M. Butterfly [HD]

Intriguing Reversal of Classic Opera Story
Puccini's opera Madama Butterfly is the catalyst behind this fictional version of the bizarre true story of the relationship between Bernard Borsicot, a French diplomat, and Shi Pei-Pu, a Peking opera singer. In the film and play, Bernard Borsicot becomes Rene Gallimard, a low-level accountant at a French embassy, who is promoted to head of embassy intelligence after he inadvertently ruffles some feathers among the espionage staff. The real-life Shi Pei-Pu is known as Song Liling, a singer at the Beijing opera, although the actual events took place in Peking. With a background set among the chaos of China just prior to and during the Cultural revolution, the affair between Boriscot/Gallimard and Pei-Pu/Lilang is used to frame a well-crafted and extremely well-acted story of espionage, love, betrayal, obsession and, ultimately, a dramatic reversal of the tragedy of Madama Butterfly.

Unlike some, I believe that Borsicot/Gallimard probably did not know, or certainly did not...

"It's the Music,not the Story"
"M. Butterfly" is David Cronenberg's powerful espionage drama,based on David Henry Hwang's stage drama. Jeremy Irons stars as Gallimard, a French civil servant in Beijing who finds himself smitten with the lovely opera diva Soong Liling (John Lone) Their pillow talk consists of American troop movements in Vietnam, Soong is a secret agent for the Red Guard. Along the way, Soong drops little hints to her true nature. Picnicking on the Great Wall, Soong asks, "Why do you love a woman with a boy's chest?" Soong also tells one of her comrades that men impersonated women in the Beijing Opera because "only a man knows how a woman is supposed to act."

The romance becomes political intrigue. In the end, Soong's identity is revealed and Gallimard commits hara-kiri. In real life,however, both lovers remained alive. The French agent didn't kill himself; in fact,he has gone to numerous stagings of the play and was on the set when Cronenberg's movie was being made.

"M...

The "Best" of Jeremy Irons
This version of "Madame Butterfly" is not the opera type. This is a heart-breaking love for a Man looking for his perfect Butterfly. It first seems like He (Jeremy Irons) has found his heart's desire. But the truth, (ugly as it is) slowly comes out. His life is in ruins, so is his soul.
The last half-hour is not to be missed, no phone calls or computer on. See this actor take you on a trip you will not forgot emotionally. And a ending that is unexpected and leave your soul wounded as well.
The "Best!"

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