阮玲玉 (aka Center Stage) (1991)

The true story of the tragic life of one of China's great movie stars, Ruan Lingyu (Maggie Cheung), known as the Chinese Greta Garbo. It chronicles her rise to fame in Shanghai in the 1930s to her early death at the age of 25. Directed by Stanley Kwan (RED ROSE WHITE ROSE), Western audiences are hampered by not knowing Ruan Lingyu, a popular Chinese movie star whose many films are considered lost. While this film attempts to remedy that, in the end Lingyu remains as enigmatic as ever as we never completely know her. Kwan's film intersperses the narrative with pieces of Lingyu's few surviving movies as well as interviews with those who knew Lingyu and the cast and director discussing Lingyu's tragic life. Considering the film's piecemeal conception, Cheung is still able to give an impeccable performance. The movie gives us an inside look at Chinese film making in the 1930s as well as the fallout of the tabloid press and malicious gossip upon artistic creativity and the private lives of public figures. With Tony Leung, Chin Han, Lawrence Ng and Carina Lau.