M. Butterfly (film)
M. Butterfly | |
---|---|
Directed by | David Cronenberg |
Screenplay by | David Henry Hwang |
Based on | M. Butterfly by David Henry Hwang |
Produced by | Gabriella Martinelli |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Peter Suschitzky |
Edited by | Ronald Sanders |
Music by | Howard Shore |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
Release date |
|
Running time | 101 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $17–18 million |
Box office | $1,498,795 |
M. Butterfly is a 1993 American romantic drama film directed by David Cronenberg and written by David Henry Hwang based on his 1988 play. The film stars Jeremy Irons and John Lone, with Ian Richardson, Barbara Sukowa, and Annabel Leventon. The story is loosely based on true events which involved French diplomat Bernard Boursicot and Chinese opera singer Shi Pei Pu.
Plot
[edit]René Gallimard is a French diplomat assigned to Beijing, China in the 1960s. He becomes infatuated with a Peking opera performer, Song Liling, who spies on him for the government of the People's Republic of China. Their affair lasts for 20 years, and they subsequently marry, with Gallimard all the while apparently unaware, or willfully ignorant, of the fact that in Peking opera Dan roles were traditionally performed by men.
Cast
[edit]- Jeremy Irons as René Gallimard
- John Lone as Song Liling
- Ian Richardson as Ambassador Toulon
- Barbara Sukowa as Jeanne Gallimard
- Annabel Leventon as Frau Baden
- Shizuko Hoshi as Comrade Chin
- Vernon Dobtcheff as Agent Entacelin
Production
[edit]David Henry Hwang's play M. Butterfly, based on the relationship between Bernard Boursicot and Shi Pei Pu, opened on Broadway in 1988, and was critically and financially successful. David Geffen, the play's producer, retained the film rights through his company. He worked with Warner Bros. on the film and it was given a budget of $17–18 million.[1][2]
Cronenberg stated that "Ironically, if there was ever a film of mine that you could call a sellout, it was M. Butterfly". He read the film script written by Hwang before seeing his for the first time. Geffen initially wanted Peter Weir to direct the film, but Weir declined.[3][4][1] It was the most expensive film directed by Cronenberg until A History of Violence.[5]
Cronenberg had parts of the script, such as Americans in Vietnam and bombing scenes, removed as he was not interested in it. The first draft of the script featured Gallimard watching the Madama Butterfly opera with his mother as a child.[6] The ending scene between Gallimard and Liling in the police van was created by Cronenberg as he "just knew that it wouldn't play in prison the way it was in the play" as he felt Liling being allowed in Gallimard's cell and stripping would be unbelievable.[7]
The film was mostly filmed in Toronto and was also shot in Beijing, Budapest, and Paris[8][9] from August to December 1992. It was Cronenberg's first film to be shot outside of Canada. Geffen and Warner Bros. were impressed by the first trailer and the grand scale despite its small budget according to Cronenberg as "for 17 million dollars we got a fucking 50 million dollar epic".[10] Cronenberg was unable to accept the Genie Awards he won for Naked Lunch in person as he was filming in Hungary.[11]
Release
[edit]M. Butterfly premiered as the gala opening film at the 1993 Toronto International Film Festival.[12]
The film was a commercial failure[12] and grossed $1,500,000 in the domestic box office.[13] Cronenberg stated that he was disappointed by the film's reception and felt that it was overshadowed by The Crying Game.[14] He said that the films paralleled each other as both were transsexual, transracial, and transcultural.[15]
Reception
[edit]On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 39%, based on 23 reviews, and an average rating of 5.60/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "David Cronenberg reins in his provocative sensibility and handles delicate material with restraint, yielding a disappointing adaptation that flattens M. Butterfly into a tedious soap opera."[16] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 43 out of 100, based on 19 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[17]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b Rodley 1997, p. 172.
- ^ Rodley 1997, p. 174.
- ^ Cronenberg 2006, p. 130.
- ^ Rodley 1997, p. xxii.
- ^ Mathijs 2008, p. 171.
- ^ Rodley 1997, p. 173.
- ^ Rodley 1997, p. 183.
- ^ Cronenberg 2006, p. 131.
- ^ Cronenberg 2006, p. 192.
- ^ Rodley 1997, p. 177.
- ^ McCann, Wendy (November 23, 1992). "Genies Go Naked". Winnipeg Sun. p. 15. Archived from the original on August 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Mathijs 2008, p. 174.
- ^ M. Butterfly at Box Office Mojo
- ^ Cronenberg 2006, p. 132.
- ^ Rodley 1997, p. 181.
- ^ M. Butterfly at Rotten Tomatoes
- ^ M. Butterfly at Metacritic
Works cited
[edit]- Cronenberg, David (2006). David Cronenberg: Interviews with Serge Grünberg. Plexus Publishing. ISBN 0859653765.
- Mathijs, Ernest (2008). The Cinema of David Cronenberg: From Baron of Blood to Cultural Hero. Wallflower Press. ISBN 9781905674657.
- Rodley, Chris, ed. (1997). Cronenberg on Cronenberg. Faber and Faber. ISBN 0571191371.
External links
[edit]- 1993 films
- 1993 romantic drama films
- 1993 LGBT-related films
- 1990s spy drama films
- American romantic drama films
- American spy drama films
- 1990s English-language films
- Films directed by David Cronenberg
- Cross-dressing in American films
- Spy films based on actual events
- Romantic drama films based on actual events
- English-language romantic drama films
- American films based on plays
- Films set in Beijing
- Films set in the 1960s
- Films about interracial romance
- Cold War spy films
- The Geffen Film Company films
- Warner Bros. films
- Films scored by Howard Shore
- Transgender-related films
- LGBT-related romantic drama films
- 1990s American films
- Madama Butterfly