History is woven into the story of one of China's greatest and most beloved actresses. Without giving spoilers, anyone familiar with Ruan Lingyu will know how the move ends. This film of her life in 1920s and 30s China, though, is an unexpected treasure, containing copious amounts of archival film footage of the actual star's films. This alone for film purist would make the movie worthwhile. Some of her films are lost to history, so it represents possibly the only way that you may see Ruan in action unless you dig deep to find the few that survived.
Rather than be satisfied with just telling the story of Ruan's life, Director Stanley Kwan gives us four levels to the story. There was Ruan, in clips from her own films. There was Maggie Cheung as Ruan in the new movie. There was Maggie as Maggie making the new movie. And then there was Maggie as Maggie being interviewed about the movie. Four levels. I've seen similar treatments in movies about making movies, but never this degree of layered reality vs filmmaking.
And all done convincingly with the beautiful Maggie Cheung, whose collection of beautiful Cheongsam is rivaled only by her wardrobe in Wong Kar-Wai's classic In The Mood For Love, made nine years later. I wonder what influence Centerstage had on that film.
Although some viewers decry the 2 1/2 hour running time, I think it's necessary due to the development of the story, and the many layers of reality/filmmaking that need to play out. Recommended for film historians, those interested in Chinese (Cantonese) culture, and cinephiles interested in unique storytelling film formats. IMDb has a nice bio of Ruan Lingyu. To understand this film better, I suggest you visit her page first.
Rather than be satisfied with just telling the story of Ruan's life, Director Stanley Kwan gives us four levels to the story. There was Ruan, in clips from her own films. There was Maggie Cheung as Ruan in the new movie. There was Maggie as Maggie making the new movie. And then there was Maggie as Maggie being interviewed about the movie. Four levels. I've seen similar treatments in movies about making movies, but never this degree of layered reality vs filmmaking.
And all done convincingly with the beautiful Maggie Cheung, whose collection of beautiful Cheongsam is rivaled only by her wardrobe in Wong Kar-Wai's classic In The Mood For Love, made nine years later. I wonder what influence Centerstage had on that film.
Although some viewers decry the 2 1/2 hour running time, I think it's necessary due to the development of the story, and the many layers of reality/filmmaking that need to play out. Recommended for film historians, those interested in Chinese (Cantonese) culture, and cinephiles interested in unique storytelling film formats. IMDb has a nice bio of Ruan Lingyu. To understand this film better, I suggest you visit her page first.