Ruan Lingyu, born in 1910, is one of the most prominent Chinese film stars of the 1930s. Her first screen appearance in 1927 was in the film "Husband and Wife in Name." In spite of her lack of formal education, she was diligent and scrupulous in every detail of her acting. Contrast to her success on the screen, her personal life was a tragedy. She fell in love with Zhang Damin, the young master of the house her mother worked, before starting her film career. But in a class-divided society they could not marry. Their relationship deteriorated when she became a successful actress. She later left Zhang and lived with a businessman, Tang Jishan. Zhang created a scandal when he sued Tang for damage in the 1930s, and Ruan was hounded by the tabloid press. Under severe pressure, Ruan poisoned herself with an overdose of barbiturates in Shanghai in 1935, at the age of 25.

隔岸凝望，属于岸那边的旧上海的浮华虽说已迷人眼，但浮华背后却是种莫明的痛。那种忧伤的心情味道，我们隔了时光的海寄给了阮玲玉，一个旧上海悲剧女王的戏梦人生。

影片《阮玲玉》为我们呈现了陆离的旧上海风貌，以及阮玲玉的传奇一生。张曼玉的袅娜和颓废的华丽真实地把那颗70年前的香魂交到了我们的手上，穿越岁月的沉淀，张曼玉打开了属于阮玲玉的那炉沉香。

阮玲玉是真正为无声电影而生的人，虽然她没有在银幕上说过一句话，这个“默片时代”的女王，只用肢体和眼神就为我们传递了窒息的风情。

1926年，迫于生计的阮玲玉出任影片《挂名夫妻》女主角，一举成名。1929年，阮玲玉主演影片《故都春梦》，扮演妓女燕燕获得成功，奠定了她在影坛的地位。阮玲玉表演艺术的黄金时期是上世纪三十年代中期，她先后主演了《三个摩登女性》、《小玩意》、《城市之夜》、《神女》、《新女性》等很有影响的影片……阮玲玉演技具有丰富的激情又不失纯真、强烈而又细腻熟练、朴素而自然，丝毫没有雕凿的痕迹，于是，中国“葛丽泰·嘉宝”的美誉不胫而走。

然而纤弱、敏感的红颜终归薄命，这位站在中国女演员演技巅峰的女星，却在情感道路上一路坎坷，于是，她在留下“人言可畏”的感慨后，自己结束了她精彩而又无奈的一生，一代红颜香消玉陨。