The Passion of the Mao (2006)

Synopsis of The Passion of the Mao

Beginning by addressing common misconceptions about Mao Zedong's early years and moving on to reexamine the Cultural Revolution through a particularly irreverent lens, director Lee Feigon's The Passion of the Mao proves just why Communism can, in fact, be a laughing matter. A successful scholar and businessman in his early years, Mao would ultimately rise to power by unifying China, restructuring the educational system, and improving living conditions, subsequently becoming a "Maoist" and devoting his entire future to deconstructing the centralized bureaucracy that he and his colleagues worked so stridently to create. By taking viewers back in time to the 1960s, Feigon highlights how Mao and the Cultural Revolution helped to encourage feminism by allowing women and men greater access to education, and brought the arts to rural China by staging reinterpretations of Western-style ballets and operas to small villages across the country. Later, the man once praised as "the sun in the sky" would be vilified by propaganda produced by the same people who turned the Tiananmen Square protest into a national tragedy. By blending animation with thoughtful insight and commentary, Feigon creates a documentary that is both entertaining and informative at the same time. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Theatrical Feature Running Time:

90 mins

Director(s):

Lee Feigon

Writer(s):

Lee Feigon

Producer(s):

Lee Feigon

Categories:

Documentary

Looking for special editions of The Passion of the Mao?

See All Versions

Subtitles:

Check All Versions

Closed Captioning:

Check All Versions