CINEMATIC ADVENTURES WITH NEFERTITIShénnǚ/The Goddess (1934, Wu Yonggang)
“Many of her films seem to reflect her life, as if she was living in her films” - Sun Dongmei
Considered by some as the greatest silent film produced in China, The Goddess exemplifies 1930s Chinese realist filmmaking and remains the showcase of legendary Shanghai film star, Ruan Lingyu. Her sorrowful beauty, colored by real-life tragedy, and unusually realistic acting style culminated in “images of women of different social strata who were maltreated to death under the feudal code of ethics”. Depicting a shamed, suffering young mother in Shanghai driven to prostitution, the film “bravely avoided the cliched ‘prostitute with a heart of gold’ portrayal, [instead becoming] a social critique of contemporary China; an environment which could force a woman to such extreme actions in order to survive.” In real life, those extremes were reached at the apex of her career, when malicious gossip from the press drove Ruan to suicide at the age of 24, shocking the public and drawing a crowded funeral of thousands. Her abrupt death led to intense scrutiny on tabloid media. “She was a victim of society and the lowly status of women then,” says Liu Xiaolei, a professor from the Beijing Film Academy. China’s first actress to earn widespread acclaim, Ruan was the subject of Stanley Kwan’s acclaimed 1991 biopic Centre Stage starring Maggie Cheung. (1, 2)
(via sharksinspace)
