Breaking with Old Ideas (1975)

Original title

决裂

Directed by

Li Wenhua

Genre

propaganda film

Country

People's Republic of China

Runtime

2h 08m

Rating

5.3 of 10 from 6 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

This Chinese film from 1975 pushes for changes in the country's education system. It shows the struggle between old and new ways of learning during the Cultural Revolution.

educationalpropagandisticearnestdatedpoliticalformalsimplisticcommunity-focused

What happens

Breaking with Old Ideas (also known as The Breakup) is a 1975 Chinese propaganda film directed by Li Wenhua. The film is one of the few that were produced during the Cultural Revolution. As a result of the political upheaval taking place, Breaking with Old Ideas's plot was heavily regulated under highly codified guidelines on story and characterization so that it would have a mass character, as opposed to an individual focused character, namely proletarian politics as opposed to bourgeois politics. The film draws inspiration from issues with schooling in China at the time, such as that there was too much study, and too little social practice. Breaking with Old Ideas was one of the first films that was removed from public viewing after the Gang of Four was overthrown and the educational revolution campaign was ended. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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