M Butterfly

            The movie “M Butterfly” was a very peculiar film because it brought together the themes of gender, ethnicity, politics, art, and love. I believe that the two themes which were the main focus of the film were gender and a combination of art and ethnicity. The theme of gender was expressed many times throughout the movie by having an Asian man portray a woman and ultimately creating a way for Gallimard to fall in love with him. This falls along the lines of ethnicity and the culture that was explained to be dominated by males because through the eyes of that culture, men are the only ones who know how a woman should act. By making the man portray a woman in the movie, the theme of gender roles through the Asian culture was brought to light. As the movie went on the themes of art and ethnicity were eventually shown as well. In the film Gallimard would often go to the Chinese theatre and watch how stories of their culture were portrayed through different plays. As the movie went on Gallimard was able to understand the Chinese culture through the plays and also through whom he believed was his Madame Butterfly. He was told that Western countries look down upon the Asian countries and in the story of “M Butterfly” the white man fell in love with the Asian woman, but the Asian woman ended up committing suicide, which is what makes the story romantic. The way men are put in front of the women in the Asian culture is what makes this movie backwards because instead of a Western man falling in love with an Asian woman he falls in love with an Asian man. As a result of Gallimard realizing the truth, he is the one in turn that commits suicide. The movie might be doing this to make fun of the western culture because the man was able to deceive Gallimard by telling him about the Chinese culture he belonged to.