Goddess (Shennu) dir. / sc. Wu Yonggang With Ruan Lingyu, Zhang Zhizhi, Li Keng Shanghai: Lianhua Film, 1934.

A Shanghai prostitute tries to free herself from a greedy, evil pimp. She confronts not only this violent man who takes all her money and keeps her subject to his will, but also an oppressive society that discriminates against her child. A school principal is the only person willing to help her out. He agrees to allow her child to attend his school, but the objections from parents grow so strong that he has to resign his position upon the child's expulsion. The prostitute decides to leave the city and start over again somewhere else. When she realizes that her pimp has stolen all her savings to pay for his gambling habit, she kills him with a wine bottle. She is arrested and sentenced to twelve years in prison. However, this tragic ending is lightened by her subsequent meeting in her cell with the principal who promises to take care of her son. *Goddess* contains one of Ruan Lingyu's greatest performances. Using prostitution as a symbol of oppression and victimization, the film is a classic of the silent Chinese cinema, comparable to the best contemporary films from the West.

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