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Ruan Ling-yu
The Goddess of Shanghai
Richard J. Meyer
Ruan Ling-yu: The Goddess of Shanghai tells the story of one of the greatest Chinese movie stars of the silent era, from her humble origins to her tragic death at the height of her career. Included with the book is a DVD of her most famous film "The Goddess."
Shanghai between the two world wars was a city of intrigue, political change, corruption, vice, social disparities, and creativity. It was here that Chinese movie-making reached its peak. Feeding off the decay of an ancient civilization, and inspired by the frenzy to build a new one, the Shanghai filmmakers captured a crucial transition in Chinese history, and established the basic tones, themes, and techniques of the Chinese film industry.
The individual whose films best reflected the turbulent times of the period was Ruan Ling-yu. Her life and work symbolized the social currents of Shanghai and the tragedy of China during its long downfall. This book provides context by describing the political and social conditions of life in Shanghai during this period. It covers Ruan's production company Lianhua and her directors as well as her fellow performers, and contains photographs from Ruan's most creative films. It also includes a complete filmography, a bibliography, a list of film archives that have her films, information about where to obtain film copies and pertinent websites.
Richard J. Meyer is Edmund F. and Virginia B. Ball Professor of Telecommunications Emeritus at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, and Visiting Professor at the Center for Journalism and Media Studies at the University of Hong Kong. He was Distinguished Fulbright Chair in Twentieth-Century History of Communications at I'Universita' del Piemonte Orientale Amedeo Avogadro in Italy in 2005.
Reviews:
"A good primer for anyone interested in this remarkable actress from a long lost era." - Shanghai That's
Table of Contents:
List of Illustrations
Foreword by Leo Ou-fan Lee
Preface
Cast of Characters in the Life of Ruan Ling-yu
1. Suicide and the Decadent City
2. A Maid's Daughter
3. First Day on the Set: Ruan's Early Career
4. The Suffering Idol
5. "I Want to Live"
6. Ruan's Legacy
Filmography of Ruan Ling-yu (1927-1935)
Sources of Ruan Ling-yu's Films
Bibliography
About the Author
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Pub Date:
2005
ISBN:
PAPER:
962-209-395-7
9789622093959
Price:
Paper: $27.95s
Subject Listing:
Film Studies, Asian Studies
Bibliographic information:
120 pp., illus., DVD, 5.5" x 7.5"
Distributed for:
Hong Kong University Press
Territorial rights:
North American rights only
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