The screening on 27 August will be followed by an in-person Q&A with the director Stanley Kwan, moderated by Tony Rayns.
Red Rose White Rose is adapted from one of Eileen Chang’s most celebrated novels of the same name. Renowned for his nuanced portrayals of women, Stanley Kwan creates two unforgettable female characters while also crafting a complex portrait of the conflicted male protagonist, in this sumptuous period melodrama. Through Kwan’s precise mise-en-scène, Christopher Doyle’s evocative cinematography, and Pan Lai’s elaborate production design, the glamorous yet melancholic world of old Shanghai is brought vividly to life.
Set in 1930s and 1940s Shanghai, the story follows Tong Zhenbao, a young man recently returned from studying abroad. In his life, there are two women: the 'Red Rose,' Wang Jiaorui, the passionate and seductive wife of his friend, and the 'White Rose,' Meng Yanli, a respectable and proper woman whom he eventually marries. After an affair with the former gives way to marriage with the latter, Zhenbao finds himself caught between desire and convention, as lingering doubts, regrets, and unfulfilled longings haunt all three lives.
Supported by the Hong Kong Economic Trade Office London.
