Miscast, misguided screen-adaptation of the hit Broadway play about Caucasian French Intelligence Official in 1960s China who becomes obsessed with a mysterious Chinese opera singer. Jeremy Irons would seem to be a good choice for the lead, but his character is a moody, unconvincing jumble and Irons' performance turns into a series of faint little twitches. John Lone appears to be a most confident and intriguing screen actor, but he is not 'drag' material. A subplot about a pregnancy is confounding, making the Frenchman look like an immature dupe, and for what purpose? (that story thread is dropped almost as quickly as it is brought up). The movie is artificially handsome, with a pretty (if familiar) background score and overripe Chinese decor. If the intention was to create a deliberately artificial scenario to match a distinctly unlikely story, the results might be called a success, since nothing quite rings true in "M. Butterfly". *1/2 from ****
Review of M. Butterfly
