From 1972 until 1974, Joris Ivens and Marceline Loridan, along with a Chinese film crew, documented the last days of the Cultural Revolution, marking the end of an era. The vast amount of footage they shot was edited into 14 films of varying lengths. Focusing on ordinary people spread over a wide geographic area—many of whom were living and working in collectives—the filmmakers recorded a unique moment in history, and also captured some of the more enduring aspects of Chinese culture.
愚公移山, Como Yukong Moveu As Montanhas
France
France
As I Was Moving Ahead Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses of Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Women on the Verge of a Nervous Evolution of a Filipino Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Pigeon on a Branch Reflecting on Yukong Moving the Mountains with All My Hypothalamus
A monumental, invaluable exploration of a society in the midst of radical change. Mao’s Cultural Revolution isn’t celebrated as a fait accompli, but instead it’s witnessed as an ongoing, constantly changing perpetual present. “A free people,” Ivens marvels, “liberated in their work and in their struggles.” And indeed, the overwhelming majority of the people we see seem to be cheerfully participating in a collective utopic project. The Revolution’s tumultuous and frequently violent beginnings (and its myriad injustices) are vaguely acknowledged, though mostly as a difficult step toward a more enlightened consciousness. In the army barracks, a mostly self-sustained community that finances 80 percent of its own needs, the only thing distinguishing officers from soldiers is the number of pockets on…
"You should remind them of the past so they can appreciate the present"
The most detailed documentary and one of the richest I've seen, doesn't just show the cultural revolution only, but also the lifestyle of more than just one city, the workers, students, soldiers, fishermen, and more.
definitely worth 12 hours.
An in-depth documentary of China during the last years of the Cultural Revolution by Joris Ivens and Marceline Loridan-Ivens. It was shot by a small Chinese film crew from 1972-74, edited into a 12 hour series of episodes and released in 1976. Informative, fascinating, historically rare footage for the West in that very few Western film-makers were allowed into China, or have access to so many of the followers of Mao in open conversation and inquiry. Sure, it was created by Mao sympathizers and can be called propaganda, but where else can we see even a bit of the immensity of change China fought for against the Kuomintang leadership and military; the invading Japanese military; and their own interior fight…
as long and obviously huge in scope as this feels it always distinctly seems as though it's just a tiny part of a massive phenomenon. love parts of it, while other parts drag. super happy joyous filmmaking, i can scarcely believe there was a widespread culture at any point in history that was so dedicated to a great cause.
a movie full of love and adoration. i will never understand the “despite it being propaganda” discourse… bruh, propaganda for what? one of the greatest causes in the history of mankind? how is that bad in any way or something that you have to actively ignore to enjoy the movie?
anways, check this out! it’s a pretty comfy watch compared to other longboi docus ive seen
"Mao Zedong says philosophy must liberate itself from the lecture halls. It must enter into each persons life."
A Landmark and enlightening documentary film that would change your perception about China in 70s. Even though the film's perspective is largely sympathetic to the Communist Party's vision of China, it would give a picture about what was life during that era, especially the common man's life. It presents somehow a romanticized view of China's struggles, avoiding more controversial issues such as the purges and the suffering caused by some of the Revolution’s policies. Nevertheless, the documentary remains a crucial artifact of 20th-century documentary filmmaking.
Spanning over 12 hours in total, the film offers an intimate and multifaceted portrayal of life in…
Possibly the most important takeaway from this film is that Chinese culture and society is not innately "collectivist." Today, orientalist-esque, sociological arguments of a Chinese congenital attachment to social welfare is debunked by this film. If the CPC had not won state power after the Japanese invasion, then the rich peasants, capitalists and landlords all would have fomented a deeply individualistic society at the expense of the underclasses. Here, we are given constant testimony as to the struggle against individualism, myopia and misanthropic habits of the workers and managers. Though, it is important to mention that the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution sought to almost fully eradicate the vestigious of individualism from Chinese society, so it is not surprising this is what stood out to me as significant...
Quite possibly the greatest 12 hour advert for Maoist communism going. And if that doesn't sway you, nothing will.
Seriously this propaganda piece can be tiresome. From interviewing hairdressers to see how they cut their clients hair according to their age (yep, it's THAT entertaining) to the lengthy discussions they have at lunch break about their work and how it fits in with the scheme of things - nothing like having a work appraisal with your bosses while wondering if your criticisms are Maoist enough.
By the end of this film, with the devotion (whether forced or not is immaterial) of Mao uttered at almost every turn, one can't help but return to Claude Channes' song for Godard's Les Chinoises…
La vérité c’est que ces gens étaient heureux sous Mao, quoi qu’on puisse dire, et ce docu est une mine d’or en terme de témoignage et d’info pour nous les occidentaux qui a tellement une image faussée du communisme et de la révolution culturelle sous Mao. ABSOLUMENT TOUTES LES PERSONNES DOIVENT regarder ce docu si vous voulez vous intéresser à Mao ou tout ceux qui ont un raisonnement stupide du communisme.
Sûrement une des œuvres les plus fascinant (?!) que j’ai vu.
