A classic

I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but since it was included in the ‘1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die’ list, I was quite eager to check it out. Well, I think it must be the oldest Asian movie I have ever seen and, yet, I thought the approach on the topic of prostitution was actually quite modern. Indeed, this movie was basically a really humanist movie, giving a sympathetic look on this profession and I was actually rather surprised when the school principal would stand up for her. I really didn’t expect it, even if it didn’t work out. However, this dramatic turn of events was actually more accurate, I’m afraid. Indeed, even nowadays, prostitutes are rather despised, even though the vast majority of these women certainly didn’t choose this job because it would be a great career move. What was also interesting is that, even though it was a silent movie, the acting was actually really subtle, especially by Lingyu Ruan who was just quite spellbinding to behold. Ruan, with her charisma and talent was apparently a huge star back in those days in China. However, to be honest, the whole thing was still a little bit dry. Basically, this poor girl ended up in a very precarious but also lonely situation but this character and her situation didn’t really evolve through the whole thing (ok, it did get slightly worse towards the end, I‘ll have to admit that). Furthermore, to see her ‘boss’ constantly harassing her over and over again became slightly redundant at some point. Basically, it was a rather well made but fairly simple tale after all and if you expect something epic, you might be disappointed. Anyway, to conclude, I thought it was a solid drama and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre. 

7/10