Breaking with Old Ideas (1976)

It has been nine years since Chairman Mao and the Communist Party liberated China, but despite the progress that has been made towards building a socialist society, the education system is still in the hands of the reactionary bourgeoisie. Lung Guozheng is a veteran of the war against the Japanese and the Nationalists and passionately devoted to building a more just world. He is designated principal of the Communist Labour College, and sets out to eradicate the influence of the old order, and establish a school for the poor and working class. Made during the Cultural Revolution, this is obviously a propaganda film, but it is a great one. There is a real sense of humanity and passion that just bursts forward. A lot of the Chinese films that deal with the Maoist period do so in an understandably negative way. Mao was a totalitarian dictator with a massive personality cult and bizarre eccentricities, but he was also a great leader and reformer who empowered people who had suffered horrific economic and social oppression. It is fascinating to see a film that shows this utopian side of the Maoist era, and acts as a record for those who benefited from his rule. Above all, this is a deeply emotional work. Its message of collective action, social justice, and the importance of freedom from fear, hunger, and exploitation is always relevant. Hell, at school I am surrounded by pseudo-progressives who preach changing the world, but are ultimately just interested in perpetuating the status quo and their own privilege. See this one.