Mao by Mao
Mao by Mao
| 01 May 1977 (USA)
Mao by Mao Trailers

A film-détournement biography of Mao Tse-tung in which the life of the recently deceased Great Helmsman is told in his own words, using quotes culled from various Red Guard publications. The rise to power of the film's namesake appears as the inevitable outcome of a dialectical logical. Or so the voice-over might lead one to believe. If the usual practice of détourned films is for the soundtrack to undermine the image, here the reverse occasionally takes place. The images critique Mao's words. They show that which, even in the official visual record of the times, the narrative elides. The film is dedicated to Li Yhi Zhe, the nominal author of a famous Democracy Wall critique of the Maoist state.

Reviews
Matialth Good concept, poorly executed.
Fairaher The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.
Asad Almond A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.
Roxie The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;