Farewell to My Concubine

The film version of this novel, which created a furor at this year's Cannes Film Festival, might well be more satisfying than the novel itself, which has both an irresistible setting and a smart plot crying for more heartfelt emotion than the wooden reactions Lee has given to her characters. The title comes from the name of a Peking Opera classic that is also the preferred showpiece of Duan Xiaolou and Cheng Dieyi, two actors who have been together since they started as young boys under the same strict master. Xiaolou becomes a sheng , playing generals and other male leads, while Dieyi becomes a dan , playing his consort, concubine and other female leads in the all-male Peking Opera. Completely immersed in his role, Dieyi falls in love with his ``general.'' Much to his chagrin, Xiaolou prefers a common prostitute. Alternately feted and despised, the two friends weather the vicissitudes of the nationalists, the Japanese occupation, early communism and final humiliation at the hands of the Cultural Revolution. The author of The Last Princess of Manchuria has tailored an intricate brocade gown, but has neglected to put a body inside it. (Sept.)