M. Butterfly

"Passion. Power. Revenge. In All Their Majesty."

1993 1h 41m EN

👍

6.6

SOLID

★6.6TMDB · 255

RomanceDramaHistory

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In 1960s China, French diplomat Rene Gallimard falls in love with opera singer Song Liling – but Song is not at all who Gallimard thinks.

“Passion. Power. Revenge. In All Their Majesty.”

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Cast

Jeremy Irons
René Gallimard
John Lone
Song Liling
Barbara Sukowa
Jeanne Gallimard
Annabel Leventon
Frau Baden
Shizuko Hoshi
Comrade Chin
Ian Richardson
Ambassador Toulon
Richard McMillan
Embassy Colleague
Vernon Dobtcheff
Agent Etancelin

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: David Cronenberg
Writers: David Henry Hwang
Languages: Mandarin, English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 9% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

33 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Mandarin, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by David Cronenberg, shot by Peter Suschitzky. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Howard Shore. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Ronald Sanders shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Jeremy Irons and John Lone and Barbara Sukowa carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Passion. Power. Revenge. In All Their Majesty.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

David Cronenberg directs. Peter Suschitzky behind the camera. Howard Shore scores. Ronald Sanders cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in Mandarin, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 9% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
233 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Mandarin, English.
4Directed by David Cronenberg, shot by Peter Suschitzky. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Howard Shore. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Ronald Sanders shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Jeremy Irons and John Lone and Barbara Sukowa carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Passion. Power. Revenge. In All Their Majesty.".
9IMDB entry: tt0107468 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.