Wang Renmei: The Wildcat of Shanghai

CHAPTER 5: Exodus from Shanghai

CHAPTER 5 Exodus from Shanghai ll of the Shanghai movie actors were upset with the Japanese invasion. They decided to put on a A play and work jointly to present Defending the Lugou Bridge. Both Wang Renmei and Jin Yan played parts in the production which was about the incident at the Marco Polo Bridge on July 7. Thousands of Shanghainese swamped the Penglai Theater which was close to Xiao Ximen in the Nanshi District in Shanghai. Each performance was sold out with all the tickets going in just ten minutes. Wang Renmei was so busy with the performances that she did not even have time to have dinner, but because of the patriotic nature of the play she said she was not hungry. The actors and the audience shared one thought—they did not want to be the slaves of Japanese invaders in a destroyed country. The show lasted from August 7 until August 13. After that, many of the actors left Shanghai and joined a troupe visiting different parts of the free territory of China and entertaining troops. That left a gap in the lives of Jin and Wang. At the same time, most of the major movie companies stopped doing business. In the Àrst half of 1938, only Xinhua was still making movies. The boss of the production company Zhang Shankun was 52 Wang Renmei: The Wildcat of Shanghai only concerned with making proÀts. Because the political situation had changed, he resorted to horror and erotic movies. Under those circumstances, it was impossible for both Jin and Wang to make any serious movies with progressive themes. Zhang, noted for his fast production methods, had Jin make three Àlms in that year. The “Emperor of Film” was unsatisÀed with all of them. Wang Renmei starred in the Àlm which was designed for her singing talents, Li Hen Tian (Parting from Heaven with Sorrow). Director Wu Yonggang asked Wang Renmei to play two roles: a mother named “Rose” who eventually dies, and her daughter “Little Rose.” The supporting cast was mainly actors from the former Lianhua Studios who had remained in Shanghai. The opening shots of the Àlm depict various scenes from a circus with rolling credits superimposed. The circus troupe in the Àlm goes to its various locations by ship. The opening scene shows Wang singing on the deck of the ship with a song about the soft moonlight and laments that her youth will not return. She explains her plight to a friendly sailor and is beaten by the boss of the circus, played by Zhang Zhizhi, the professional villain of early Shanghai movies. Suddenly, Rose is protected by two of her clown friends. In another scene, the sailors from the ship visit the circus in Shanghai after having become acquainted with the crew. The director used wipes between the various acts of the circus. It is apparent that in order to make a quick Àlm without spending a lot of money, the boss of the studio actually Àlmed a real circus. Wang Renmei sings about roses again as part of the circus act. She also dances in the Ànal scene. Finally, Rose leaves the circus and moves in with one of the sailor’s sisters. However, the sailor, who has been supporting his sister, is jailed, so Rose is forced to return to the circus. She faints during a performance while singing because she is Exodus from Shanghai 53 pregnant. With ill treatment, she dies and the two clown friends raise her daughter Little Rose. In a scene reminiscent of old Hollywood B movies, the circus boss falls after tripping on a rug, stabs himself, and dies. The two clowns take over and run the circus. Little Rose sings in the circus and looks just like her mother. Obviously, the role is played by Wang Renmei. The Ànal scene is at the grave of Mother Rose. At the end of the Àlm, Rose sings as the camera scans the skies. We do not see Rose but her spirit at the grave sings the melody.1 Writing in her memoirs, Wang Renmei was apologetic for the Àlm but reÁected that the Àlm did show people from the lower social classes, although the plot was a cliché. It was not well received by the audience and the actress felt that she was responsible because of her limited acting capacities.2 Wang Renmei’s...