An apt functional definition of art is 'a stylistic representation of an artist's views through a given medium.' A style can take many forms, such as realism or surrealism, but what all styles hold in common is the conveyance of a message. Films like "Farewell my Concubine" are political in nature, expounding a philosophy that "the personal is political ." This movie is a high-style epic drama, which is why some critics call it "whiney " or "soapy ." Although there are melodramatic elements in the film, it should not be taken at face value, but instead as representational of Chen Kaige's deep-seated feelings about the status of the Chinese people. What appears to be a story of love and betrayal amongst tumultuous political change is in fact a criticism of the dissociation between Chinese politics and Chinese culture, causing major problems throughout an individual's life.
The dichotomy between culture and politics and the tension therein caused, is shown by three broad elements: Peking Opera representing culture, extraneous political forces, and people living in between art and politics. By examining how all three elements interact we will see the director's political views and how the personal lives of characters figuratively represent the dilemma of the Chinese people.
What lies between culture and politics is the individual. The individual, like a canvas is painted by environmental factors. For Douzi and Shitou, the principle characters, their first impression in the film is the Peking opera. The Peking Opera as an environmental factor represents culture. As the troupe leader says while the children are going through difficult training, 'the Opera is what makes us human, without it we are but animals.' As people, our culture is our humanity . Food, art, clothing, religion, and ceremony culminate to create 'culture.' Without it, we could scarcely define ourselves apart from animals. The Peking Opera represents Chinese culture, and purposely so. Few elements could capture the true complexity and nuance of a culture like Peking Opera can. The movie, developed in the last three-strip Technicolor lab , allows the colour, technique, flexibility, and more, to show the product of the cultural embellishment in Peking Opera (Chinese culture). As well, to fully integrate into a culture, one must suffer cultural hazing. Douzi undergoes many initiations. His finger being chopped off, a pedophilic encounter with an old man and continual beatings for not accepting cultural role are examples of his initiations. But after accepting the throws of culture, he finds comfort and stability within his culture. Douzi's transfer of his stage character, the concubine, into real life is an affirmation of his cultural identity. The concubine must suffer in the opera, and therefore so must Douzi. The climax of his suffering is his own death, which is the ultimate instatement of cultural identity. At the opposite end of Douzi is Shitou, a character who is far more politically oriented than Douzi. Shitou can be considered a cultural sellout, someone who sees survival as more important than tradition. At the heels of Cultural Revolution Shitou abandons his history. For example, when both King and Concubine discuss their art to the young communists in an acting class, Shitou yields to the political flame of communism, agreeing with the young communists. And as artifacts of his cultural history are being burned in the streets (books and swords), he too dumps his personal history into the flames (wife and friend). Douzi can do nothing but kill himself, out of love for king and country, because his king has lost the final battle.
The tension between Douzi and Shitou embody the tension between Culture and politics. Chen shows that one end of the spectrum must suffer at the hands of the other. Throughout the film we feel sympathy for a dying way of life, especially as we grow to know more about the nature of Peking Opera. Our sympathy for opera suggests that alien political systems antagonize the cultural system, and therefore are an object of criticism. This is most apparent during the Cultural Revolution when traditional artifacts and ways of life are brutalized. The 'culture of revolution' according to Marx should destroy a bourgeois' past, and establish social and economic equality for the masses . Instead, what the Cultural Revolution destroyed was what made all Chinese equal and great, their cultural heritage. The revolutionists may have dispelled capitalist motivations, but first and foremost they destroyed the love between man and woman, between king and concubine, the very symbols of beauty in this film.
At the end of the film there is a concession to Chinese culture, when a Peking Opera is put on to celebrate the operas 200th anniversary. In Chen's China this is reality, a country opening up to the world and to new ideas. The only way to protect itself from ideological domination from America and other influences is to protect its heritage, and part of that heritage is the Peking Opera. For China to ensure the safety its heritage, the culture that has shaped individuals for thousands of years must also shape modern politics. Openly celebrating Peking Opera in Chen's film is making the personal 'political', and merging the two dichotomous entities into a single unifying element for China.
The dichotomy between culture and politics and the tension therein caused, is shown by three broad elements: Peking Opera representing culture, extraneous political forces, and people living in between art and politics. By examining how all three elements interact we will see the director's political views and how the personal lives of characters figuratively represent the dilemma of the Chinese people.
What lies between culture and politics is the individual. The individual, like a canvas is painted by environmental factors. For Douzi and Shitou, the principle characters, their first impression in the film is the Peking opera. The Peking Opera as an environmental factor represents culture. As the troupe leader says while the children are going through difficult training, 'the Opera is what makes us human, without it we are but animals.' As people, our culture is our humanity . Food, art, clothing, religion, and ceremony culminate to create 'culture.' Without it, we could scarcely define ourselves apart from animals. The Peking Opera represents Chinese culture, and purposely so. Few elements could capture the true complexity and nuance of a culture like Peking Opera can. The movie, developed in the last three-strip Technicolor lab , allows the colour, technique, flexibility, and more, to show the product of the cultural embellishment in Peking Opera (Chinese culture). As well, to fully integrate into a culture, one must suffer cultural hazing. Douzi undergoes many initiations. His finger being chopped off, a pedophilic encounter with an old man and continual beatings for not accepting cultural role are examples of his initiations. But after accepting the throws of culture, he finds comfort and stability within his culture. Douzi's transfer of his stage character, the concubine, into real life is an affirmation of his cultural identity. The concubine must suffer in the opera, and therefore so must Douzi. The climax of his suffering is his own death, which is the ultimate instatement of cultural identity. At the opposite end of Douzi is Shitou, a character who is far more politically oriented than Douzi. Shitou can be considered a cultural sellout, someone who sees survival as more important than tradition. At the heels of Cultural Revolution Shitou abandons his history. For example, when both King and Concubine discuss their art to the young communists in an acting class, Shitou yields to the political flame of communism, agreeing with the young communists. And as artifacts of his cultural history are being burned in the streets (books and swords), he too dumps his personal history into the flames (wife and friend). Douzi can do nothing but kill himself, out of love for king and country, because his king has lost the final battle.
The tension between Douzi and Shitou embody the tension between Culture and politics. Chen shows that one end of the spectrum must suffer at the hands of the other. Throughout the film we feel sympathy for a dying way of life, especially as we grow to know more about the nature of Peking Opera. Our sympathy for opera suggests that alien political systems antagonize the cultural system, and therefore are an object of criticism. This is most apparent during the Cultural Revolution when traditional artifacts and ways of life are brutalized. The 'culture of revolution' according to Marx should destroy a bourgeois' past, and establish social and economic equality for the masses . Instead, what the Cultural Revolution destroyed was what made all Chinese equal and great, their cultural heritage. The revolutionists may have dispelled capitalist motivations, but first and foremost they destroyed the love between man and woman, between king and concubine, the very symbols of beauty in this film.
At the end of the film there is a concession to Chinese culture, when a Peking Opera is put on to celebrate the operas 200th anniversary. In Chen's China this is reality, a country opening up to the world and to new ideas. The only way to protect itself from ideological domination from America and other influences is to protect its heritage, and part of that heritage is the Peking Opera. For China to ensure the safety its heritage, the culture that has shaped individuals for thousands of years must also shape modern politics. Openly celebrating Peking Opera in Chen's film is making the personal 'political', and merging the two dichotomous entities into a single unifying element for China.