alternatehistory.com
Culture: The East is Red
I haven't forgotten this TL yet.
The East Is Red was an odd example of Chinese political propaganda; something that China didn't often do in the late 20th century, particularly since they became a democracy in the early 90s. However, with the grave concerns over the state of affairs in South Asia, and the aftermath of the Kargil War's devastating nuclear effects, the Chinese government decided to shore up domestic support by painting the revolution in a glorified light.
The film itself minimized the importance of Mao Tse-tung in the Revolution, as the Elder Statesman had fallen out of favor in the 1950s. The movie played up Deng Xiaoping, Zhu De, and other more "sympathetic" figures in the Chinese Revolution that could be spoken of. The film is also notable as depicting Madame Mao, Mao's wife who was executed for treason in the 1970s, as a "Black Widow", who sought to "betray the Revolution for her Japanese paymasters".
The film depicts the revolution as a joint-effort between the Kuomintang's leftists, and the Chinese Communist Party. The film starts with the Xinhai Revolution, and proceeds through the schism between the Communist Party and KMT, the Long March, Jiangxi Soviet, the Japanese invasion, Civil War, the turbulent period under Mao and his successors, and then the "reform of China into a superpower by the will of the people".
The film ends with students from all of the Beijing Pact's member nations, and all of the Warsaw Pact, joining together and singing The Internationale in their native language. The camera then ends the movie by panning a large crowd of people joining in as well.
American John Milius was onboard as a cinematographical expert, helping piece together the film, and advised the director.
The film was released on October 1, 1999; the 50th anniversary of the foundation of the People's Republic. The film was released in all markets, subtitled where necessary. The film grossed heavily in China and the Communist International, but was mostly ignored in the Western markets. However, many Americans still went to see The East is Red, either out of cultural affinity for foreign films, or out of sheer curiosity about the Chinese nation, with whom they had been developing a great relationship with in the face of chaos and militant racism and Islamism.
The film itself minimized the importance of Mao Tse-tung in the Revolution, as the Elder Statesman had fallen out of favor in the 1950s. The movie played up Deng Xiaoping, Zhu De, and other more "sympathetic" figures in the Chinese Revolution that could be spoken of. The film is also notable as depicting Madame Mao, Mao's wife who was executed for treason in the 1970s, as a "Black Widow", who sought to "betray the Revolution for her Japanese paymasters".
The film depicts the revolution as a joint-effort between the Kuomintang's leftists, and the Chinese Communist Party. The film starts with the Xinhai Revolution, and proceeds through the schism between the Communist Party and KMT, the Long March, Jiangxi Soviet, the Japanese invasion, Civil War, the turbulent period under Mao and his successors, and then the "reform of China into a superpower by the will of the people".
The film ends with students from all of the Beijing Pact's member nations, and all of the Warsaw Pact, joining together and singing The Internationale in their native language. The camera then ends the movie by panning a large crowd of people joining in as well.
American John Milius was onboard as a cinematographical expert, helping piece together the film, and advised the director.
The film was released on October 1, 1999; the 50th anniversary of the foundation of the People's Republic. The film was released in all markets, subtitled where necessary. The film grossed heavily in China and the Communist International, but was mostly ignored in the Western markets. However, many Americans still went to see The East is Red, either out of cultural affinity for foreign films, or out of sheer curiosity about the Chinese nation, with whom they had been developing a great relationship with in the face of chaos and militant racism and Islamism.
- Asami
- Word Count: 390