Write a 3-page (double-spaced, 12-point font) review of the film Morning Sun. The film, which came out in 2003, depicts the Cultural Revolution, concentrating on the perspectives of former Beijing Red Guards as they look back 35 years after the event. Make sure you address all of the following questions, though you may choose to spend more time on some than on others:
►What are the major explanations that interviewees put forward about the causes, dynamics, and effects of the Cultural Revolution?
►What are the main things you learned from the film, e.g. about the cultural and political milieu in which the students grew up, the internal dynamics of Red Guard activity, the politics of the Cultural Revolution, and the role of groups beyond the youth of Beijing?
►How does your reading of Spider Eaters (written by one of the women interviewed in the film) help to enhance your understanding of the experience of Beijing youth such as those portrayed in the film?
►What do you think the film did particularly well, and what did it not do well?
What else would you have liked it to do?
This is not a research paper; it is a paper devoted to critical, historically grounded reflection on the film. Your language may be informal but should be grammatically correct, spell-checked, and clear. Allow yourself time to write two drafts, and make sure to read the first draft aloud to a peer and incorporate critical suggestions. Avoid plagiarism. Do not use direct quotations in this paper , but if you draw on the ideas of others, especially course readings, be sure to cite them in short form in the text. For example: (Wemheuer, p. 22; Yang, p. 57).
For background about the film, consult: morningsun.org
