Communications in Humanities Research ISSN: 2753-7072
Home> Volumes> Volume CHR Vol.28> Article
Research Article

Reading Farewell My Concubine Through Mirror Stage and Gaze

Sifan GaoZhengzhou Foreign Language School*

* Corresponding author: [email protected]

Abstract

Farewell My Concubine is a critical film, directed by Kaige Chen and based on the novel by Lilian Lee. The film takes a broader view of the novel and then brings out the tragedy of the history.In this work, I will use the mirror stage which introduced by Jacques Lacan and gaze theory which introduced by Laura Mulvey in 1975 to analyze the Chinese film called Farewell My Concubine. These two theory can explore the complex relationship between two major characters and discuss the effect of society traditional norms. Because the lack of the paper which analyzed this film do not refer to the anlysis in psychoanalysis, so I choose this title. From several theory and combine with some practical skill in making films, I summarize the process of change of Cheng Dieyi’s gender identity which effect by many people. I also analyze the social environment’s role in this film which caused the death of Cheng.

Keywords: Farewell My Concubine; Mirror Stage; Gender identity; Male gaze
Published: April 19, 2024
DOI: 10.54254/2753-7064/28/20230289
Volume: CHR Vol.28
pp. 182-186
Download PDF

References

  1. Chen, K. (Director). (1993, January 1). Farewell My Concubine. Tomson (Hong Kong) Films Limited.
  2. Mulvey, L. (1975). Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema. Screen. https://www.academia.edu/83212667/Visual_Pleasure_and_Narrative_Cinema
  3. Amor, C. B. (n.d.). Jacques Lacan; The Mirror Stage. Www.academia.edu. https://www.academia.edu/42199311/Jacques_Lacan_The_Mirror_Stage
  4. Cosker-Rowland, R. (2023). Gender Identity and Gender. Analysis. https://www.academia.edu/94272183/Gender_Identity_and_Gender
  5. Gieseking, J. J. (2008). Queer Theory (Encyclopedia Entry). Encyclopedia of Social Problems. https://www.academia.edu/26580788/Queer_Theory_Encyclopedia_Entry_
  6. Luo Shilin.( 2023).The Truth of Fictional Existence: Using Lacan's "Mirror Theory" to Analyze the Psychological Mechanism of Butterfly Yi in the Middle of "Farewell My Concubine" Jingu Cultural and Creative Creation (14), 4-8. doi:10.20024/j.cnki.CN42-1911/I.2023.14.001
  7. ZHANG Ruijie.( 2020).On the identity and subjective desire of Cheng Butterfly Yi in the movie "Farewell My Concubine" Audiovisual (04), 73-74. doi: 10.19395/j.cnki.1674-246x.2020.04.035