Sparkling Red Star

This article is about the 1974 film. For the 2007 animated remake, see Sparkling Red Star (2007 film).

Sparkling Red Star is a 1974 Chinese film and one of the very few films produced in China during the Cultural Revolution. Co-directed by Li Jun and Li Ang, the film is a mix between a war film, a children's film and a musical. Today, given the heavy-handed political message and state control of the Sparkling Red Star's story and production, it is generally considered a propaganda film. The film was remade in 2007 as an animated tale.

Sparkling Red Star
Traditional Chinese	閃閃的紅星
Simplified Chinese	闪闪的红星
Hanyu Pinyin	Shănshăn de hóngxīng
Directed by	Li Jun Li Ang
Written by	Li Xintian
Starring	Zhu Xinyun Gao Baocheng Liu Jiang Liu Jizhong
Production company	August First Film Studio
Release date	1974 (1974)
Country	China
Language	Mandarin

Plot

The film tells the story of Pan Dongzi, a teenager and son of a Communist army officer. When the father is called off, he leaves Dongzi a red star as a symbol of the cause. While he is away, a bourgeois landlord, Hu Hansan, returns to Dongzi's village where he exacts revenge upon the peasants who had forced him out. In the process, Dongzi's mother is burned to death in their home.

Hardened by his mother's death, Dongzi joins a band of guerrilla fighters and eventually kills his former landlord. When his father finally returns, Dongzi joins him as the Red Army's newest recruit in the fight against the Japanese during Second Sino-Japanese War.

References

• Zhang, Yingjin & Xiao, Zhiwei. Encyclopedia of Chinese Film. Taylor & Francis (1998). ISBN 0-415-15168-6.

External links

• Sparkling Red Star at the Chinese Movie Database