M. Butterfly

1993 Drama

David Cronenberg's cinematic intensity eviscerates this adaptation of David Henry Hwang's passionate stage production. Based on a true incident involving a French diplomat who carried on an affair for 18 years with a man the diplomat thought was a woman, M. Butterfly begins in 1964 Beijing when French foreign service employee Rene Gallimard (Jeremy Irons) becomes smitten with Chinese opera performer Song Liling (John Lone). Before long, Gallimard is enamored with Song, and they begin an inflamed affair -- bracketed by the stipulation that Gallimard will never be allowed to look upon her in a state of complete undress. Gallimard agrees to the rules, but, as he climbs up the diplomatic ladder, the communist government gets involved, corralling Song to become an informer for the government. When, at last, Gallimard's passion demands nudity, Song flees the relationship. Gallimard, pining for his lost love, then becomes a physical and mental wreck. He leaves China and accepts a two-bit diplomatic position, but then Song appears once again to Gallimard. At that point, Gallimard is arrested and, during the subsequent sensational trial for treason, his affair is exposed for the sham that it is. more..

Director: David Cronenberg

Starring: Jeremy Irons, John Lone, Barbara Sukowa, Ian Richardson, Annabel Leventon

Reviews

  • The film is a methodical and loving examination of two people constructing a fantasy for themselves.

    Mick LaSalle - The San Francisco Chronicle

    26 April 2013

  • M. Butterfly does not take hold the way the stage play did.

    Roger Ebert - The Chicago Sun-Times

    26 April 2013

  • M. Butterfly, David Cronenberg's visually stunning but oddly cold and sparkless adaptation of the much-prized David Henry Hwang play.

    Michael Wilmington - The Chicago Tribune

    26 April 2013

  • One hesitates to call David Cronenberg's movie of David Henry Hwang's Tony-winning play conventional or tame, but certainly it is zestless given a filmmaker whose last three outings have been "The Fly," "Dead Ringers" and "Naked Lunch."

    Mike Clark - USA Today

    26 April 2013

  • Cronenberg's direction is technically impressive, but he's better suited to stories based on surges of feeling between killers, not lovers. This M. Butterfly never takes wing.

    Jay Carr - The Boston Globe

    26 April 2013

Awards

  • Best Foreign Actor (Mejor Actor Extranjero)

    Sant Jordi Awards (1994)