2023.06.21
mask/persona
"I think actors lose their minds when they act." ( Ruan Lingyu, 91)
"Irma Vep" is also a film about acting, as Maggie Cheung plays herself. Prior to this film, she played the legendary Chinese silent film actor Luo Lingyu. " Luo Lingyu " directed by Stanley Kwan is as closely related to this film as "Les Vampires."
Both "Irma Vep" and " Loan Lingyui " are fictional behind-the-scenes filmmaking, but more than that, they are also documents of the actor Maggie Cheung. The heroine of " Loan Lingyui " rarely shows any emotion, except when she is acting in front of the camera. In this film, Maggie Cheung seems to be invading the dangerous territory of acting. Her movements going up and down the stairs are as if she is possessed by the spirit of Loan Lingyui, who committed suicide at the age of 24. Just like Maggie in "Irma Vep", who took on the spirit of Musidora by putting on the costume and lost her sanity.
“Irma Vep” © Vortex sutra
In this film, Maggie Cheung is isolated as a foreigner in Paris and cannot understand any language other than English. This lack of communication makes Maggie more isolated, but at the same time, it heightens her mystique. Silence = mystique. The creaking of the costume is a new "language" that breaks the silence. It is the answer to the proposition of turning black costumes into the "language" of modern cinema. And in this film, close-ups of Maggie Cheung's frightened performance are exquisitely beautiful, like a silent film heroine. There is a language that only cinema can possess. Close-ups of Maggie Cheung, shown in silent mode, become "languages" even without her speaking.
Olivier Assayas made a short portrait film of Maggie Cheung titled "Sant titre" (1997) after this film. Maggie Cheung took a break from acting, except for a few short films, after starring in " Clean " (2004), also directed by Olivier Assayas. The remake of " Irma Vep ," in which the character of Maggie leaves Maggie Cheung's body and appears as the spirit of the character, can be seen as a tribute to the legendary actor Maggie Cheung during her hiatus.
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