These are movie stills
from when she was 16.
Some of the prints are no longer available.
Most of the film genres were
folklore, romances,supernatural, or martial arts.
They say she was mostly
given light roles
or wallflowers, as we call them now.
Only afterjoining lienhua in 1929
did she have a chance to be in serious films.
We share similar fates then?
Ruan killed herself over half a century ago,
but people still remember her as a movie star.
Maggie, would you want to be remembered half a century later?
That's not so important to me.
But, if people do remember me,
it'll be in a different light than ruan.
She ended her career
when she was at her pinnacle at the age of 25.
And now she's a legend.
《Center stage》
Miss ruan played the bad girl to perfection.
But I agree with sun yu
that she adds a fascinating flavor to the roles of noble ladies.
I can't explain the fascination.
Let's try.
Min-wei, lienhua is starting a new film "dream of the ancient capital"
ruan should have no problem playing a prostitute.
Then we push her in "wild flowers by the road"
with a complete role change.
She's a pure singer.
It'd be terrific if we succeed.
It'd mean we'd have another superstar like hu tie.
She must be better than hu tie.
Lienhua aims to revive China's movie industry with good films.
But the box office is important.
We need good stars and directors.
We've got good directors... Pu and sun.
We'll go to Beijing to film snow scenes for "dream of the ancient capital"
plus the opening scenes of "wild flowers by the road."
I'd like to have ruan lingyu as the female lead
and as her own mother
in a double role.
In this scene, she plays a woman fleeing the famine.
In the snow,
her little one has nothing to eat.
She bites her own finger and feeds him with her own blood.
Can ruan lingyu make the grade?
It's a good film. I'll play it if she can't.
You'd better try your luck outside. Good for you.
Director sun.
Director, I'll go and take it up with them.
"Dream of the ancient capital" 1930 directed by sun yu
film no longer available
You're all ingrates!
I can be nasty too!
Chu chia-chieh, how dare you?
How dare you? How dare you?
Yen-yen!
I'm cursing ying, not you.
Wang hui-Ian,
you've gone too far.
I'm a concubine, but I can support this family
or I can ruin it single-handedly.
- Not good enough, once more. - Okay. One more time.
Chu-chu,
does childbirth really hurt?
Yes.
I remember I kept screaming...
During my first labor,
"I don't want to give birth!"
Why? You want to have children?
No, I just want to know how it feels.
Did you buy this baby piano for hsiao-yu?
Yes.
How's it going with ta-min?
Nothing special.
I wrote him yesterday asking him to stop dating club hostesses.
I still getjealous.
I've been trying to prove something...
Something I heard.
Go on.
Did you get intimate with him
when your mother was their maid?
I met him then. It happened later.
I was only 16.
It's been four years!
Ever thought of getting married?
His family objected to our marriage.
After his parents died...
We didn't raise the subject again.
What on earth does he want?
He had a lot of horses
when we first met.
He took me riding every morning.
One day, I stared at him riding away...
And I realized...
He wants a free and easy life.
He won't get married and have children.
So I adopted her as a safeguard.
I'll leave the rest to fate.
Chu-chu, maybe because childbirth is painful
a mother loves her children more.
You adore hsiao-yu too.
I wonder if I'd love her even more...
If she were my own daughter.
I believe you would.
"Wild flowers by the road" 1930 directed by sun yu
film no longer available
One of ruan's favorite expressions was,
"looking up to the heavens in forlorn wordlessness."
I didn't think much of her when I saw a few of her movies.
But after seeing all six of her movies,
she struck me as outstanding and life-like.
They made silent movies then.
It all came down to expressions and motion.
I found something special in her... Something sexy.
Not superficially sexy.
It exuded from within.
She could be all wrapped up,
up to here,
but you could feel her flirty charm.
I don't know how to put it exactly.
The way she smiled was enchanting.
Remember that village girl in "weeping peach blossoms"?
It really is soul-consuming.
What was it really like between ruan and Chang ta-min?
Somehow I feel Chang was immature
in life and feelings.
He needed her care in this respect...
Especially after ruan became a movie star,
with Chang gambling and his family's dwindling fortune.
I mean not just financially.
Spiritually she looked after him like a child.
A woman could get tired, under these circumstances...
And turn to others to pay attention to her.
So tang chi-shan came along,
a mature man, considerate to women.
He quickly won her favor.
- Thank you. - Don't mention it.
Hsiao-yu, don't get dirty. You just took a bath.
Mommy... mommy's peeping at us.
- Hsiao-yu, are you a nice girl? - Yeah.
Did you miss your mommy?
Mommy, come in.
It's cold outside. Come on in.
Isn't this scarf beautiful?
Yes.
Louded
it's beautiful!
You only speak Shanghai dialect now. No cantonese?
You really are silly
sending me a mahjong set.
I'm more than silly, I'm crazy.
Chicken brewed with bird's nest. Eat it hot.
Thanks, mom.
I brewed something for ta-min a few days ago.
I threw it away after waiting for him for two days.
You could have had it yourself.
I wouldn't have wasted it if I liked it.
Power failure!
No, the light's on in the kitchen.
The bulb must've burnt out.
They insisted on Chinese goods.
Japanese goods are better.
Mom, let me.
Mommy, let me hold you.
You hold me?
Been back long?
I knew you'd be back today.
I wanted to get you something to cheer you up.
You didn't buy it?
I bought it.
Chu-chu and I talked about you.
Then I thought of buying something for you.
So I bought a ring through Mr. Lo.
It cost just 80 yuan and they said I was lucky.
Let me put it on for you.
It's too tight.
It doesn't look good.
Why is your right finger narrower?
You like it?
It's too precious. Who says you're lucky?
This time, changing roles went well.
They said I was a good protagonist.
I have to do better than hu tie.
I need to give you something now for the gifts you sent me.
Give me a few horses then.
I still can't afford that.
Give me money then, but in several installments.
Otherwise, I might spend it all at once.
Miss ruan...
Miss ruan, be ready to shoot when you finish.
Okay.
Liu chiung, shoot!
Liu chiung, pass!
Liu chiung.
Miss ruan, you don't know me,
I'm chen yen-yen.
I played a minor role
in "dream of the ancient capital,"
I remember you just signed a contract with the company.
Yes, but I've had only minor roles.
Miss ruan, they say it takes you an hour to do your make-up.
Where did you hear that?
In Beijing.
I took two hours to do make-up in harbin.
Yung-kang, liu chiung, come meet each other.
Nice to meet you.
They represent fu tang university's student body.
Japan took manchuria in the "sept 18 incident."
Students in Shanghai are marching today
for a city-wide boycott of Japanese goods.
Hope you people at lienhua can join us.
Yung-kang, liu chiung, let's follow nieh erh.
Okay.
Mr. Li, you're a revolutionary, youlead.
When I followed Dr. Sun in the north expedition,
I carried a camera, instead of a gun.
But when the moment comes, I'll carry a gun.
But that time isn't now.
Let me call the nanjing government now.
Nanjing?
Think about it. They won't go to war with Japan.
We can't wait, can we? Today we need a chance to study it.
- We can't shoot today. - Still can't shoot?
How can we shoot for this kind of audience?
Nieh erh...
We have to go on with filming today, right?
But we need to show our concern.
Min-wei, send some men to help nieh and the students.
Okay.
Back to work!
- Let's have a discussion. - It's settled.
Back to work!
"Weeping peach blossoms" 1931 directed by pu wan-Chang
from original print.
- Kwan, how old is Lily li this year? - 76.
She's five years younger than ruan.
What will I look like at 76?
I was going to ask you. Yesterday, I asked Maggie cheung.
Do you hope to be remembered decades later?
I absolutely do.
I hope people would talk about movie stars in the '90s,
with me included, whatever the number.
- You hope to be remembered. - Yes.
I think that had ruan not killed herself,
and ended her story at its most brilliant moment,
we wouldn't be filming "ruan lingyu" now.
We might have been interviewing her and filming another biography.
Is it advantageous for a movie star to vanish
at the peak of her brilliance?
Don't waste time on such silly questions.
I decided...
If I was famous...
If I was a legend...
Then I had to die when I was most beautiful.
Lily li, 1990 actress of the '308
I kept that memory in mind.
When ruan died and was lying in the coffin,
I kept staring and staring at her
till her hair fluttered up.
Then I gripped it with my hairpin.
Then hsiao-yu tugged at me saying,
"auntie, why don't you cry?"
She wanted me to cry, but I couldn't then.
The first production between Lily li and ruan was "little toys."
In our casual chat with her, she emphasized how
ruan taught her to act in that movie.
And they became good friends as a result.
Ruan didn't speak mandarin well
and Lily taught her.
Lily also stressed about the affair between ruan and tsai.
She did overhear her hum that "blue angel" tune.
I think Lily li saw many things.
That was positive.
In the course of our extensive research,
not only did Lily li mention the relationship
between ruan and tsai.
A writer wrote about it after her death.
Had ruan and tsai broken that barrier
and put away the mental burden,
ruan wouldn't have died.
Sun yu, 1990 director from the '308
we visited him in Shanghai last year.
He had a couple strokes in the last two years of his life.
His speech and hearing was bad.
He retired a long time ago.
He suffered a lot during the cultural revolution.
He made no films at all after that.
When we went to Shanghai for research.
This was the only book we had. And we took it back when we left.
How many days did he have the book?
No, we showed him the book
on the day of the interview
to jog his memories to tell us about affairs of the '30s.
But he couldn't put it in words.
After the interview, we returned to Hong Kong.
And he died in less than a month. He was 91.
We regret not having let him keep the album as a souvenir.
Chen yen-yen, 1991 actress of the '30s.
Ruan had said to me:
Sun, you'd better tell...
Li min-wei, the then production manager,
who was in Beijing too.
You'd better tell him
not to take this child to Shanghai.
Sun answered, "what difference does it make?
The company needs someone anyway."
She said "the child would take away
half of my territory some day."
At least she had a period of brilliant days.
She was most popular in the '40s.
Is chen yen-yen more famous than ruan?
They were about the same.
I heard my mom say, she was very young then,
"everyone only heard of chen yen-yen and ruan lingyu,
but not so much Lily li and lin chu-chu."
Try to get chu-chu to play a ruan lingyu sort of role.
Don't turn around. Your lover boy is here too.
Who have you brought along?
A club hostess. Never mind her.
Don't forget we're going to Hong Kong tomorrow.
I need to leave to pack up in a minute.
Chu-chu, please take me to Hong Kong.
Zhang zhiyun is here.
Miss ruan, I'm a big fan.
I've seen all your pictures.
I don't like hu tie. You're more sophisticated.
I prefer zhang zhiyun. She's more depraved.
Who's zhang zhiyun?
She's a veteran.
She was a big movie star 10 years ago.
I know.
She's tea king tang's mistress.
They say he kept her home smoking opium,
while he went around womanizing.
I really can't stand that.
Is that true?
Not possible. It's true he likes womanizing.
He's on good terms with us.
He has a wife in Guangzhou,
but they don't get along.
He was chasing li Cho-Cho too.
Take it easy!
It was only a power failure, not an air raid.
Keep cool!
Don't panic.
Power's back.
Power failure, not an air raid!
Power failure, again?
Hong Kong, 1932
I want a baked Alaska.
Good, good.
Queen's road is no match for 4th street in Shanghai.
You compare the queen with whores in a Shanghai street?
I've been in Hong Kong for nearly 10 days.
Now Shanghai's fallen and Hong Kong's thriving.
It's cycles.
I really can't live in such backward places.
I'm so bored in a hotel.
Ruan, are you okay?
Chu-chu, so sir Robert hotung knows my dad.
He promised to make me manager of the ss shui an.
I must really thank you and min-wei.
The shui an only goes between Macau and Hong Kong?
I like Macau.
I wouldn't want to go to Africa.
If the japs keep bombing, lienhua has to move to Hong Kong.
We should be safe in the French concession.
Bombs have no eyes.
Don't be afraid.
Ruan, Mr. Tang's here.
Miss ruan...
Ruan, are you all right?
Yes.
Want to go up for a rest?
No, I was thinking of Shanghai.
Shanghai's going to be okay.
Your mom and daughter are there?
The government wouldn't dare wage a full war against the japs.
If the 19th army loses,
talks will be the only way out.
This may go down as footnotes to history.
You have to leave at 6:00 am tomorrow.
Go to bed early.
Keep accounts.
Nothing to keep?
Enter 80 yuan for ta-min,
his roulette winnings in Macau.
Pay me that much and I'll do it.
You're greedy.
What have you done today?
Tang chi-shan took us
yachting around Hong Kong island.
Min-wei finally talked him into joining lienhua as a partner.
When Shanghai calms down, he'll return to sign the contract.
To revive the Chinese movie industry again?
Did zhang zhiyun go with you?
He confined her at home smoking opium.
That's a rumor only.
Did the rumor say that I control you?
I don't control you either.
Don't!
Control me.
What are you doing?
In fact, I'm not interested.
We have to create images for the cast.
The image is important.
The moment I face the camera, I freeze.
Consider it acting.
Haven't got a way to end it.
Nieh erh, insisted on completing it.
A good start.
I should make a film about this song.
Good.
Ruan, you're back?
Ruan, you're back.
Director sun.
- You're a deserter. - Mind your words.
Director pu.
Ruan, are you leaving him behind in Hong Kong?
He's found work over there.
This means he made some contribution to the movement.
Sorry.
I didn't take part in your movement.
Never mind, there are lots of chances in future.
These japs won't leave.
Then it's no longer a matter of singing for the army
or nursing the wounded soldiers in hospital.
Right. This time we've decided to fight them.
Right, we must fight.
Let's sing together.
Now cheer up.
It's tien han!
It's the first progressive movie of lienhua.
- You shouldn't use the name tien han. - Why?
He's a subversive.
The modern girl in this film
isn't the type who's into cosmetics and cars.
She must be independent, rational and brave.
A girl of the times should be concerned about people's welfare.
Li Cho-Cho, you represent romance.
Yen-yen, your role signifies purity.
But you flee when hit by the revolutionary waves.
Yen-yen, you kill yourself because your boyfriend leaves you.
Director pu.
Ruan, how are you?
Director pu, how do I die?
I'll tell you in a minute.
What if she comes?
Should I go and find tien han?
He's only a screenwriter.
Director pu, do you have a minute?
Sure.
Let's go out for a chat.
Ruan, what's the matter?
They say you haven't found the girl for the chou role.
How about letting me have a go at it?
Ruan, it's not right for you.
You've been playing a tragic figure or a romantic girl.
You have a noble personality.
That role is neither noble nor romantic.
She's a laborer
and it's not right for you.
I can play it well.
If it doesn't work out, I'll cover any losses.
Ruan, she's a stubborn girl, rebellious.
She's the revolutionary type.
In past interviews, you said ruan was in many progressive films.
Shen chi, 1991. Playwright—novelist
author of "ruan lingyu, movie star of the decade"
in the later stage, did she volunteer
or feel compelled to take these roles?
Many Chinese movies projected
a social background and the image of modern girls.
Having played mostly downtrodden, helpless women,
she wanted to play a modern role for a change
to meet the needs of the audience.
So she offered to act in "three modern women" herself.
She went after that role herself?
She did, and pressed director pu for it.
Let's dance.
I can't resist people being so nice to me.
Whoever does,
I'll madly reciprocate.
Thank you.
Why?
You've shown me your weak spot.
I still have Chang ta-min.
Do I have to be nice to Chang ta-min too?
You still have zhang zhiyun and a wife.
What about li Cho-Cho?
I ended it with zhang zhiyun in Hong Kong.
It'll be harder with my wife.
If I left herjust like that, you'd be scared of me.
Give me time.
"Three modern women" directed by pu wan-Chang
film no longer available
stop!
Is the camera moving at the right speed?
Seems it has to be a bit slower.
It'll make the movie much longer then.
Thanks for the hard work. We're going to do another take.
Thank you.
Chin yen, you play a playboy in this movie.
But not a so called "new youth."
Look scared when chou takes you to see the poor.
I was scared when she took me to the slum.
This time I want to show I'm moved.
- What do you think? - You'll make it then.
Ruan, well done, carry on.
Director, Mr. Tang is here.
Mr. Tang, how are you?
One more take. Mr. Tang's here.
Let's try to get it right this time.
Good, ready.
Lights, props.
Ready.
Camera!
Master shen, many people thought
that ruan's later more progressive roles
contrasted sharply with her real life.
What do you think?
Her union with tang chi-shan had
everything to do with how she fared then.
The circumstances were beyond her control.
She saw through him and then...
It was a matter of one year
from moving in together to suicide.
There was nothing she could do
when she found out he had a previous marriage.
It was never in her to fight or resist.
She considered the relationship tolerable.
That's Chang ta-min that's tang chi-shan.
It was difficult getting these photos.
One of them is barely visible.
Tang later sank very low in Taiwan.
They say he was a cigarette vendor
and he died of old age there.
After the suicide, many plays and operas in Shanghai
featured the love triangle between ruan, Chang, and tang.
Titles like "death of ruan lingyu" or "fall of a movie star."
Chang was invited to appear in person.
He later co-operated with a Hong Kong movie company
to film "who's to blame?"
He played himself.
I think that at that time, he was hopeless.
Family might partly account for it...
But he was himself irresponsible.
He was only 36 when he died of pneumonia in Hong Kong.
Ladies and gentlemen,
movie critics describe "three modern women"
as a great film heralding a bright future.
Let's take photos together for a souvenir.
Director pink, come over quickly!
You want to be left behind?
Sorry, sorry.
Who's he?
He's tsai chu-sheng.
He just directed a movie called "pink dream."
Then nieh erh wrote a mean review and called him "director pink."
Now they're good friends.
Sorry.
From now on, all our productions will be blockbusters.
It features fei mu, sun yu, wu Yung-kang, tsai chu-sheng.
Fei mu's films are more profound.
Like water bombs.
Miss ruan, a photo of you two stars, please.
One, two, three. Thank you.
What do you mean?
Ta-min has agreed to separate from me
on an alimony of 300 yuan a month.
That's not too much.
- That's one-third of my salary. - I'll pay him.
That's good news for me.
It means he has no more feelings for you.
Money alone makes things easier.
Shame on a man asking for separation money.
It makes talks easier.
I'm sure if I gave him 100 yuan he'd take it.
I'll sign a contract with him through my lawyer.
Director fei...
I'll translate all the acting theory of stanislavski.
You should read William Archer's. "Face and mask."
The japs are the enemy.
Who's the nationalist government trying to fool?
Ruan, the reporters outside told me
that the government has banned anti-Japanese movies.
In our "little toys" the japs are invariably called the enemy.
Is that so?
The enemy's coming, wake up!
Good, Lily, go on.
Go now.
Miss ruan, I'm tsai chu-sheng.
I'm going to make a new movie after I finish "the fisherman's song."
In any case, I'll cast you in the female lead.
Tsai chu-sheng, aren't you ashamed?
No one will hire you if your current movie doesn't do well.
Don't dream of getting ruan lingyu as your leading lady.
Ruan, don't commit yourself.
So you can speak cantonese?
I'm cantonese too.
I didn't do well. Let's do it again.
Hold a moment.
Wu Yung-kang, stop the rain.
Stop the rain!
Add water.
Hurry up!
Ming.
How many takes have we done?
Five takes. The last two are good.
Ruan, we've got two good shots.
Don't dump more water. It's too cold.
What's she doing?
Her father died this way when she was six.
Oh, you deliberately arranged this shot.
Yung-kang, again.
Ready.
Rain.
Wardrobe, out of the shot.
Ruan, back to position.
Ready. Shoot.
Camera!
Dad.dad.dad!
"Night in the city" 1933
directed by fei mu film no longer available
Cut!
Prepare smoke.
"Little toys," 1933 directed by sun yu
Lily, again.
Director, what am I doing wrong?
Try one more time.
More smoke.
Ready.
Camera. Action!
Cut!
How is it, director?
Something seems wrong,
but I can't put my finger on it
Lily, this show is coming to the end.
Chu wipes off her mummy's tears with her hand.
Then flicks the teardrops away with her little finger.
You can't do this well with all the pain you're in.
I'm dying after being bombed by the japs.
I should be in lots of pain.
Right, but not completely.
Let me think.
Make up these two wounded women.
Get the costumes changed.
They're up next. Get ready.
I don't get him.
Imagine.
Chu plays a nice, clever girl,
considerate to her mother...
So it's best for her
to hide her pain now.
You might try smiling at mom to comfort her
and lighten her sorrow.
Lily, I know how you should act.
Me, too.
You shouldn'tjust show your own anguish.
I know what I should do now and what you want.
"Mom, only foolish people cry!"
"Little toys" 1933 from original print
"Oh, war is here! The enemy comes! Cannons! Bombs! Landmines!"
"The enemy comes! Cannons! Bombs! Planes!"
Miss ruan...
I think you're the best actress in China.
Miss ruan, you're party a.
Mr. Chang is party b.
In clause three, if partya can't maintain her livelihood.
Party b shouldn't...
Don't worry.
Ruan will do better and better.
There won't be one cent less for you
than the 100 yuan a month for two years.
Mr. Wu...
The ceylon studio has asked if you want to change your seal ink.
Stop bothering us!
If you have no more questions,
please add your seal.
You really have a way to extort money out of ruan.
What are you doing?
You're the hostess here. Please rehearse how to open it.
Mom.
When we're really married...
Don't dance, your clothes are creased and you're sweaty.
Hsiao-yu, let me take you to see your room.
Let's figure out as a family where to put the furniture.
Mom, come on, go upstairs and take a look.
Are there many rumors about al hsia's suicide?
It wasn't suicide.
She was killed.
She was killed by society...
Not by one or two people.
The obscene tabloid reporters...
I think wei ming's role is a mirror of her life.
I've seen her several times in star studio films.
I've seen her in "spring silkworm" and "bumper crop."
And "a modern woman."
She wrote the script herself.
Tsai calls his film "new women" because of her death.
Were you on good terms with her?
You were on good terms with her?
Yes.
She was independent.
A good actress and screenwriter.
She was a modern woman.
People considered her a bad woman...
And criticized her over minor affairs.
They wouldn't let her go, even in death!
This movie is designed to expose the true colors of these people.
Wei ming in the script ended up being a whore.
Was ai hsia...
People can sometimes be very weak.
But we hope to see strong people.
Did I bother you?
I think so.
Do you enjoy squatting?
Two-thirds of people in China are used to squatting.
They can't help doing it.
They squat to wait for the mandarins
and landlords to slap them from behind.
They squat to get insulted or for help.
They squat for a rest too.
I remember when mom was tired from work,
she squatted too and I squatted beside her.
How long has it been since you squatted like this?
After becoming a movie star.
I used to squat the whole day waiting for shooting to start.
Why don't you squat and show me then.
May I use your bathroom?
It's behind the sitting room.
I stood a while outside and saw hsiao-yu going to school,
mom going to the market, and him going to work.
That's meaningful.
Anything else?
Your house is beautifully decorated.
Can you give me a tour?
The kitchen's there. You've already seen the bathroom.
Mom and hsiao-yu share this room.
This room is mine and chu-shan's.
All your furniture is brand new, isn't it?
Yes.
What about the furniture from the old house?
All sold for a grand total of 93 yuan...
And donated to the bubbling well Buddhist society.
None left that belonged to us?
These were gifts from you...
But that's it.
Am I no longer in your heart?
Sometimes.
But not a vital part of it.
Ruan, I'm thinking of doing some business.
Could you advance the remaining few months' payments to me?
Copying Marlene Dietrich again?
Does it look like her?
Marlene Dietrich...
She's a born sultry star.
You look healthier than her.
I can't imagine how she'd look as a housewife,
a factory worker, or a woman in distress.
But why then is everybody saying you look like her?
Let me tell you why.
Because I'm sexy playing a woman in distress.
Don't be too sexy playing in my "new women."
Fei mu doesn't mind my playing a sexy nun for him.
Fei mu is too much of a capitalist.
Don't compare me with him.
You were a village woman.
You made wishes to Buddha
that you'd become a nun
for the safety of your sick son...
And husband at war.
Now your son's recovered and your husband's safely back
and they're begging you to return.
Are you going back or not?
You worried only about your family,
your husband and son.
But now in this ethereal world,
you experience peace and quiet that you never had before.
Are you going back or not?
All that I need is your peaceful expression.
"The sea of fragrant snow" 1934 directed by fei mu
film no longer available.
Cut. Okay.
Is it okay that I cried?
You wept peacefully and with restraint.
Great.
Lily, get going to make-up!
Okay.
Lily.
You should have said Lily li.
If you're interested in learning mandarin,
you should speak it from now on.
Okay, Lily li.
Right.
Everybody at lienhua said during yesterday's shoot
that you really broke down in tears.
They nearly cried with you in sympathy, did they?
Was something on your mind?
Neven
acting is like madness.
Actors are madmen. I'm one of them.
I'm not a madman.
- Director tsai. - Where's ruan?
Inside.
My script's ready.
Ruan, hold back yourtears.
Keep some for me.
What for?
Tsai, when will "new women" start shooting?
- Soon. - Great.
Hurry up!
Iwin!
Now don't keep me company.
Go up and accompany my daughter.
Mom, I promised to cover anything you lose...
And the losses of sai-chen.
Sai-San and mrs chou too.
I have one principle,
I won't let girls suffer.
You're a good fellow.
That's your true face, isn't it?
If both sai-chen and I were courtesans...
Which one would you take? Say it.
What did you say?
You saved this prostitute from the police
who are threatening her now.
Smiling obscenely you say,
"how are you going to repay me?
Don't go away."
How are you going to repay me?
Don't go away.
Ruan, you know you can't get out of this scoundrel's clutches.
You're sad in your heart, but you put on an icy face.
You walk from here to the table...
And sit on it.
You tell zhang zhizhi to pass you a cigarette.
You flick it once with a finger
and zhang zhizhi lights it for you
zhang zhizhi.
You light it for her insinuatingly.
A minor favor.
It's a man's common trick to seduce a girl.
Director, one more time.
"The goddess" 1934 directed by wu Yung-kang
I can't do it.
"The goddess" 1934 directed by wu Yung-kang
ruan...
Sitting on the table means resistance and so does smoking.
The whole posture is resistance.
But you're too weak and you know it.
This should be visible from your eyes.
How's it going?
Got any cigarettes?
"How are you going to repay me? Don't go away."
I want to retaliate. Help me!
Cut!
Ruan, not good enough. Listen to me one more time.
You were forced into prostitution to save your daughter.
But those tabloid reporters didn't pity you.
They even scandalized you.
You thought of killing yourself, but you want to live now.
You want to accuse, to hit back.
Show all this in your face, understand?
Everybody, one more time the same way.
Again.
Ready.
Camera.
Action!
I want to live. I want to retaliate!
Cut!
Not enough, not enough!
I want you to get stronger.
Remember what you said to me?
You have much in common with this role of wei ming.
Imagine the unfairness ofyourhvehhood.
Vent all your sad feelings like volcanic eruptions.
I'll run the subtitles in your face, "I want to live..."
One word bigger than the other.
I want to see your expressions
one stronger than the other.
There should be no reservations.
Can you do it?
Do everything the same.
One more time.
Back to position.
"New women" 1935 directed by tsai chu-sheng
ready.
Ready, shoot.
Ready.
Ready, shoot.
Camera.
Action!
I want revenge!
Help me! I want to live!
I want to live!
Sister.
Sister!
Cut!
Okay, pack it up.
Pack it up!
Ruan.
Cut!
Keep that.
Tony, you forgot to lift up the bed sheet to see Maggie.
"Help me!"
"I want to live!"
Did reporters drive her to her death?
What is this?
That's too much. That's an insult to us. Let's go!
That's unacceptable!
What the hell?
The Shanghai press union is making a final plea,
or ultimatum, to your studio.
Your studio's "new women"
is libeling our reporters.
We insist that you issue a notice in the newspapers
to apologize to the press
and ensure it won't happen again.
Some shots insulting reporters
must be deleted.
Cut, cut, cut the whole part of it!
After the cut, no one will see them cheating in the dancehall.
History will give an account of it.
Miss ruan.
Do you really want to cut it?
The movie will be banned if we don't.
Don't cut it!
About that segment...
Miss ruan, we have to lobby through various channels.
The film can't be released without cuts.
But the cuts may arouse public opinion,
which would surely be on our side.
The final victory belongs to us.
I heard the kuomintang was
behind the whole thing
behind the reporters' union as well as Chang.
The kuomintang didn't come out into the open.
It was handled through the association through its kuomintang members.
The movie "new women" was not complimentary to the press.
The press wanted to attack the movie.
But it couldn't find a good excuse.
They turned to ruan lingyu,
who was notorious for her private life.
They said ruan was not right in the role of a new woman.
Did the association get Chang to sue ruan?
The two events proceeded at the same time.
Have some bread. Good girl.
What's up?
See for yourself.
Chang ta-min sues ruan & tang
for living together as lovers
and committing adultery
You're late. Tell me now.
This is a matter of life and death.
It won't kill you to bet on one fewer horse race.
Why do I mean so much to you now?
Ta-min, why are you doing this?
I sleep over here.
I sleep alone or bring a hostess back.
They bothered me with questions about you
and about things between you and me.
Aren't things good for us now? I don't want to say anything.
I never do anything bad behind your back.
When you were in foochow, I only danced and ate with tang chi-shan.
Enough!
Ta-min, have I done anything unfair to you?
We made everything clear in the lawyer's office.
I even advanced you all the money you asked for.
Did someone put you up to hurting me?
Who could've done that?
Money could!
Look, I'm still in love with you.
I don't love you.
Who knew I'd be coming here?
Who did you tell this to?
Who did you conspire with to hurt me?
I'll take you out through the back door.
Here she comes!
What do you think of this court case?
They say her mom was a maid at the changs'.
She was a maid?
"The goddess" is all about her mother.
I see.
Miss ruan.
Hello, miss ruan, what would you like?
- I need a minute. - Okay.
You made it too loose.
I just want to ask you one thing...
Would you take me away?
Let's go together to Hong Kong.
We'd still have to come back.
Yes.
We'll return after we get married.
If you don't mind leaving your wife and mistress.
You said you'd ask me just one thing.
I still have something keeping me here.
This is okay. Let's watch the next reel.
Okay.
Get the next one.
Do you think tsai chu-sheng
had to stay in Shanghai because
he was timid or because he was a communist?
Personally, I think he had
no courage or guts.
He didn't want to love or hate.
Was it true love between him and ruan?
I'd like to ask her about it.
Many people have asked this.
When researching, Lily li told us
that she often saw ruan in the makeup room
when filming "new women" and
heard her hum that "blue angel" tune.
But she discovered the fragile affair
between tsai and ruan only after her death.
I feel like ruan lingyu's death was
linked with romantic news about Chang ta-min and tang chi-shan.
If she and tsai dared
to go on with their affair
would she have taken another course?
I think not.
Why didn't they have the courage to?
Because of their romantic news.
- They were having enough bad press. - Right, if another rumor spread.
So the problem was she was a movie star.
To an ordinary girl, a love triangle was common place.
Even a "love square" wouldn't have raised an eyebrow.
You keep your tears and joy private
and to the extent of suicide.
But she was a movie star and a public figure.
The pressure in that era was especially heavy.
Yes.
As an artist, I hate to be maligned.
Rumors are horrible in any age.
It's still just as scary now.
A movie star doesn't need to make her private life public.
What an ordeal if the public twists the facts
and turn black into white.
When your private life
spills into public domain,
you feel you're being stripped of everything bit by bit.
That's the most traumatic experience.
So I fully understand how ruan felt then.
I'm very happy.
She killed herself under such circumstances.
Would you do the same if you experienced it today?
I think my first reaction...
People may think I try to play it cool. Who cares?
I may be sad, but it's my business. I won't let them know it.
I wouldn't take my own life.
If I died, it would be for myself, not because of other people.
What will you wear the day after tomorrow?
Day after tomorrow?
It's the hearing.
I'm not going.
I'll wear a black coat and a dark green necktie
to match your new gown.
Damn, I mean to show to the Shanghai people
that we're a pair of noble adulterers!
We're adulterers.
You have a wife in Guangzhou and affairs going
with zhang zhiyun and me. You're an adulterer.
I'm an adulteress because...
I followed you knowing you're married.
Dressing well makes no difference.
We must part if we don't get married.
If we don't part, even though we win over ta-min,
you're still an adulterer.
Shut up!
Mom, what's the matter?
Ayoung lady claiming to be your ex-classmate wants to see you.
Did he hit you?
Jui-chen, why stand outside? Come in quick!
Sorry, I'm already late for an appointment.
Tomorrow's women's day.
You promised to lecture at my school.
Don't back out please.
I know you have to be in court the day after tomorrow.
You can stand up and pour out all your grievances
as a warning to young female students.
I'm also to blame.
Pour it all out... Our weak points and pride
and desire to eke out an existence.
I'll pick you up with a car at 10:00 am tomorrow.
That won't be necessary. I'll get there myself.
Good, be sure to attend. Don't let the youth down.
I'm also a youth.
But you're ruan lingyu.
See you tomorrow.
- Goodbye. - Goodbye, auntie.
Hello, who's this?
Chu-chu, hang on please.
It's chu-chu.
Hello, chu-chu.
A party? I would never forget that.
Chi-shan's beside me. Let me tell him.
Chu-chu wants us to attend her farewell party for Skinner.
Chu-chu, we won't fail you.
Will they all attend?
I'll look as beautiful as possible then.
Only then can I beguile them.
Is that so?
Good.
Just as the microphone is adjusted perfectly,
her boss walks in, he sees her cord,
pulls it and she falls off her chair.
I'm going to the usa to see them shoot talkies.
They started with that not long ago.
So they often make slips.
Let's all thank Mr. Skinner for installing this microphone for us.
Next time, I can talk on the screen.
I can speak mandarin!
Tomorrow is women's day.
My ex-classmate is now
the headmistress of a girls school.
She's invited me to speak there.
I have the speech ready. I'll do it in mandarin.
Lily, listen.
Okay.
Classmates...
Let's celebrate women's day today.
What's the idea of this festival?
To celebrate us girls for rising up
from a centuries-old male-dominated history.
No, no, we'd better speak shanghainese.
You women are standing up
and we men are falling down.
When women stand up,
it doesn't necessarily mean men are falling down.
We can stand up together in this big world.
You're right, director fei.
Fei mu, you really are a nice guy.
What about me? Can I be called good?
She asked me if she's good.
I told her, "all your friends believe you're good regardless
of what others say."
I'm mainly of the opinion you're too nice.
He's the director who taught me how to resist.
Drinking means resistance.
Resist!
Come up for...
A smoke...
And a drink.
This is just a pose.
I forgive you for not casting me in "the road."
Ten days ago, I wanted her to write something
on a friend's souvenir album.
And she promised to come up with something good.
It's too late now.
She only embroidered "sun" on my hat
when she was filming "little toys."
Ruan, you've kissed every one of them?
Not the girls.
Director pu.
You transformed me twice,
making me a movie star,
and making me a female revolutionary.
If I could change you once more...
I kissed him the longest
because he's the most shy.
I was too excited when I was filming the last scene in "new women."
I broke up sobbing.
He was so shy, he wouldn't take off my blanket to see me.
They're all looking at us.
I've learned one thing since coming to society.
If you're rich and powerful
none dare say anything bad about you in your presence.
And when not in your presence?
Then you can't hear it.
People will say I committed suicide out of guilt.
But I was guilty of nothing.
That's my woman!
Death means nothing to me.
But I'm still afraid of malicious gossip.
Chi-shah, without me you can do anything you like.
I'm very happy.
Chi-shah, I'm sorry I made you suffer.
May my spirit, if any, bless you forever.
Chi-shah, after my death people may say
you were a devil toying with women...
And I was a girl without a soul.
But I won't be around then.
You have to bear the burden.
Mom.
When you finish your congee, you should go to bed. It's late.
Please take care of my mom and darling girl.
Please use the 2,050 yuan lienhua owes me
to pay for living expenses for them.
Please take good care of them.
Go to bed early.
I love you more than if you were my own child.
It's all right.
Mom, go to sleep.
If I died now...
People would think I was dreading punishment.
What guilt do I have?
I didn't do anything wrong to Chang ta-min...
But he returned good with evil.
People might even think I did him wrong.
What else can I do...
Except to die?
I'm not afraid of death.
My only fear is the malicious gossip.
Ruan lingyu march 7, 1935, midnight.
Chi-shah...
I never thought we 'd part so soon...
But please don't be sad.
I'm sorry to make you suffer.
May my spirit, if any, bless you forever.
Lienhua owes 2,050 yuan
Chang ta-min...
You've forced my death.
Don't try to cry or repent...
Now that things have reached such a stage.
Yet I do regret having become...
The prize sought by both of you.
But it's too late now.
Chi-shah...
I'm your second zhang zhiyun.
Only you can tell who'll be me tomorrow.
Without me, you can do anything you like.
I'm at peace.
Ling-yu.
Chi-shan. Chi-shan.
Do you love me?
What time is it? I'm sleeping like a dog.
What did you ask me?
Cut. Okay.
Now, in this shot of fei mu's...
Director, I don't think I said to ruan.
"Get up and smoke, get up and drink."
It's for the show at li min-wei's party,
not this.
We don't know if wu Yung-kang actually said this.
We wrote this.
This is our only photo.
Her private life and hardship
are hardly known.
None of her colleagues helped her in her lawsuit.
Asentimental girl like her
must have taken a pessimistic view of life.
She really never became
a cold and shrewd woman.
She took a serious view of life.
When she got a little drunk...
She'd ask her friends,
"can I be considered good?"
Come on, everybody, ready.
Ready.
Let's get serious.
Ready.
Take three.
Action!
Auntie li, why don't you cry?
Site of lienhua studio, 1991 united Chinese photoplay ltd
Cut.
Maggie's breathing, breathing.
Maggie, one more time. Take a breath first.
Again.
Ready.
Roii.
Action.
Cut.
Okay.
Ruan lingyu
Birth name: Yu-ying nickname: Feng-keng
family from chunshan prefecture,kwangtung
born in Shanghai,age at death 25