Passion of the Mao (2006)

Has anyone seen this movie? Its a play on "Passion of the Christ" -- a comedic look at Chinese Communism under leader Mao Tse-Tung.

It was pretty humorous, had little known tidbits about Mao's life, such as his struggle with constipation, how he "never shit so regularly as when in battle" and how later on in life he wouldn't take a shower, but would instead have his bodyguards rub him down each morning "often sticking their fingers up his ass to get his bowels going."

It covered the span of his life from the many military defeats he faced at the hands of the Nationalist forces, led by Jiang Kaishek (whom the West called China's Great Christian Liberator) to his alliances with them against the Japanese during World War II, then against them again, calling out Nationalist forces during battles and causing them to desert en masse to his side as he rallied support in the countryside amongst peasants.

Upon finally achieving victory in Tianenman Square on October 1, 1949 he wrote: "The serious task of economic construction lies before us. We shall soon put aside some of the things we know well and be compelled to do things we don't know well."

It highlighted the tragedy of 900,000 Chinese troops dying to defend North Korea from imperialist American forces, and the many economic struggles the Communists faced as they tried to work their backwards agrarian economy into an industrial power-house. During the first 5-year plan they saw 18% economic and industrial growth, with peasant and worker income rising dramatically. The percentage of children in schools doubled and life expectancy rose. By April 1956 he eliminated 2/3 of the Party bureaucracy and struggled with promoting free speech and criticism of the Party. But in the end, with no Bill of Rights in their Constitution, tyranny won out, as "Anti-Rightist" campaigns led to dissidents being rounded up and executed.

During the Great Leap Forward of 1957, they emptied administrative offices and sent officials to work in the fields and factories alongside the workers. But in 1958 farmers were diverted from farm-work to build irrigation canals for the production of steel -- there was a bumper harvest but much of it went to waste in the fields, as there weren't enough farm-hands to collect it. The result: massive famine, with China's population falling by 16 million people in 3 years. By Summer 1960 Mao dismantled the Communes and restored free markets and private plots and "acknowledged he made mistakes."

In 1964, he went so far as to say "We shall set a time to carry out democratic elections. Terms of office should be limited to 4 years." but by then, the Party was too firmly entrenched in power. In 1967 Mao mused: "Why can't we arm the workers and the students?" perhaps growing alarmed at how concentrated power was in Party circles, but again, as it wasn't enshrined in their Constitution, nothing came of that either.

Overall, it was a very interesting documentary of China's recent history and plight leading up to the massive protests in Tianenmen Square in 1989. I recommend it if you're looking for something to rent on the weekend, although I wouldn't buy it. Its one of those films you need to see once -- but only once -- to get the message.

Or else tyranny prevails.