Cinema Thinks the World: The Goddess (1934) Film Screening and Discussion

January 23, 2023
6:00 pm – 9:30 pm
at UBC Robson Square (map)

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About the Event

Cinema Thinks The World is proud to present a screening of The Goddess on January 23, 2023, and will involve an introduction and discussion led by Professor Christopher Rea (Asian Studies, UBC), who is the author of the recent and acclaimed book, Chinese Film Classics, 1922–1949 (Columbia University Press, 2021). The event will be moderated by Dr Mila Zuo (Theatre and Film, UBC).

This is the fourth of six free screenings that will be held at Robson Square as part of the Cinema Thinks the World series.  

About the Film

Widely regarded as the finest Chinese silent film, The Goddess is a stylistic masterpiece. A single mother working as a streetwalking prostitute finds herself trapped in a relationship with a thuggish gambler, and desperately fights to escape. How should society respond to her sacrifices? An exemplary melodrama featuring legendary actress Ruan Lingyu at her most radiant.

Event Schedule

6:00 PM: Doors open, light snacks and beverages will be provided
6:30 PM: Program begins
6:45 PM: Film starts
8:30 PM: Discussion, Q&A Period
9:30 PM: Program ends

Panelists

Christopher Rea is a literary and cultural historian whose research focuses on the modern Chinese-speaking world. His most recent publications concern research methodology, early cinema, comedy, celebrities, swindlers, cultural entrepreneurs, and the scholar-writers Qian Zhongshu and Yang Jiang. His most recent books include Where Researchs Begins: Choosing a Research Project That Matters to You (and the World) (with Tom Mullaney, Chicago University Press, 2022) and Chinese Film Classics, 1922-1949 (Columbia University Press, 2021). He is also a translator, including (with Bruce Rusk) of the Ming-dynasty work, The Book of Swindles.

Mila Zuo is an assistant professor in the Department of Theatre and Film at UBC. She has published in journals such as Women & Performance: a journal of feminist theory, Celebrity Studies Journal, Journal of Chinese Cinemas, Feminist Media Histories, and is also the author of Vulgar Beauty: Acting Chinese in the Global Sensorium (Duke University Press, 2022), which focuses on the affective racialization of Chinese women film stars, demonstrating the ways in which vulgar, flavourful beauty disrupts Western and colonial notions of beauty. She is also a filmmaker, having directed various shorts and video-essays, including Carnal Orient (2016) and KIN.(2021).

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