concubine focuses on the theme of human nature-infatuation and betrayal. Before writing, Chen Kaige emphasized to the two screenwriters that they should never ideologize the characters and let them do what they should.

Casting method

When Chen Kaige filmed Farewell My Concubine, White, the former producer of Beijing Art Center, became the production director of Chen Kaige. In the choice of the leading actor, Chen Kaige first thought of John Lone, but the harsh conditions offered by the John Lone brokerage company made the crew unheard of. First of all, because we don't know which country John Lone will shoot in when he starts, the crew must book air tickets for several countries at the same time. Second, John Lone's two dogs have to go in and out with him, so ordinary hotels can't stay. Third, John Lone must be equipped with two bodyguards, two servants, a line teacher, a Putonghua teacher and a body teacher. Fourthly, John Lone must wash her face and brush her teeth with mineral water flown in from foreign countries or Hongkong every day, not to mention food and drinks. Fifth, campers should be equipped with special tennis courts and swimming pools. The request made by the brokerage company is an insult to the cast of Farewell My Concubine. Everyone is excited about artistic creation, but some people play big cards like this. Finally, Chen Kaige, Chen Huaiai, Gu Changwei, Li De and Zhang Jinzhan voted. Chen Kaige abstained, and the other four people unanimously opposed it. Only then did Chen Kaige give up the idea of choosing John Lone.

Shooting process

Leslie Cheung, who was not the first choice, gave the actors a surprise because he was very dedicated and sincere. Lei Han, the actor who plays Cheng Dieyi's apprentice Xiao Si, recalls that there was no concept of actor star system in mainland China at that time, but Leslie Cheung brought the actor style of mature Hong Kong market, which was extremely serious and was called "drama idiot". Some people think that the success of this drama lies in that Leslie Cheung changed Chen Kaige's trajectory with his understanding of the role, and also promoted Chen Kaige's artistic thinking. White remembers that every day at noon, the actors would stutter at dinner from the studio of Beijing Film Factory to the gate, and Leslie Cheung would also take advantage of this time. He put on his costume, shook his sleeves, walked and practiced his gait, mumbling something, completely immersed in his own world. When Leslie Cheung first filmed in mainland China, it was also very hard to practice his Mandarin lines. Every time before filming, he would pull the gold medal and quietly correct his lines. Leslie Cheung, who is deeply involved in the play, is experiencing Cheng Dieyi from his eyes to his movements. White said that by modifying the script and interacting with the actors, Chen Kaige's confidence was enhanced step by step.

Leslie Cheung's earnest energy also influences each other. White said that everyone works long hours every day. After filming a scene, the people who played it were addicted, and the people who watched it were also addicted, and they were all looking forward to the next scene. So the studio is "like a plate of running water, everyone is trying their best." The most difficult thing to shoot, apart from the thick oil paints in the troupe, is the scene of the "Cultural Revolution", which is actually more physically and mentally exhausted. The Cultural Revolution was filmed in summer, and Beijing was full of heat and depression. For such a hysterical triangle of betrayal, persecution and persecution, the hero almost fell to the ground. Lei Han, a fourth-grade actor, appeared in the Cultural Revolution. Born in 1962, he thinks that his experience of the Cultural Revolution is not particularly profound. Chen Kaige inspired Lei Han many times to show the special excitement of young people, and found the feeling of getting ahead here in the fourth grade. When Xiao Si broke up with his master Cheng Dieyi, he photographed his back many times.

Throughout the filming process, Chen Kaige said that he and Leslie Cheung are still the harmonious heartbeat of the sacred unicorn I feel, and we must go where we should go. What impressed Chen Kaige in particular was that Leslie Cheung didn't miss any of those key moments in the film. For example, when Cheng Dieyi went to see him in a small building where he was addicted to smoking, Leslie Cheung went crazy as soon as he turned on the light. He hit the photo frame on the wall with a stick, and the glass slag splashed everywhere. When Chen Kaige called to stop, Leslie Cheung was already in tears, and he tried to persuade him for a long time. There is another detail that Chen Kaige always remembers. This is a simple shot of Leslie Cheung walking. He was walking and suddenly stopped in the camera. Chen Kaige was startled, but Leslie Cheung just lifted her foot and shook it gently. Then he went on. Chen Kaige didn't notice that there was a lot of cinder on the ground. This casual move vividly shows the cleanliness of Cheng Dieyi.