Wang Renmei
by Richard Meyer
Wang Renmei was on a fast track to become one of China's leading film stars in the 1930s. Her early films were received with magnificent praise by audiences and critics alike, though she later lamented that she became famous too early and never had a chance to properly study acting. The film Song of the Fishermen in which she sang and played a major role was the first Chinese motion picture to win an International Award in Moscow in 1935. Wang's personal struggles reflected the turbulent period from the end of the Qing dynasty to the rise of Deng Xiaoping. This study explores her artistic achievements amid the prevalent anti-feminist and feudal society in China prior to the founding of the People's Republic in 1949-attitudes which contributed to the downturn of Wang's promising career and forced her to accept various bit parts among the more than twenty films in which she appeared. In addition, personal problems as well as the Anti-Rightist Movement and the Cultural Revolution led to her hospitalization for mental illness.Wang's life is emblematic of the experiences of many left-wing and Communist Party members from the Shanghai film community who were viewed with suspicion and enmity by the Yan'an clique headed by Mao and later the Gang of Four. Wang's performances in World War II for the Nationalist troops as well as her work with the US forces in China had a dire effect on her career after 1949. Yet today, her films are being discovered again. About the DVDWild Rose???[Ye Meigui] 1932Xiao Feng or "Little Wind," played by Wang Renmei, is a young girl who has lost her parents. Jiang Bo, played by Jin Yan, is a wealthy painter who discovers Xiao Feng in a small fishing village and makes her his model. When Xiao Feng is left homeless after a fire destroys her home, Jiang takes her to Shanghai to live with his parents, but Xiao Feng is later expelled from the mansion by Jiang's father because she cannot act the part of a sophisticated Shanghainese.
Paperback
English
Brand New
Back Cover
Film / China
Author Biography
Richard J. Meyer teaches film at Seattle University. He is the author of Ruan Ling-yu: The Goddess of Shanghai and Jin Yan: The Rudolph Valentino of Shanghai.
Table of Contents
List of Illustrations Foreword by Dr. Peter Lehman Preface Introduction Cast of Characters in the Life of Wang Renmei Chapter 1 Land of Fish and Rice Chapter 2 The Bright Moon Troupe Chapter 3 Overnight Stardom Chapter 4 Song of the Fishermen and Creation of Wildcat Chapter 5 Exodus from Shanghai Chapter 6 Chaos in China Chapter 7 Wang Renmei in the End Interview with Qin Yi, July 4, 2009 Interview with Dr. Wang Yong, March 26, 2010 Interview with Yuhua Dong, June 12, 2011 Filmography of Wang Renmei, 1914-1987 Sources for Wang Renmei's Films Bibliography About the Author
Review
Meyer always writes in an accessible, jargon-free style that invites all interested readers to share his enthusiasm and knowledge for the films he loves so much within their richest historical and cultural context. Thanks to this wonderful book, the Chinese actress Wang Renmei and the film Wild Rose will no longer be obscure within the English-speaking world of film scholarship. -- Peter Lehman, director of the Center for Film, Media and Popular Culture, Arizona State University, and co-author of Thinking About Movies: Watching, Questioning, Enjoying Wang Renmei is one of the most dynamic and talented film actors in Chinese history, full of tensions and self-contradictions that revealed in part the violence and turmoil of her times and the political complexity of the film industry. This fine book on one of China's most exciting film artists will appeal to both scholars and general readers interested in early Chinese cinema. -- Poshek Fu, professor of history, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Richard J. Meyer is helping the world to get to know the cinema of old Shanghai. This meticulous schlarship makes the volume both an enjoyable introduction to the star for the general reader and an important scholarly resource. Pacific Affairs
Review Quote
Wang Renmei is one of the most dynamic and talented film actors in Chinese history, full of tensions and self-contradictions that revealed in part the violence and turmoil of her times and the political complexity of the film industry. This fine book on one of China's most exciting film artists will appeal to both scholars and general readers interested in early Chinese cinema.
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