M. Butterfly (film)

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M. Butterfly
Theatrical poster for M. Butterfly.
Directed by	David Cronenberg
Produced by	Gabriella Martinelli
Written by	David Henry Hwang David Henry Hwang (play)
Starring	Jeremy Irons John Lone Barbara Sukowa Ian Richardson
Music by	Howard Shore
Cinematography	Peter Suschitzky
Editing by	Ronald Sanders
Distributed by	Warner Bros.
Release date(s)	September 9, 1993 (TIFF) October 1, 1993
Running time	101 min
Country	USA
Language	English
IMDb profile

M. Butterfly is a 1993 film directed by David Cronenberg. The screenplay is by David Henry Hwang based on his play of the same name. Jeremy Irons and John Lone star, with Ian Richardson, Barbara Sukowa and Annabel Leventon.

Loosely based on true events, the movie concerns René Gallimard, a French diplomat (Irons) assigned to Beijing, China in the 1960s. He becomes infatuated with a Chinese opera performer, Song (Lone), who spies on him for government information under orders from the Chinese government. Their affair lasts for twenty years, with Gallimard all the while apparently unaware (or wilfully ignorant) of the fact that in traditional Chinese opera, all roles are performed by men. Eventually, Gallimard betrays his country and is tried for treason, which forces him to face the truth about his relationship. Faced with the unbearable truth that his lover is actually male, he himself takes on the role of Butterfly, the woman who died for the sake of an illusory love.

One theme of the film (as with the play) is Orientalist stereotypes, but Cronenberg removed many of the political overtones from the story in order to focus more intensely on the relationship between Gallimard and Song. A key line in the film is "A man knows best how a woman is supposed to act." As in other Cronenberg films such as Dead Ringers and Naked Lunch, a major concern is the blurring or reversal of sexual roles, and the psychological effects of this exchange on those involved. Cronenberg also altered the tone of the original play significantly; while the play is at times extremely and very intentionally comedic (most of the humor coming from the irony or absurdity of the protagonists' situation), the film is strangely serious throughout.