"It’s one of those movies crazy in love with movies, and as Ruan, Cheung is a true heartbreaker: radiant, sweet, and compassionate, a larger-than-life goddess of impossible poise, tenderness, and confident modesty. " - Michael Atkinson, The Village Voice
"The self-aware drama moves at the hypnotic pace of an elusive dream—above all, in spectacularly staged musical scenes, set in a night club, merging sinuous and languid dances with high-stakes emotional battles." - Richard Brody, The New Yorker
"With all of its discursions into documentary footage, interviews, and group discussions, CENTER STAGE still tells Ruan's story—and tells it beautifully—by surrounding Cheung with luscious Art Deco homes, and exquisite eye-catching interior decoration, gleaming cars, dark erotic nightclubs, the intense environment in which Ruan lived. - Sheila O’Malley, RogerEbert.com
Opens September 11 | International superstar Maggie Cheung (IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE) embodies tragic screen siren Ruan Lingyu, known as the "Greta Garbo of China," in this unconventional biopic by Hong Kong New Wave master Stanley Kwan (ROUGE). Praised for her moving and emotive onscreen presence, Ruan’s private life, which was frequent fodder for the vicious Shanghai tabloids, began to mirror the melodramas which brought her fame, culminating in her suicide at age 24. Kwan and Cheung paint a kaleidoscopic yet intimate portrait of the ill-fated actress, deftly blending lush period drama, archival footage, and metatextual documentary sequences of Cheung reflecting on Ruan’s legacy. The result is, much like the films of Ruan Lingyu themselves, “tender, vivid and almost overwhelmingly moving” (Time Out).
Awards & Nominations
1992 Berlin Film Festival - Official Selection
1992 Berlin Film Festival - Winner, Best Actress (Silver Berlin Bear)
1992 Chicago International Film Festival - Winner, Best Director (Silver Hugo)
1992 Chicago International Film Festival - Winner, Best Actress
The Film Center is ADA accessible. This presentation will be projected without open captions. The theater is hearing-loop equipped. For accessibility requests, please email filmcenter@saic.edu