Is “Farewell My Concubine” a romance, and if so, between which characters? In your view, what is the central tragedy of the film? Do you think the film was made with “foreign” audiences in mind?

Is “Farewell My Concubine” a romance, and if so, between which characters? In your view, what is the central tragedy of the film? Do you think the film was made with “foreign” audiences in mind? Sean Metzger observes that there are a number of differences between the book upon which “Farewell My Concubine” was based and the movie itself, including (but not limited to) the increased importance of the woman figure in the movie version (played by Gong Li). He mentions that one effect of this change is to reproduce a late imperial rivalry “for the ground of femininity” between actors and courtesans. What does he mean? Finally, how does Metzger explain, in narrative terms, the films conclusion with the death of Dieyi? (I.e., who survives by the end of the film, and why?)