In this silent masterpiece that immortalised the goddess of Chinese cinema, Ruan Lingyu impresses with an exquisitely crafted performance as a single mother driven into prostitution. Beaming with a mother’s joy while seducing with a courtesan’s smile, Ruan pours her soul into this dichotomy of women’s roles. Demonstrating cinematic artistry in startling modernity, director Wu Yonggang reflects social hypocrisy and injustice, alongside an unambiguous sympathy for the Madonna-whore who refuses to yield to her fate.
Post-talk (in Cantonese) withguest filmmaker Stanley Kwan