Center Stage (1992)
"Ruan Lingyu" (original title)

Biopic of 1930's Chinese actress Ruan Ling Yu.

Director:

Stanley Kwan

Writers:

Peggy Chiao, Tai An-Ping Chiu

Stars:

Maggie Cheung, Han Chin, Tony Leung Ka Fai

10 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Maggie Cheung	...	Ruan Ling-yu and Herself
Han Chin	...	Tang Chi-Shan
Tony Leung Ka Fai	...	Tsai Chu-sheng / Himself
Carina Lau	...	Lily Li / Herself
Waise Lee	...	Li Min-wei
Li-li Li	...	Herself (as Lily Li)
Lawrence Ng	...	Chang Ta-Min
Cecilia Yip	...	Lin Chu-Chu
Kelvin Wong	...	Nier Erh
San Yip	...	Ms Liu
Paul Chang	...	Boss of Lianhua
Yanyan Chen	...	Herself - Interview
Lingyu Ruan	...	Herself (archive footage)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Daisy Tian Dai	...	Hsiao-Yu (3 years)
Ta-nan Huang

Storyline

Biopic of 1930's Chinese actress Ruan Ling Yu.

---

Genres:

Biography | Drama | Romance

---

Details

Country:

Hong Kong

Language:

Cantonese Mandarin

Release Date:

20 February 1992 (Hong Kong)

Also Known As:

Center Stage

Filming Locations:

China

Company Credits

Production Co:

Golden Way Films Ltd.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

126 min 147 min (director's cut) 118 min (edited) 154 min (restored DVD)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

With her win for Best Actress at the 1993 Berlin Film Festival, Maggie Cheung became the first Chinese actor to win a major European film award.

---

Connections

Featured in Naamsaang-neuiseung (1998)

User Reviews

Classic story of patriarchal double standard

A biopic of Chinese silent film actress from the 30's, Ruan Lingyu, with Maggie Cheung as Ruan. This movie tells the sad story of a young woman who is rescued from poverty by show business, and is subsequently destroyed by it. It's a classic story of the patriarchal double standard in which an adulterous woman is punished by society while an adulterous man is not.

Maggie Cheung's performance is quite good. First of all, she pulls off being an actress playing an actress who is very immersed in her work.

Everyone in this movie is exceedingly composed - they speak carefully, and walk perpetually as if on eggshells. No one really comes alive until a scene at a dance hall near the end. But despite all the sugary politeness, Cheung successfully conveys a woman who is being slowly destroyed by her oppressive environment. And there are a couple scenes in which she completely loses it, and it's very affecting to watch.

The movie is very interestingly interspersed with clips from Ruan's movies, documentary footage of Ruan's surviving contemporaries, and the actors' conversations with the director.

The other actors, such as Tony Leung Ka Fai, Carina Lau, and Waise Lee, who are so interesting in other movies, all have little to nothing to do, except to look nice in period costume.

Also interesting is the fact that Carina Lau (who plays fellow actress Lily Li) looks much more like the real Ruan Lingyu than Maggie Cheung does.

Watching this film is a bit like watching a PBS documentary - edifying, educational, but not exactly fun.