Annabel Leventon, Barbara Sukowa, Ian Richardson

The true story of the arrest of a French diplomat for leaking information to a Chinese opera singer he had an affair with for years, who was also a spy. The twist in the story is that the singer was a...( read more  read more... )ctually a man who deceived the diplomat into thinking he was a woman.

Flixster Users

73% liked it

4,383 ratings

Critics

47% liked it

17 critics

R, 1 hr. 41 min.

Directed by: David Cronenberg

Release Date: October 1, 1993

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DVD Release Date: May 18, 2006

Stats: 214 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (214)


  • January 16, 2009
    David Cronenberg's strength is bringing out the humanity of the oddest characters in the oddest situations. Perhaps the well-known story of M Butterfly was too narrow for him to experiment? Perhaps he decided it was best to stick to the play as faithfully as possible? I don't kno...( read more)w what happened, but the imaginative, irreverent, twisted, the king of psychosexual dramas that David Cronenberg has always been and that I have always loved, is repressed. Little inventiveness. All in all, a very conventional film.

    The upside: beautiful cinematography, excellent performance from John Lone and Jeremy Irons. Jeremy Irons can do no wrong. He always plays very similar, tortured characters, but does a great job in every occasion. Rene Gallimard is a blind, vague character, but Irons pulls out the best of him. I would watch the film only to see that.

    Bottomline: this could have been fantastic! It's just good.
  • September 13, 2006
    Muted but interesting Cronenberg film.
  • April 14, 2009
    David Cronenberg's most bland and disappointing work. Ironic, seeing how the source material is so interesting.
  • March 28, 2009
    One of David Cronenburg's best,M.Butterfly, is based on a true story. John Lone is awesome as madame butterfly and Jeremy Irons is in his usual cold, upper class self role. I simply enjoyed this gentleman on screen. Perfect casting for a director filming a moving story of love ...( read more)and loss.

    For those who love this story itself, you will definitely agree how this movie perfectly described a story which tells " only in real life could love become so unreal."

    Also this is a good movie to watch if you are interested in the type of movie which entangle east and west, love and betrayal, passion and illusion...
    Highly recommending..
  • December 27, 2007
    A personal favorite.
  • October 14, 2009
    Here's a shocker, David Cronenberg directing a movie about she-male Chinese spies. Only John Watters could get away with that. Utterly messed up cinema.
  • September 25, 2009
    Jeremy Irons is simple AMAZING
  • August 5, 2009
    I could not believe how incredibly dull M. Butterfly was. I've been told the play is absolutely enthralling. Therefore, I expected more of the film, which didn't become interesting until the last 20 minutes.
  • July 22, 2009
    good movie!!!! I don't believe that that man could have been with a woman who was really a man for that many years without knowing.
  • June 9, 2009
    Just too sad for me...a real heartbreaker.

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