Coming to NYC’s Quad Cinema this Friday, April 12: THE REVOLUTIONARY
Irv Drasnin, Lucy Ostrander, and Don Sellars’ profile of the life of a formerly imprisoned American member of the Chinese Communist Party made its world premiere at Seattle last year. Its fest circuit has included Hot Springs, Heartland, Cucalorus, and Sedona, among others.
Sidney Rittenberg, now in his 90s, offers a first-hand perspective on Mao’s Cultural Revolution. Once a member of the US Communist Party, he later joined the US Army during WWII and learned Chinese. Falling in love with the language, he opted to stay in the country after the war to serve with the UN while China was experiencing the civil war which would soon see Mao Zedong’s Communist Party come into power. Seeing an opportunity to serve as a bridge between the two nations, Rittenberg joined Mao’s party, working closely with the leader as a translator as well as with Radio Beijing. Despite his dedication, as a foreigner he was viewed with suspicion, resulting in imprisonment twice on espionage charges – once for six years before the Cultural Revolution, and then again for nearly a decade after. The filmmakers have incredible access to a wholly fascinating subject, which makes up for the workmanlike, overnarrated History Channel style approach taken here. Luckily, Rittenberg’s unique recollections and insight about China, and his own complex beliefs and motivations, more than carry the film, and should prove engaging to viewers.
what (not) to doc 