Center Stage (阮玲玉)

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 casual roles

or wallflowers, as we call them now

Only after joining 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 wish 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 from Ruan

As she halted her career

when she was at her most glorious

at the age of 25

She is now a legend

Miss Ruan played bad woman

to perfection

Yet I agree with Sun Yu that

she adds a fascinating flavour

the roles of noble ladies

I can't explain the fascination

Let's try

Min-wei, Lienhua is to start a new film "Reminiscences of Peking"

Ruan should have no problem playing a prostitute

Then we push her in "Wayside Flowers"

with a complete role change

She's a chaste songstress

It'd be terrific if we succeed

It means we 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 must have good stars and directors

We've got good directors - Pu and Sun

We'll go to Peking to film snow scenes

for "Reminiscences of Peking"

plus the opening scenes

of "Wayside Flowers"

I'd like to have Ruan Ling-yu 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 Ling-yu 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

"Reminiscences of Peking", 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-lan,

you have 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

OK... Once more

Chu-chu

does childbirth really hurt?

Yes

I remember I kept screaming

during my first birth

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 get jealous

I've been trying 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 the death of his parents

we didn't raise the subject again

What on earth does he want?

He kept many 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

"Wayside Flowers", 1930 Directed by Sun Yu. Film no longer available

Ruan favourite expressions:

Looking up to the Heaven

in forlorn wordlessness

I didn't think much of her

when I saw a few of her movies

But after having seen all her 6 movies

she struck me as outstanding and life-like

They had silent movies then

It all came down to expressions and motion

I found in her something special

something sexy

Not superficially sexy

It exuded from within

She could be all wrapped up

up to here

but you could feel her coquettish charm

I don't know how to put it exactly

The way she smiled was most enchanting

Remember that village girl in

"Weeping Peach Blossoms"? Yes

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 such circumstances

and turn to others to care for her

So Tang Chi-shan came along

a mature man, considerate to the fair sex

He readily won her favour

Thank you Don't mention it

Hsiao-yu, don't get dirty you've just taken a bath

Mummy's peeping at us

Hsiao-yu, are you nice?

Yes

Did you miss mummy?

Mummy, come in

It's cold outside, come in

Isn't this scarf beautiful?

Yes

Louder!

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 swallow's nest Take it hot

Thank you, mummy

I brewed something for Ta-min a few days ago

I threw it away

after waiting for him for 2 days

You could have taken it yourself

I wouldn't have wasted it if it suited me

Power failure!

Impossible, there's light in the kitchen

The bulb must've been out of order

They insisted on

Chinese goods

Japanese goods are better

Mummy, let me

Mummy, 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 $80 only and they said I was lucky

Let me put it on for you

It's too tight

It doesn't look good