Given the anti-Red political climate in the U.S. in 1952, it is astounding that a Russian-produced documentary titled The New China received any American bookings at all! This is especially true when one takes into consideration the rather strident anti-capitalist stance of the English-language narration. Propaganda aside, The New China turned out to be an invaluable source of stock footage for all future documentaries on its subject. One clip, depicting a gigantic blow-up photograph of Mao Tse-Tung, has probably been seen more often on TV than the Hindenburg disaster. Befitting its title, The New China was a "collective" effort, co-produced by the Chinese People's Republic Film Studios and the Central Documentary Film Studios of Moscow: the long list of directorial credits included Sergei Gerasimov, Ivan Dukinsky, Siu Siao-Bin and Su Ho-Chin.
by Hal Erickson
synopsis
