FILMAKERS LIBRARY
Arts And Literature
Wild Swans - Jung Chang
Directed by Mischa Scorer for BBC Omnibus
This
epic account of the lives of three generations of Chinese women captures the
turbulent transformation of China in the 20th century. Author Jung Chang's grandmother
was born into a still feudal society, had her feet bound, and at the age of
fifteen became a warlord's concubine. Her daughter, Jung Changs's mother, became
a guerrilla fighter against the Chiang Kai-shek regime and rose to high rank
after the Communist Party victory. She and her husband later became victims
of the Cultural Revolution. They were sent to labor camps where they endured
great hardship.
Jung Chang spent a childhood in the privileged circle of the communist elite.
She briefly became a Red Guard as did most of her contemporaries. As a young
student she worshiped Mao until the excesses of the revolution were brought
home. After her whole family was denounced, she was exiled to the Himalayas.
Leaving the country in 1958 to study in England, she never returned.
The film recounts the family history interwoven with archival and contemporary
footage. Her mother's visit in 1990 unleashed a flood of memories and revealed
information that became the basis for her best-selling book, Wild Swans.
In the tradition of Amy Tan, Jung Chang shows how individual lives are transformed
by historical forces. This is an unforgettable film.
"Superbly done..." Library Journal
"Evocatively tying all the events together Chang vividly recreates China's
stormy political history." - Booklist
Association for Asian Studies, 1995
Rocky Mountain Women's Film Festival, 1995
59 min. Video or DVD. Sale $195. Video rental $75.
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