Movies at Mechanics' Presents: M Butterfly (1993)

A French diplomat falls for a beautiful Chinese opera singer in 1960s China. But is this relationship really what it seems? Starring Jeremy Irons, and based on David Henry Hwang’s Pulitzer Prize-winning drama, M Butterfly challenges our assumptions, cultural biases, and the very nature of love itself.

M Butterfly is based on the real-life romance between diplomat Bernard Boursicot and Shi Pei Pu. Playwright David Henry Hwang saw the literary potential in the true events, and used Puccini’s opera Madama Butterfly as a framework for a retelling of the story, interweaving themes of gender fluidity and Western cultural hegemony.

It became a significant work in the theatre canon of the 1980s, spawning numerous theatrical revivals as well as this film version directed by David Cronenberg. Hwang himself wrote the screenplay, but Cronenberg made the film his own–excising scenes that he felt wouldn’t go over well with audiences, and scenes that he personally disliked. Cronenberg invested a great deal in the film, engrossing himself in research for historical and cultural accuracy. It became his most expensive production to date. Thousands of extras were cast in the film to play Chinese guards and performers on the operatic stage, and the costume designer (Cronenberg’s sister Denise) designed 5,979 costumes.

In spite of this painstaking work, the film failed to make a profit at the box office. But its importance reawakens in 2025, as we reckon with diversities in gender expression and cultural assumptions.

Movies at Mechanics' has welcomed film enthusiasts for classic cinema screenings and salons on Friday evenings for over 20 years. Join us for fresh popcorn, lively discourse, and your favorite films the first three Fridays of the month. Hosted by Lara Gabrielle, film writer and author of Captain of Her Soul: The Life of Marion Davies.

Join us as we close out January's film screenings at the Institute with a classic. Stay tuned for February!

Members: $5

Non-Members: $10