The East Is Red (1965 film)

The East Is Red (simplified Chinese: 东方红; traditional Chinese: 東方紅; pinyin: Dōngfāng Hóng) is a 1965 Chinese film directed by Wang Ping. It is a "song and dance epic" dramatizing the history of the Chinese Revolution and the Communist Party under the leadership of Mao Zedong, from the beginnings of the Boxer Rebellion, to the Civil War against the Nationalists, to the victory of the Communists and the establishing of the People's Republic. The musical is commercially available today on both CD and video, as well as online with English subtitles.

The film is also known as The East Is Red: A Song and Dance Epic.

Plot summary

The musical depicts the history of the Communist Party of China under Mao Zedong from its founding in July 1921 to the establishment of "New China" in 1949. Detailed in the musical are several key events in CPC history such as the Northern Expedition (taken up by the Kuomingtang National Revolutionary Army with Chinese Communist and Soviet support), the KMT-led Shanghai massacre of 1927, the Nanchang Uprising and formation of the People's Liberation Army, the Long March, guerrilla warfare of the PLA during the Second United Front (during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression), the subsequent coup de grâce delivered to the Nationalist Republic of China administration of Mainland China by the PLA in the decisive phase of the Chinese Civil War, and the founding of the PRC on October 1, 1949.

Singers in the film include Wang Kun, Tseten Dolma, Hu Song Hua and Guo Lanying.

Soundtrack

• Orchestra, ensemble and choirs - Overture: "The East is Red" (with dance)
• Orchestra, ensemble and choirs - "Northern October Winds"
• Orchestra, ensemble and choirs - "Workers, Peasants and Soldiers, Unite!"
• Orchestra, ensemble, choirs and lady duettists - "(For the Red Army) Wooden Hunan Shoes"
• Orchestra, ensemble, and male choir - "Three Rules and Eight Notices" (Adaptation of the military anthem of China)
• Orchestra, ensemble and choirs - "Looking at the North Star"
• Orchestra, ensemble and choirs - "Crossing the Dadu River" (with dance)
• Orchestra, ensemble and lady soloist - "Song of the Yi People"
• Orchestra, ensemble and male choir - "The Armies Have Reunited (Long Live the Red Army)"
• Orchestra, ensemble, choirs and male soloist - "The Long March"
• Orchestra, ensemble and soloists - "Along the Sungari River" (Ballad of the Northeasters)
• Orchestra and ensemble- "March of the Volunteers" (1st performance)
• Orchestra, ensemble and choir - "Song of the Military and Political University of Resistance Against Japan"
• Orchestra, ensemble and choir - "Song of Guerrillas"
• Orchestra, ensemble, ladies choir and soloist - "Nanniwan"
• Orchestra, ensemble and choirs - "Defend the Yellow River" from the Yellow River Cantata
• Orchestra, ensemble and choirs - "Unity is Strength"
• Orchestra, ensemble and male choir - Military Anthem of the People's Liberation Army
• Orchestra, ensemble, choirs and duettists- "The People's Liberation Army Captures Nanking City" (One of Chairman Mao's poems)
• Orchestra and ensemble - "March of the Volunteers" (2nd performance) (National Anthem of the People's Republic of China, played at the beginning of Act 6, in the Tiananmen Square scene)
• Orchestra, ensemble and choirs - "Without the Communist Party, There Would Be No New China"
• Orchestra, ensemble, and male soloist - Paean
• Orchestra, ensemble, ladies choir and soloists - "Song of Liberated Tibetan Serfs"
• Orchestra, ensemble and choirs - Finale: "Ode to the Motherland"
• Orchestra, ensemble and choirs - "The Internationale" (Words by Eugène Pottier, music by Pierre Degeyter, Chinese translation by Qu Qiubai) Only the first verse is sung at the finale scene.

External links

• The East is Red at the Internet Movie Database
• The East Is Red is available for free download at the Internet Archive
• Video on YouTube