SWC75
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On February 15, 1934, a Chinese actress, Ai Xia, committed suicide: Ai Xia - Wikipedia
A director named Cai Chusheng, who may have been her lover, made film based on the life and Death: New Women - Wikipedia released February 13, 1935.
The film blamed Ai Xia's suicide, in part, on gossip as reported in the press. The press was so angered by this that they put on a campaign against the film and it's lead actress, Ruan Lingyu, claiming that they, (the press) had been misrepresented in the film but also reporting some salacious stories about Ruan Lingyu, which resulted, (in part), in her suicide on March 8, 1935.
en.wikipedia.org
In the film, Lingyu, playing the character based on Ai Xia, attempts suicide with sleeping pills, (Ai Xia used raw opium, Ruan Lingyu barbiturates). She's hospitalized and wants to die but it talked out of it by her friends and family, telling her that she should want revenge on the people saying the bad things about her in the newspapers. She rallies, emotionally and then physically, declares several times "I want to live" but dies of a heart attack. Ai Xia was 21 when she died, Ruan Lingyu 24.
And here is that film, (they were still making silent movies in China at that time but dialog was later added, apparently by other actors and this has English subtitles). Watching the final scenes knowing that it's based on the death of a real person and that the actress playing that real person would shortly die under almost identical circumstances is an amazing experience.
A director named Cai Chusheng, who may have been her lover, made film based on the life and Death: New Women - Wikipedia released February 13, 1935.
The film blamed Ai Xia's suicide, in part, on gossip as reported in the press. The press was so angered by this that they put on a campaign against the film and it's lead actress, Ruan Lingyu, claiming that they, (the press) had been misrepresented in the film but also reporting some salacious stories about Ruan Lingyu, which resulted, (in part), in her suicide on March 8, 1935.
Ruan Lingyu - Wikipedia
In the film, Lingyu, playing the character based on Ai Xia, attempts suicide with sleeping pills, (Ai Xia used raw opium, Ruan Lingyu barbiturates). She's hospitalized and wants to die but it talked out of it by her friends and family, telling her that she should want revenge on the people saying the bad things about her in the newspapers. She rallies, emotionally and then physically, declares several times "I want to live" but dies of a heart attack. Ai Xia was 21 when she died, Ruan Lingyu 24.
And here is that film, (they were still making silent movies in China at that time but dialog was later added, apparently by other actors and this has English subtitles). Watching the final scenes knowing that it's based on the death of a real person and that the actress playing that real person would shortly die under almost identical circumstances is an amazing experience.
