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M. Butterfly [DVD]

Jeremy Irons (Actor), John Lone (Actor), David Cronenberg (Director) Rated:
R
Format: DVD
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 526 ratings
IMDb6.7/10.0
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Format Color, NTSC, Subtitled, DVD, Widescreen
Contributor John Lone, David Henry Hwang, Damir Andrei, David Hemblen, Barbara Sukowa, Vernon Dobtcheff, Jeremy Irons, Antony Parr, Shizuko Hoshi, Annabel Leventon, Margaret Ma, David Cronenberg, Richard McMillan, Ian Richardson See more
Language English
Runtime 1 hour and 41 minutes
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Product Description

Product Description

Screen adaptation of the acclaimed Broadway play. A French civil service officer risks and then abandons everything in his life in his obsessive pursuit of an enigmatic Chinese opera diva who harbors a secret.

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Playwright David Henry Hwang crafted his smash-hit stage play about love and illusion by mixing elements of a true story with echoes of Puccini's Madame Butterfly. When M. Butterfly came to the screen, certain aspects of its dramatic effect would have to be re-thought, a task given to David Cronenberg, still best known in 1993 as a director of brainy sci-fi and horror. Although the resulting film was widely considered a failure at the time, hindsight shows it to be a cool, controlled look at how various kinds of fictions infiltrate peoples' lives. The story takes off with a French diplomat, newly assigned to China in 1964, who falls hard for a performer in the Peking Opera; Cold War espionage enters the scene as well. Most viewers will not be surprised at the biggest twist in the tale, but that doesn't seem to have been Cronenberg's main interest in pursuing this story, and indeed the downplaying of the gimmicky possibilities actually increases the theme of a person (or a nation, given the political backdrop) willing himself to believe in things that are visibly not true. Hwang's script hits a little heavily on the critique of the Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing fantasy of the white man seducing the Asian woman, but the subtext of Sixties-era China and Vietnam certainly adds intrigue. Jeremy Irons is fine as the diplomat, a difficult and obtuse character, and John Lone is clipped and brittle in an equally complex role. A warm film it's not, and its themes are a little to skeletal to come to life. But better than its reputation? Absolutely. --Robert Horton

Product details

  • Aspect Ratio ‏ : ‎ 1.85:1
  • Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
  • MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ R (Restricted)
  • Package Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.4 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches; 3.2 ounces
  • Director ‏ : ‎ David Cronenberg
  • Media Format ‏ : ‎ Color, NTSC, Subtitled, DVD, Widescreen
  • Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 41 minutes
  • Release date ‏ : ‎ May 26, 2009
  • Actors ‏ : ‎ Jeremy Irons, John Lone, Barbara Sukowa, Ian Richardson, Annabel Leventon
  • Subtitles: ‏ : ‎ English, French
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
  • Studio ‏ : ‎ Warner Home Video
  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B001TK80CU
  • Writers ‏ : ‎ David Henry Hwang
  • Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 526 ratings

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
526 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Angel oneal
5.0 out of 5 stars Great movie
Reviewed in the United States on April 10, 2024
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One of my favourit films, great addition to my collection
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n3ptune
5.0 out of 5 stars Gorgeous film
Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2023
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I highly, highly recommend this film! It includes all the elements of excellent filmmaking: first rate cast; beautiful cinematography; first class writing; intrigue; surprises; withering romance; suspense, both political and social; excellent arc of tension in the storyline and an unforgettable finale.
I was living in the part of the world where the film wasn’t available when it came out 30 years ago and I’m very glad to have finally enjoyed seeing it. I watch many times more.
One person found this helpful
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Midwestern Dancer
4.0 out of 5 stars Pretty good movie
Reviewed in the United States on June 8, 2020
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This is a good movie; not a great movie. The acting is admirable, and the story is compelling, but somehow it doesn't quite cross the finish line... Interesting twist on the plot for the opera "Madame Butterfly."
2 people found this helpful
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DD1981
5.0 out of 5 stars Great movie!
Reviewed in the United States on May 9, 2023
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Unbelievable story and well made movie!
One person found this helpful
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Sylvia
5.0 out of 5 stars Love Butterflies
Reviewed in the United States on February 23, 2023
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I can’t believe I found this version have only found the operas.
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Marion Marino
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best films I’ve seen in a long while.
Reviewed in the United States on August 4, 2022
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Absolutely wonderful performances by two perfectly-cast actors. A twist on the opera’s story and a final scene brilliant in execution.
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tetrahymena
5.0 out of 5 stars Let the espionage begin!
Reviewed in the United States on March 3, 2018
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It was great to see this movie again, even though I already knew the plot twists and turns. The setting is the early years following the Chinese revolution and the period through the Cultural Revolution. A married French diplomat falls in love with a beautiful opera singer. Now, let the espionage begin!
2 people found this helpful
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Paul S. Person
3.0 out of 5 stars Bland Cronenberg
Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2020
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This is a spy story about a man so far gone he becomes the woman he loves.
Which makes it sound just great, given the director.
Unfortunately, it is flat as a pancake, and provides minimal context.
It isn't even obvious that the diplomats shown are French. For one thing, they /sound/ British.
But the real failure is its blandness. Stuff happens, to be sure. But the viewer never cares. Not even once.
Well, /this/ viewer, anyway. YMMV.
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Top reviews from other countries

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SARA
5.0 out of 5 stars Peliculaza
Reviewed in Spain on May 9, 2022
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Llevaba tiempo queriéndola tener y al final tuve que tirar de la edición italiana que también tiene incorporado el doblaje en castellano. Espectacular película: su argumento, Jeremy Irons ideal, Butterfly me encanta cómo actúa...
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Marco foini
5.0 out of 5 stars Bellissimo!
Reviewed in Italy on June 25, 2017
Verified Purchase
La regia è ottima e la sceneggiatura ben scritta, oltre a personaggi caratterizzati. Cronenberg, partendo da una storia vera e tenendo conto dell'opera pucciniana, ribalta l'assioma. Inoltre fondamentale la scoperta che avviene verso la fine della pellicola, simbolo dell'illusoria ricerca del protagonista. Finendo da segnalare le recitazioni di Jeremy Irons e John Lone.
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クロック
5.0 out of 5 stars 脚本も女形のジョン・ローンもドラマティック
Reviewed in Japan on November 28, 2020
Verified Purchase
日本語版はDVDすら未発売で、海外版もBlu-rayがないので仕方なくDVDを購入。在庫あり時点で注文したので2日で届きました。海外製らしく簡素なパッケージで、プラスチックケースが薄く表面がいつも少し凹んでいますが開閉には支障ありません。
以下、収録内容です(日本語対応なし)。
《字幕》英語 仏語 スペイン語 ＊吹替なし
《映像特典》
クローネンバーグ監督が語るエムバタフライ
オリジナル予告編

公開時はソン役のジョン・ローンの女形が話題になりました。ソン役候補のひとりに池畑慎之介(ピーター)が挙がっていたそうですが、言葉の問題でオーディションに落ちたとご本人が悔しそうにTVで語っていました。日本人としてはピーター版も観たかった気もしますが、スーツ姿でルネと対峙する護送車の場面は、立派な喉仏を見せたジョン・ローンの男性的な佇まいの方がよりドラマティックになって良かったと思います。

京劇の艶やかな女形、護送車の中睨み合うように向き合った後ふと女に入れ替わり挑発する表情、ありのままの自分をルネに受け入れてもらえないことに涙する後姿。少年時代から京劇で鍛え上げたジョン・ローンの優れた演技力は必見です。

この戯曲が1960年代から18年間に渡って起きた史実に基づいているということに驚きます。だからこそドラマティックな訳ですが、プッチーニ作曲歌劇「蝶々夫人」の有名なアリア『ある晴れた日に』の美しくドラマティックな旋律が、ソンとルネの出会いと永遠の別れの両場面で効果的に使われ、更にドラマティックに物語を盛り上げています。
Customer image
クロック
5.0 out of 5 stars 脚本も女形のジョン・ローンもドラマティック
Reviewed in Japan on November 28, 2020
日本語版はDVDすら未発売で、海外版もBlu-rayがないので仕方なくDVDを購入。在庫あり時点で注文したので2日で届きました。海外製らしく簡素なパッケージで、プラスチックケースが薄く表面がいつも少し凹んでいますが開閉には支障ありません。
以下、収録内容です(日本語対応なし)。
《字幕》英語 仏語 スペイン語 ＊吹替なし
《映像特典》
クローネンバーグ監督が語るエムバタフライ
オリジナル予告編

公開時はソン役のジョン・ローンの女形が話題になりました。ソン役候補のひとりに池畑慎之介(ピーター)が挙がっていたそうですが、言葉の問題でオーディションに落ちたとご本人が悔しそうにTVで語っていました。日本人としてはピーター版も観たかった気もしますが、スーツ姿でルネと対峙する護送車の場面は、立派な喉仏を見せたジョン・ローンの男性的な佇まいの方がよりドラマティックになって良かったと思います。

京劇の艶やかな女形、護送車の中睨み合うように向き合った後ふと女に入れ替わり挑発する表情、ありのままの自分をルネに受け入れてもらえないことに涙する後姿。少年時代から京劇で鍛え上げたジョン・ローンの優れた演技力は必見です。

この戯曲が1960年代から18年間に渡って起きた史実に基づいているということに驚きます。だからこそドラマティックな訳ですが、プッチーニ作曲歌劇「蝶々夫人」の有名なアリア『ある晴れた日に』の美しくドラマティックな旋律が、ソンとルネの出会いと永遠の別れの両場面で効果的に使われ、更にドラマティックに物語を盛り上げています。
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7 people found this helpful
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ERIKA
5.0 out of 5 stars Buena compra
Reviewed in Mexico on January 14, 2016
Verified Purchase
Una compra excelente! Amazon no falla, el envío súper rápido en el tiempo establecido, obtuve lo que pague. DVD nuevo, en buenas condiciones.
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saint-amans michele
5.0 out of 5 stars une histoire d'amour
Reviewed in France on September 13, 2013
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j'adore ce film plein de sensibilité qui nous montre comment un amour sans fond peut aveugler totalement un homme lui faisant perdre le sens des réalités et du bon sens.Mais c'est aussi un grand amour pour un pays mytique.Les acteurs sont excellents et arrivent même par moment à nous faire douter alors que dés le début nous savons la véritè
One person found this helpful
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