Morning Sun examines the history of the Cultural Revolution

Providing startling insights into the psychology of the Chinese Cultural Revolution, the new documentary Morning Sun, is sure to catch any Sinophile's attention.

With fascinating historical footage and contemporary accounts, the documentary focuses on "how history is represented and functions ... it's an examination," Director, Producer, and Cameraman Richard Gordon said at a screening this weekend at the Museum of Fine Arts.

"The culture of the Cultural Revolution in many ways created a world unto itself. It was supposed to be a realm with a universal appeal, an idealized environment peopled by revolutionary heroes who always vanquished class enemies and reactionaries," said the Morning Sun website, which constructed to provide information beyond the film. Explaining the period examined by the documentary, the website states that, "It provided prescriptions for the present and models for the future ... it was a world in which the past was dispelled and an eternal revolutionary present was invoked."

Gordon said that "encoded within the film is an ironic commentary on revolution," it devours its own.

The documentary opens with scenes from a 1964 socialist stage extravaganza -- a song-and-dance epic -- entitled East is Red. The show tells the story of the Chinese Revolution, and was performed in honor of the Revolution's 15th anniversary.

The documentary shows not only the stage of the performance, but also the fascinated 1964 audience. The show ends with the audience being led in the singing of L'Internationale, telling them that it is now their turn to continue the revolution. Those watching that show included the people who would soon be starting the Cultural Revolution -- the high schoolers who had been born alongside the Revolution and would seek to make it their own.

In this manner, explained Gordon, the film frames the history in a way that helps us to relate to the events in the same way as that contemporary audience. East is Red does provide a frame for the story. It is constantly referred back to, visually, to illustrate parts of the original Revolution.

The documentary, however, goes far beyond only collecting interesting visuals from the past. The Director, Producer, and Interviewer Carma Hinton -- best known for The Gates of Heavenly Peace documentary -- tells the story of the Cultural Revolution (c. 1966-76) through the stories of three very different people and their families.

Having been born in China and witnessed first hand the time she is addressing, Hinton brings a unique perspective to the documentary, which always pushes at our boundaries of understanding the terrible events that came about.

Among the atrocities committed by teenagers were beatings of "reactionaries," people who had gone against the values of the revolution. The people interviewed admitted that it was a terrifying time. Many of the people who were actually performing these beatings did not want to, but to protest would bring the scrutiny upon themselves.

More disturbingly, another woman tells how beatings became addictive, "you felt so incredibly strong," one of her friends had told her.

Morning Sun successfully draws the audience into the increasingly chaotic world of the Cultural Revolution. As students denounced their teachers and professors, and gave Mao and his teachings more credence than to their parents, their social structure was increasingly nonexistent.

One of the men interviewed, a founder of the Red Guards student movement that helped bring about the Cultural Revolution, said that with hindsight he now sees that the revolutionary fervor that possessed him and his peers was really a manifestation of regular teenage feelings and desires. He also felt that his movement turned into something altogether different than what they had originally intended.

The story of Song Binbin is one of the most symbolic of the time. A member of the Red Guards, she was pinning a red armband on Chairman Mao Zedong when he inquired as to the meaning of her name -- gentle and refined. He said that it would be better if it were "be militant." A few days later, she encountered an essay in a newspaper. Written in the first person, and embracing violent strategies to support the revolution, it was signed "Song be militant." For the rest of the revolution she was held up as an exemplary youth -- although she never embraced those principles and was outraged by the usurpation of her name.

Untenable, based upon lies, exaggerations, and Mao Zedong Thought (something along the lines of 1984's thought control) the Cultural Revolution did devour itself, as the filmmakers are careful to make clear. Upon Mao's death, the more moderate leaders of the party took power and -- with the public arrest and trials of the so-called Gang of Four -- ended the upheaval.

The film is invaluable in shedding light onto a period that the official government histories gloss over as "chaotic." The two hour documentary is like a real-life viewing of Lord of the Flies, a warning of what extremes human beings can reach.

Morning Sun opened this weekend in Boston and will be showing at the MFA through Nov. 1. See www.morningsun.org for more information.