Morning Sun | Reviews

Seattle International Film Festival
Seattle Post-Intelligencer

It's one big whirl in SIFF's last full week
Friday, June 6, 2003

MORNING SUN (U.S.):
For decades shrouded in infamy and myth, China's Cultural Revolution is, at its core, the story of a messianic leader, the rewriting of the national myth into a gospel of socialism, and the revolutionary hysteria of students turned into zealots. No, the directors of this compelling and illuminating documentary don't resort to religious metaphors, but the theme is found in many of the astounding interviews with witnesses to history. Rare documentary footage (both stage-managed propaganda events and newsreel reportage) and the "proletariat art" of party-approved films show the gap between the fantasy and reality of Mao's China, but it's the experiences of those swept up in and swept away by the runaway revolution that illuminate the forces behind the crusades and purges. (S.A.)