| Forever Enthralled | |||||||||||
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| Chinese name | |||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 梅蘭芳 | ||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 梅兰芳 | ||||||||||
| Literal meaning | Mei Lanfang | ||||||||||
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| Directed by | Chen Kaige | ||||||||||
| Written by | Chang Chia-lu Geling Yan Chen Kuo-fu | ||||||||||
| Produced by | Han Sanping Du Jiayi | ||||||||||
| Starring | Leon Lai Zhang Ziyi Sun Honglei Masanobu Andō | ||||||||||
| Cinematography | Zhao Xiaoshi | ||||||||||
| Music by | Zhao Jiping | ||||||||||
| Distributed by | China Film Group | ||||||||||
Release date |
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Running time | 146 minutes | ||||||||||
| Country | China | ||||||||||
| Language | Mandarin | ||||||||||
| Budget | $15 million | ||||||||||
Forever Enthralled (Chinese:梅蘭芳) is a Chinese biographical film directed byChen Kaige; the film marks Chen's eleventh feature film as a director.Forever Enthralled follows the life ofMei Lanfang, one of China's premiereopera performers. It starsLeon Lai as Mei,Zhang Ziyi,Sun Honglei andMasanobu Andō.
Known during production asMei Lanfang, the film's English title was changed in November 2008, shortly before its release, toForever Enthralled.[1]
The film was shown in competition at the 2009Berlin International Film Festival for theGolden Bear award.[2]
Forever Enthralled was produced on a budget of $15 million (US) by theChina Film Group and Taiwan's China Magnetics Corporation Company (CMC Company), which had previously helped fundJohn Woo'sRed Cliff and Alexi Tan'sBlood Brothers.[3] Unlike Chen's previous film,The Promise, Chen is not re-teaming with his usual producers, Etchie Stroh and Moonstone Entertainment.[3]
Just prior to the film's release in December 2008,Forever Enthralled producer, theChina Film Group, ran into legal hurdles after it was sued by another production company,Milimeter. Milimeter claimed that it held thecopyright to the film based on a contract signed between the two companies in 2004.[4]
In an interview withNewsweek, director Chen Kaige stated that in contrast with his previous film aboutBeijing opera, "Farewell My Concubine is fiction" whereas "Mei Lanfang existed in history."[5] InFarewell, Chen had more freedom with the story (based onLilian Lee's novel), but with the biographicalMei Lanfang, Chen was more careful as the film was made under the blessings of Mei Lanfang's family and Chen consulted with Mei's son about the film's story.[5] Chen revealed that many topics, such as Mei's extramarital affair, were "taboo" to the family, but that Mei's son told Chen to "do whatever you want to do" so long as the film deals with those topics with respect.[5]
The film made its international premiere in competition at the59th Berlin International Film Festival, where critics called it a "sumptuous" film.[11][12]
The Hollywood Reporter describes the film as "traditional but elegantly mounted," and although less exotic thanFarewell My Concubine, Chen "exhibits a firm grasp of subject, sympathetic characterization and a connoisseur's eye for the cultural milieu of 1930s-'40s China."[13] The review writes the film's art direction as "superb" and states "from splendidly lit interiors to authentic costumes and accessories, evoking the theater culture and literati scene of 1930s Beijing."[13]
However,Variety on the other hand states the film is a "largely workmanlike biopic" that is only "occasionally engaging."[14]Variety describes the film's supporting performances are strong and more so than the leading performances, and the film "rarely achieves the artistic elevation it strives for."[14] The review did however gave praise to the film's production design, costume and cinematography.[14]