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Movie
Poster for Center Stage

Center Stage

1991 · 155 min

A haunting, layered portrait that blurs past and present, demanding close attention as it unfolds with melancholy grace.

Overview
Based on the tragic true story of China's first prima donna of the silver screen, Ruan Lingyu, chronicling her rise to fame as a movie actress in Shanghai during the 1930s.

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Stream in the UK
  • BFI Player Amazon Channel
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How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • melancholicstrength 3 of 3
  • darkstrength 2 of 3
  • earneststrength 2 of 3
Pacing
slow-burn, 1 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
demanding, 4 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • identity
  • fate
  • media
  • celebrity
  • death
Places
  • big city
Era
period
Audience
adult
Form
  • nonlinear
  • true story
Content intensity
  • Gore none
  • Language mild
  • Violence mild
  • Sex mild
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action1
Horror1
Humour2
Realism8
Romance4
Tension4
Darkness7
Complexity8
Emotional weight8

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Where to watch in the UK

Stream
  • BFI Player Amazon Channel

Streaming data from JustWatch.All options on TMDB

Details

Genres
drama, romance, history
Directed by
Stanley Kwan Kam-pang
Written by
Chiu Kang-Chien
Starring
Maggie Cheung Man-yuk, Tony Leung Ka-fai, Ronald Chin Han, Carina Lau, Lawrence Ng, Cecilia Yip Tung, Waise Lee Chi-hung, Paul Chang Chung
Music
Siu Chung
Cinematography
Poon Hang-Sang
Runtime
155 min
Country
Hong Kong
Languages
English, Mandarin, Cantonese

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