Chinese Title: Ruan Ling-yu
Stanley
Kwan Director
Maggie
Cheung Ruan.................. Ling-yu (Golden Horse)
Carina Lau.................................. Lily Li
Tony Leung Ka Fai...................... Tsai Chu-sheng
Lawrence Ng............................... Chang Ta-Min
Year of release: 1992
Ruan Ling-yu
was reputedly China's most famous and adored silent screen
actress in the 1920s and 30s, often inviting comparisons with
her contemporary Marlene Dietrich. Her private life, in contrast
to the characters she chose to play later in her career, was
tumultuous and unhappy, her relationships with men often marked
with sorrow and uncertainty. The publicity that had built
her up proceeded to tear her down, airing her dirty laundry
for all to see and read, driving the delicate Ruan to contemplate
a very serious action. Stanley Kwan's intention seems not
to be just making a movie, but making a statement about the
effects of fame and the tragedy of salacious gossip and rumours.
At various points during the movie, the actors and the director
gather together to discuss how they coped with being celebrities.
It was interesting that one of the characters in the movie,
director Tsai Chu-sheng, set out to create a movie about the
very subject, which outraged the journalists of the day, leading
to calls for various restrictions on the film-making industry.
Stanley
Kwan's approach to this film is rather interesting: instead
of making a straight-out dramatisation of the life of Ruan
Lingyu, he also chose to film the actors, their interpretation
and opinions on the people that they portrayed. Not only did
he film the recreation of scenes from Ruan's films, but where
exists, he actually inserts the actual silent film footage,
almost as a comparison - stiff competition for Maggie Cheung.
The depth of research that Kwan and his team performed looked
very exhaustive. They interviewed the biographer of Ruan's
life, as well as contemporaries and friends who were still
alive during the making of this film. Kwan's respect and compassion
for the memory of Ruan is evident, as he often stresses that
some of the more dramatic scenes and implied affairs that
the actress had was only based on conjecture and circumstantial
evidence. Sometimes the line between what is real (that is,
the documentary that is made of the actors acting) and what
isn't is blurred - there was a scene where Cheung, as Ruan,
breaks down uncontrollably after filming a particularly difficult
and emotional scene, and Cheung continues to weep after the
camera pulls back to reveal Kwan's own film crew and equipment
filming that scene. At times, this strange juxtaposition of
the real world and the filmed world is perplexing: an actor
in character delivers his lines to the camera in a soliloquoy
while in the background Kwan's crew is still putting the finishing
touches to the scene. And the recreation of silent film acting
and techniques look rather antique and almost comical, even
if they ARE faithful to the original. But the recreation of
1920s and 30s world that Ruan lived in is complete and immersive.
Cheung, in period costume and makeup, acts with such restraint
and fragile dignity, that she seems like a completely different
person from the real, 1990s Cheung who comes across as an
animated, confident and effusive person. Kwan's method of
filming almost serves to bring Ruan back to life as a real
person, through the Cheung as the medium. She is not only
a historical and tragic figure, but one with whom the audience
may sympathize with, in spite of all her faults.
It doesn't
particularly matter that not many of the actors look like
the characters that they represent (Lawrence Ng, as Ruan's
first, immature lover, does not wear glasses and looks more
robust and sexy than the real Chang Ta-min). While Cheung
isn't a spitting image of Ruan (Cheung's features are more
delicate, compared to Ruan's large expressive eyes), her embodiment
of Ruan's film gestures are spot-on and her ability to slip
in and out of emotions is quite freakish to watch. Kwan seems
more intent on casting actors who can capture the essence
and character of the historical figures. Indeed, Kwan's direction
and the cinematography of this film displays a certain flair
for dramatisation, by placing Cheung's delicate pale face
in a highlighted spot in a dark room, or using filters to
convey the mood of a particular scene. I quite enjoyed this
mesmerising and interesting movie, especially Cheung's performance
and Kwan's approach to portraying the tragic life of a Ruan
Ling-yu.
Reviewed by Eden
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