Course:ASIA355/2024/Forever Enthralled: Mei LanFang’s Spiritual Breakthrough and the Transitional Future of Peking Opera
Forever Enthralled: Mei LanFang’s Spiritual Breakthrough and the Transitional Future of Peking Opera
Based upon Chen Kaige's film Forever Enthralled (Chinese: 梅兰芳), released in December 2008.
Group Members' Contributions
| Introduction | SL |
| Stories Behind the Film | SL |
| History of Reception | SL |
| Scholarly Literature Review | AD |
| Comparative Analysis | JW |
| Alternative Interpretation | AD |
| Conclusion | JW |
Introduction
The movie Forever Enthralled was directed by Fifth-Generation filmmaker Cheng Kaige and released on December 8th, 2008 in China. The main characters in the film are Mei Lanfan (portrayed by Xu Shaoqun and Li Ming), Qiu Rubai (portrayed by Sun Honglei), Shi Sanyan (portrayed by Wang Xuezhe), Feng Ziguang (portrayed by Ying Da), Meng Xiaodong (portrayed by Zhang Ziyi).
The story starts with Young Wan Hua (Mei Lanfa’s real name) receiving a letter from his Da Bai who was punished and put on a paper yoke because he didn’t wear red at Empress Dowanger’s birthday. In the letter, Da Bai asked Wan Hua to quit the opera and never perform anymore because Peking Opera actors are not been respected during that time. However, Wan Hua still chose to stay in the Li Yuan Garden and became a famous actor who is known as Mei Lanfang.
After listening to the speech of Qiu Rubai, Wan Hua wants to make some changes to the old script, but it is turned down by Shi Sanyan who is Wan Hua’s master. As a result, Wan Hua challenged Shi Sanyan as a way of proving himself and the new script. In the end, the new script performed by Wan Hua attracted a larger amount of audience and thus won the competition with Shi Sanyan, which also made Mei Lanfang’s name become more famous in China.
Only being famous in China is not enough for Qiu Rubai who quit his job to help Wan Hua, he wants to make the world know Mei Lanfang’s name. However, Wan Hua does not want to go to New York because if he fails he will lose everything. While Wan Hua is hesitating and lost in his thoughts, Meng Xiaodong who truly understands him appears in his life, thus, Wan Hua and Xiaodong quickly fall in love. However, this has interfered with their plan of going to America, as a result, Qiu Rubai hired Liu Xichang to pretend to be Mei Lanfan’s fan, to assassinate Mei Lanfan and force Xiaodong to leave him. As a result, Xiaodong left, and Wan Hua went to New York to perform. The performance was highly praised in New York which has made Mei Langfang famous around the world.
Being famous not only brings fortune but also comes with bad things. In 1937, Japan invaded Beijing, they realized Mei Langfan’s fame and his influence on Chinese citizens, thus they wanted to force Mei Lanfang to perform and use cultural invasion to control China. However, Mei Lanfang refused to perform for the invaders, and showed his attitude in public, as a result, the Japanese had no choice but to let him go. In 1945, after the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japan, Mei Lanfang finally stepped back to the stage again, and Mei Lanfang finally proved to the world that an opera actor could become a respectful figure.
Stories Behind the Film
Mei Lanfang’s character shaping and expression
Mei Langfang was living in a time when a lot of historical events and changes happened such as the third of those shown in the movies -- the ending of the Qing dynasty, the intrusion of Japan, and the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japan. However, Chen Kaige does not want to focus on the role Mei Lanfang played in those historical events, instead, he wants to focus only on Mei Lanfang himself as an actor, and that has created the artistic image of Mei Lanfang in the movie [1]. As a result, the movie shows how Mei Lanfang overcomes the fear in his life, such as the fear of failing in New York and losing everything, and also how he was been deified by the audience and the lack of liberty he has. For example, Qiu Rubai even hired Liu Xichang to assassinate just to get Xiaodong to leave Mei Lanfang and make Wu Hua go to New York, also like Zhifang who is Wu Hua’s wife said “We don’t own Mei Langfang, the audience owns Mei Lanfang.” as a result, Mei Lanfang does not have any liberty to pursuit for love or personal life.
Director Cheng Kaige’s high expectations and pursuit of art
According to Chen Hong who portrayed Zhifang who is also director Cheng Kaige’s wife, Cheng Kaige enjoys being alone and brainstorming about the film, and Chen Hong believes that is the happiness time of Chen Kaige’s life[1]. As a result, even though Chen Kaige stay up late and does not have enough sleep at night, she does not feel sorry for Kaige[1]. Other people in the crew have described Chen Kaige as a kid, he would laugh, jump, and scream if he saw a good scene, and loudly complement the actor or actress. In contrast, he has a high expectation for each scene and shoot, he will not let go of even small details. He will criticize actors or actresses, even his own wife. He made Chen Hong repeatedly walk back and forth on the doorway twenty times just to get the right atmosphere of that scene.
Cheng Kaige’s high expectations are not only applied to his actors and actresses, but also for the setup and location of each shot. This movie has in total spent 1,500,000 USD dollars and used more than a hundred different places, even just theatres they have used and built seven of them. According to Cheng Kaige, it is necessary to have different theatres as each represents a different class of audience and a representation of Mei Langfang’s fame and success. For example, the first theatre Guangde Lou represented the lower-class audience, Huairen Tang represented the higher-class audience, and the threat on 49th Street in New York represented the international audience[1]. Other than the audience, different theatres have represented different stages of Mei Langfang’s actor career and reflected on his popularity. Different theatre has different meanings for Mei Langfang, for example, the threat on 49th Street in New York has represented Mei Langfang’s name is not only known by Chinese people, but by the world.
Cheng Kaige’s high expectations of both actors and the scene have made the movie Forever Enthralled full of detail and quality, which has successfully created a classical movie.
Histories of the Film’s Reception
Chinese audience attitude
On this most popular movie review website of China Dou Ban, the movie Forever Enthralled only got six points nine out of ten and four and a half stars, and about half of the audience has rated it as three stars. Most of the reviewers on Dou Ban think that the first half of the movie (the completion between Shi Sanyan and Wu Hua) is interesting, but the second half to the end of the movie (trip to New York and victory of the War of Resistance Against Japan) is a bit slow and dilatory. In addition, a lot of audiences have compared this film with Farewell My Concubine which was also directed by Chen Kaige and both are about similar topics. Some people say the great success of Farewell My Concubine has given Chen Kaige too much pressure, as a result, he wants to shoot something with a similar genre to recreate the success of Farewell My Concubine, and that is the reason why Chen Kaige chose to produce the movie Forever Enthralled[2]. Some reviewers even claim Chen Kaige is too old to be a director, he is just like Shi Sanyan in his movie, and he is not as talented as before[2].
There is less discussion on historical events included in the film as Chen Kaige put most attention on Mei Lanfang himself instead of historical events such as the 1937 Japan invaded Beijing and the 1947 victory of the War of Resistance Against Japan.
Western perspective
In contrast to the criticism from the Chinese audience, some Western media have praised the film design, clothing and makeup, as well as location choice [3]. Also, the Hollywood reporter has described the film as less exotic but still very "traditional and elegantly mounted.” [3]
However, on the IMDB website, where most Western audiences made reviews for this film, this film only got six points seven out of ten, and some of the reviewers have even described they were disappointed after watching this film as they expected more from Chen Kaige[4]. A lot of reviewers has also compared this film with Farewell My Concubine, however, most of them believe this film is less interesting compared to Farewell My Concubine, and some reviewers describe it as “hardly an echo of Farewell My Concubine” [5].
Scholarly Literature Review
Freedom and the “Paper Yoke”
In the movie Forever Enthralled, the paper yoke begins as a physical paper chain placed on Mei Lanfang’s Dabai (大伯). A slice cut can take his life, and this became a lifetime trauma that haunted Mei. Mei has never been put under the physical paper yoke, however, he and his family have been regulated by the “spiritual” paper yoke in multiple aspects of their lives. It started with his grandfather Shi Sanyan, who was trapped by the old patriarchal thought of how opera actors act and failed to change this image. As Wei et al. have suggested, Mei’s challenge of Shi is not to gain freedom from the traditions but to gain a tighter yoke of the new era.[6] Taking a closer look at Mei’s life, we see he was “kidnapped” by love, seats/audiences, and status.
Mei has always desired a loving relationship with Meng Xiaodong (emotional freedom different from his marriage with Fu Zhifang), but Qiu Rubai and Fu stopped him. They both think Mei’s success is based on his purity (干净), loneliness, and opera talents; Meng’s freedom and love would ruin Mei and the future of Peking Opera. As Meng left Mei, Mei returned to the stage and was again put under the paper yoke. The most prominent aspect of the spiritual paper yoke put on Mei is the “seats” (座儿)/opera audiences.[6] Starting from youth, Mei has been forced to rush onto different stages, regardless of his physical or mental state. He consistently needs to worry about people’s judgments, applause, and preferences so that his seats can be sold. Mei became a sacrifice of the time when pleasing the seats became the only purpose of his life (or seats are his life). Lastly, Mei was restricted by the social status of opera actors; as Shi Sanyan has described in the film, they are seen as the lower nine tiers (下九流) and need to please the audience for a laugh. It then became a generation's goal for Mei to improve the social status of opera actors. By doing so, he refused to perform for the Japanese actors to fight for the nation, Shi, and himself. However, at the film's end, he returned to the stage and the paper yoke of actors.[6] Everyone wants to see the lively Mei with emotions and desires, but with the paper yoke, Mei can never have freedom and live an ordinary life.
Gender Representation and crossdressing in Forever Enthralled
As a biographical drama, Forever Enthralled offers a realistic portrayal of Mei Lanfang’s life story. The film depicts Mei Lanfang as a talented actor and a lovable person who exhibits extraordinary femininity on stage and strong masculinity off stage. In contrast to Farewell My Concubine, where the character Dieyi portrays gender confusion and complex psychological struggle, Mei's portrayal in Forever Enthralled is more relatable and closer to his actual personality. Mei once said that the highest realm of art in traditional Chinese female impersonation is gender identification. Dan actors (female impersonators) had to transform their hearts, feelings, and appearance to make their postures truthful and lifelike on stage. Gender awkwardness can be evident when these goals are not achieved, as seen when Mei wears a white Western suit while playing Dan and a 'Qipao' (旗袍) playing Laosheng in a private gathering. Being a master female impersonator like Mei meant transcending gender on a daily basis and balancing sex, gender, and performance on stage.[7]
Another issue with transvestitism is the “transgender gaze”; this refers to how the audience perceives gender. In Forever Enthralled, Mei is followed by male and female fans. Male audiences can project their erotic desires (情欲) onto the beauty that Mei portrays, while female audiences can see the charm and talented man beneath the costumes. Onstage, Mei achieved the exquisite skill of breaking the compulsory gender divide. Yet, he displayed great masculine courage and determination in real life. When he refused to perform for the Japanese army, even under threat of his life and being called a ‘presumptuous woman onstage,’ he famously replied, ‘[but] offstage I am a man,' as a powerful statement. Through this, Mei achieved the ultimate goal of 'raising the status of the theatre players’ in people’s hearts and earned international fame with his strong spirit.[7]
Film and Reality
It's always fascinating to explore the differences between historical reality and how it is depicted in films. In the case of Forever Enthralled, there are noticeable discrepancies between the actual events and the portrayal in Chen Kaige's biographical drama. For example, the film depicts Mei's love life with Meng Xioadong differently from reality. In truth, Mei had two legal marriages before a secret marriage with Meng during his second marriage. Meng, portrayed as a countryside girl in the film, actually specialized in mature male roles (老生) in the theater. Additionally, she publicly divorced Mei later in their marriage for her own career and became the true inheritor of the "Yu school," known as the "Winter Empress"(冬皇). [8]
Another embellished character in the film is Xiu Rubai (real name Qi Rushan). In the movie, he is shown as an overseas-educated young man from a law enforcement background, but in reality, he only learned German and French at "The Tongwen Institute" and never worked in law enforcement. It is also not accurate that judiciary members couldn't be friends with actors, unlike the portrayal in the film. Furthermore, his relationship with Mei differed from the film, as Mei did not initially acknowledge his passionate letters, and Qi was not the main director of Mei's operas as depicted.[8]
The film also depicts Mei's personality as brave and confrontational, but in reality, Mei had a softer character and avoided direct conflicts whenever possible. There are also discrepancies in how Mei handled certain situations, such as instead of getting a typhoid injection as acted in the film, Mei took a round way boat only to avoid the Japanese-occupied province, where he didn’t even let the Japanese find him. He also replied to neither Xiaodong’s divorce announcement nor Qi’s book, bragging about his contribution to Mei’s career. It's worth noting that Mei never challenged anyone in his career and followed the internal rules of the theatre throughout his life (the event with Shi Sanyan was completely made up). Despite these discrepancies, Forever Enthralled is still considered an excellent film. However, it could have been even better if it delved deeper into the emotions and perceptions of the opera troupes and affairs during the Republican period.[8]
Comparative Analysis
The Theme of “Celebrities” Struggles: Forever Enthralled and Never Say Never
Both Forever Enthralled (Chen Kaige, 2008) and Never Say Never (Wang Baoqiang, 2023) are based on true stories that explore the lives and growth of two notable figures from different eras, the early 20th century and the early 21st century. Both movies depict a similar theme of the underclass’s struggles to break free from limitations. In Forever Enthralled, Mei Lanfang faces status struggles as opera figures are deemed part of the "lower nine tiers" (下九流). Despite his astonishing achievements, he must still adhere to certain unwritten rules. Moreover, in Never Say Never, the focus shifts to poverty struggles. Su Mu, who becomes a fighting star, has to overcome various difficult obstacles to rise above his impoverished circumstances. In fact, one might argue that both celebrities’ struggles represent a common endeavor for people striving to succeed. However, this hardship may be a systematic issue experienced primarily by the underclass.
By comparing the two cinematic works, this comparison examines the hardships of the two celebrities, revealing the similarities and differences across the two eras. The comparison matters as it aims to provide insights into the argument above and help people understand the phenomenon in China from a cinematic point of view. The paper explores the theme through three aspects to launch the analysis: historical context, the form of the limitation (the cage), and how individuals cope with these challenges.
The Historical Context: Lower Nine Tiers and Modern Development
Forever Enthralled is set in the early 20th century, a period marked by feudalism. Hrubec marks that it is an imperial model in which "administrative positions were largely reproduced in the elite social group ... [and] unlike ... other lower social groups, had the means to support and educate its offspring"[9]. This hierarchical system is deeply embedded in historical China and illustrates social divisions based on nobility and power dynamics of the time. These disparities and unequal relationships between the classes are obvious in the film.
The actors experienced a very low social status despite their fame and achievements. In one of the scenes, Master Shi Sanyan is unwilling to reform the play, not because he is old and conservative, but due to the “lack of respect in which… [operas] are held” (Clip: 23:32 - 23:47). In Shi Sanyan's view, they are considered to belong to the 'lower nine tiers' (下九流). This social segregation becomes even more apparent when Wan Hua visits Qiu Rubai's house to find him. Upon hearing Wan Hua's arrival, Qiu's mother immediately changes her facial expression to show her disapproval, and explains to her friends that "the Mr. Mei of our acquaintance is no singer" (Clip: 16:20 - 16:59). Her attempt to distance her family from the actor indicates the social disparities and her concern about the negative impact of Wan Hua's arrival on her family's image.
Chen uses a medium shot with a shallow depth of field that centers on Qiu's mother and the others at the table. This framing coupled with the dark setting, elegant attires, and a maid standing at the back preparing to take orders emphasizes the immediate social context and the reasoning behind her reaction.
Similarly, in Never Say Never, director Wang Baoqiang uses various techniques to showcase the severity of Su Mu’s modern struggles. Both works portray systematic issues within society. While in Forever Enthralled, professional status plays a crucial role, in Never Say Never, the focus moves to issues of authority, power, and financial and intellectual prosperity as society evolves. Wang, instead of using storytelling methods like Chen in his work, centers on Xiang Tenghui, Su Mu’s coach, who reflects on past events to present the narrative of the film.
The Cage - Paper Yoke and Poverty
While the scholarly review of ‘Paper Yoke’ earlier in the article reflects ‘the lower nine-tier’ cage on Wan Hua throughout his life, Wang reveals the adverse impact of poverty on individuals in the contemporary world. Due to Xiang Tenghui’s lack of power and money, he is unable to protect his students, particularly Su Mu, from being mistreated. Moreover, Su Mu, who grows up in poverty, can barely feed himself and his sister. He lacks primary education and cannot read and write. This lack of financial and intellectual resources prevents him from breaking free from the limitations of poverty until a significant turn of fate brings him into contact with his benefactor, Coach Xiang.
Wang uses the 180-degree rule in editing to draw the relationship between Su and Coach Xiang. Su emphasizes his gratitude to Xiang that, without the sport fighting, he would never have become an impactful figure in his journey or escaped ‘the poverty cage’ (Clip 1:04:02 - 1:04:27). The shallow depth of field and high-key lighting direct the audience focus to the conversation, reinforcing the thematic message, ‘never say never.’ In summary, the technique used by the two directors to portray the similar theme of ‘the cage’ differs.
Additionally, according to Wei Wei, ‘the cage’ depicted in Wang’s film represents a realistic and materialistic limitation within the modern context; without a fortunate opportunity, many individuals cannot see beyond this confined perspective and access the broader society.[10] Although the form of ‘the cage’ differs between the two films, the profound meaning of the underclass’s difficulties intersects.
The Resolution in Two Eras
When Mei Lanfang encounters the Japanese forces' demand to perform, he refuses by injecting himself with a medical shot to induce illness. While his avoidance may not be the best solution, it signifies his effort to stand against the Japanese invaders (2:21:44). This decision also symbolizes Mei’s approach to facing limitations - to endure and shoulder the responsibility himself.
In contrast, in Never Say Never, with advancements in society’s technology, Xiang and Su seek public support. Unlike Mei Lanfang, who chooses to endure and sacrifice himself, Xiang exposes the story and injustice by going on stage. The medium shot from behind Xiang, standing alone on stage facing the crowd with a shallow depth of field, highlights his minor influence on the tide of society (1:32:55).
In short, societal restrictions persist across time. They may come in different forms, but the oppressive nature does not change. Master Mei’s willingness to harm himself marks his struggles, and reflects his determination to fulfill Master ShiShan’s trust, preserve his country's dignity, and protect himself and future generations. Similarly, Su’s efforts to pursue his dreams and change his destiny amplify Wang’s portrayal of harsh realities.[11] While many may travel this path to reach their goals, there is enough evidence to suggest that the underclass faces more difficult and harsh circumstances.
Alternative Interpretation
Is Paper Yoke Truly Unbreakable?
Opera actors suffered from poor reputations in the late Qing Dynasty. As criticized by Wei and his group, Mei Lanfang wanted to live an ordinary life but has yet to achieve this goal due to the paper yoke placed on him by being a famous Peking Opera singer. [6] Mei has suffered restrictions on his love life and life decisions due to the need to please audiences and the social status given in the patriarchal society. In Forever Enthralled, Mei constantly mentioned that he wants to break this paper yoke and have the freedom to make significant decisions in his life. Still, he eventually became a sacrifice for the new era and a puppet for the Peking Opera industry.[6]
Contrary to Wei’s perspective, although there are new expectations and limitations surrounding him, Mei successfully breaks the paper yoke twice during the film. This is distinctly shown when Mei has the guts to challenge the traditional theatre (represented by Shi Sanyan) and when he refuses to perform for the Japanese even if Qiu Rubai insists on keeping the Peking Opera alive. The point here is that different from the previous generations (Da Bai’s wish for Mei to leave theatre/梨园行 or Shi Sanyan’s conservative factions), Mei is the first person who dares to challenge the paper yoke and, in fact, takes action in breaking it. One could argue that Mei has suffered from the spiritual paper yoke but Mei was never a rule follower; he was a revolutionist for freedom and innovation, following his personal standards for the good, the evil, the beautiful, and the ugly (善恶美丑).
Clip 1 (23:18-26:00) - Challenge the Old
The first paper yoke Mei Lanfang breaks is the old-fashion rules left by the patriarchal society. After completing the first revised edition of the traditional opera Fenhewan (汾河湾), Mei and Shi appeared backstage at an old theatre Mei was happy about the change made by Shi. Mei walked in from the left of the frame with a deep depth of field on the old theatre backstage on his back; this provided an environmental message symbolizing the oppressive traditional rules of the opera world (Mei has to navigate through these rules/frames to find Shi). In the next shot, the time era that Mei and Shi represent is again highlighted by Director Chen. Starts was a medium close-up of Shi sitting in front of a wood folding screen (屏风), representing the old tradition, while Mei sat with a clear and bright background (with nothing behind him), signifying the new and unknown.
When Shi suggested that changing the script would mean capricious and unreliable, Mei argues that what matters is the opera itself and that what's good will always shine. This sets the stage for a battle between old and new. After Fei Erye asks them to step up a competition, with Shi to continue performing the old operas, Mei is able to follow the new scripts that Qiu changed, starting a battle between generations. Shi responds to the challenge by asserting his status as a lifelong performer, while Mei, rather than directly replying, thanks Master Shi for the support and walks away without looking back. In the last shot, Shi's body language can be seen through a mirror reflection as Mei walks away, leaving Shi in the framed mirror. Mei's departure signifies the breaking of the old traditions, surprising Shi and possibly representing a step that Shi himself had wanted to take but never dared. To bring new trails to Peking Opera would mean to break the paper yoke that the old generations have carried for hundreds of years. This signifies a new era for Peking Opera, breaking the age-old constraints of traditional generations.
Clip 2 (1:57:53 - 2:00:37) - Challenge the Authority
After the Japanese invasion, Mei was forced by both Qiu Rubai, the show business, and the Japanese military to continue his opera performances. Qiu wanted Peking opera to survive through the war, show business owners wanted to profit from Mei’s shows, and the Japanese army wanted Mei to perform as a way of showing their dominance over China.
In this scene, Mei is taken into an interrogation room after rejecting the Japanese Major Tanaka at home. The military chief is standing above Mei on both physical and hierarchical levels. When Tanaka acted as a translator, the chief was standing on the second floor, looking down at Mei. By using an over-shoulder shot with rack focus on Mei, he stood up turned towards the chief, and confronted him directly. This shows that even if he seems tiny facing the chief, his willpower is much stronger than his physical body. Later in this scene, the chief is pissed by Mei’s attitude and calls him a “stupid woman” on stage. Even if threatened with his life, Mei said ‘But off stage, I am a man’ without even moving his head. This scene shows Mei Lanfang’s determination to stick with his boundaries of good and evil in front of death and authorities. In this case, the authority could be seen as the new paper yoke placed on him after the Japanese invasion. Instead of the hesitation he had with Qi’s desire for him to continue Peking Opera (chains of opera survival), Mei had a resolute attitude towards the military chief (chains of authority oppression).
Mei Lanfang’s Chase for Freedom
It is widely argued that Mei's decision to return to the stage at the end of the film was influenced by his sense of duty when he was held captive by the expectations of others and the importance of Peking opera as a representation of the Chinese spirit after the war. [6] However, it's important to note that Mei's choice to resume performing after the Anti-Japanese War was not forced by the paper yoke of heritage, but rather a personal decision made of his own free will, where he was no longer under Qiu Rubai's control or the patriarchal rules. This aspect is also evident at the beginning of the film when Qiu criticizes Peking Opera by saying, "[Whereas] great theatre shows how to break rules." (而真的好戏, 是得带着人打破人生的规矩 11:14). Mei has broke the paper yoke on his way of chasing freedom and authentic arts.
Conclusion
Forever Enthralled is director Chen Kaige’s painstaking work after the success of Farewell My Concubine. He aims to provide his audience with a similar level of artistic literature as his earlier classical creation. However, the standards and expectations were set too high. Both domestic and international markets responded with relative disappointment. Many critics argued that it was not even comparable to Farewell My Concubine. The theme, genre, and overall quality were significantly lower. Nonetheless, it is important to evaluate the film on its own merits, and Forever Enthralled deserves recognition as a respectable creation. On the crafting side, Chen Kaige and his team invested considerable effort and resources into the film and involved multiple popular actors in the performance. Additionally, the theme of Wan Hua’s journey - to grow from struggles and setbacks, both personally and professionally, to break free from the limitations of the ‘Paper Yoke’ imposed on opera actors - is meaningful. Wan Hua not only overcomes these obstacles, but also transcends the growth into a higher level of life, devoting not only to the development of himself and the Peking Opera, but also the broader society. Hence, Forever Enthralled is a worthy movie for many who are interested in studying China, particularly for exploring the societal challenges faced by underclass individuals during the early and mid-20th century.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 牵着猪吹风O_o (2017/11/21). "【梅兰芳】电影拍摄花絮&主创专访". bilibili. Check date values in:
|date=(help) - ↑ 2.0 2.1 胤祥 (2008-12-04). "梅兰芳：谁毁了陈凯歌的寂寞？". 豆瓣.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Xu, Christine. "Film Review: Forever Enthralled by Chen Kaige".
- ↑ webbertiger. "Not Enthralled -- messages to the team". IMDB.
- ↑ Victoriah06. "Do not see this film". IMDB.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 ""浅析电影《梅兰芳》的意象创作——牢不可破之"纸枷锁"". 戏剧之家. J905. February 2016 – via 中国知网.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 He, Chengzhou (09 Jul 2013). "Performance and the politics of gender: transgender performance in contemporary Chinese films". A Journal of Feminist Geography. 21 – via Taylor & Francis. Check date values in:
|date=(help) - ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Jin, Fu (Spring–Summer 2010). "Reflections on the Film Forever Enthralled (Mei Lanfang)". The Opera Quarterly. 26: 476–485 – via Project MUSE.CS1 maint: date format (link)
- ↑ Hrubec, Marek (2020). "THE HISTORICAL RESOURCES OF CHINA'S MODEL: RELEVANCE TO THE PRESENT1". HUMAN AFFAIRS. 30: 7 – via DE G. line feed character in
|title=at position 43 (help) - ↑ Wei, Wei (Dec 2023). 跳出困住自己的“笼”——观《八角笼中》有感. G634.3. 中国知网: 基础教育. p. 1.
- ↑ Wang, Jie; Qin, Hongyang (Dec 2023). ""穷人末路"电影《八角笼中》的现实主义表达". 中国知网. J905: 1 – via cnki.net.