After decades away from the silver screen, the peerless beauty of the late famed actress Ruan Lingyu was once again seen by audiences when the remastered classic Chinese silent film The Goddess (1934) was shown at the 4th Beijing International Film Festival (BJIFF) on Tuesday.
This restored version features a brand new score composed by Chinese composer Zou Ye, which was performed live by the China Philharmonic Orchestra alongside the film. The event was staged by the KT Wong Foundation, in association with the China Film Archive (CFA).
Lady Linda Wong Davies, founder of the KT Wong Foundation, said, "The Foundation strives to promote artistic collaboration and exchanges that cross countries, cultures and disciplines. The screening of The Goddess is a great example of this. Through the hard work of those in both the Western and Chinese film industries, and the creativity of a modern composer, the radiance of this 80-year old artistic treasure has been restored for this momentous occasion."
"The Goddess took me back to the excitement of the early days of my creativity. I tried my best to return the favor. If the old masters can hear my music from heaven, I hope they'll be happy enough to give me a pass," said Zou.
CFA started the digital restoration project in 2012. However, due to technical limitations at the time, CFA felt the restoration didn't do the film justice and a second round of restoration began.
With the restoration finished this year, a visit by Lady Davies to CFA quickly led both sides to decide that the remastered version of The Goddess should be screened at the 4th BJIFF to the accompaniment of a live orchestral.
Ruan made her first film A Married Couple in Name Only (1926) when she was only 16 years old.