Although Americans' notion of Red China has, for years, been a kind of Chihuahua-sized vague McCarthyism (Joe, not Eugene), we tend to forget that many of the more humane aspects of our society derive from the socialist, not the capitalist, impulse. The ideal of communal good drove journalist Israel Epstein, a Westerner in China, to hook up with Mao following the Communist revolution of 1949, while most foreigners took to the boats and sailed for less politically tempestuous climes. Filmmaker Ronald Levaco, who left China with his parents at the age of 10, returned 40 years later to sort out his own relationship to the Middle Kingdom and that of his late father's best friend, Israel "Eppie" Epstein. The result, Round Eyes in the Middle Kingdom, retraces Eppie's incredible path: he joined Mao's revolution, became the editor of the largest party magazine aimed at foreign audiences, and worked towards that "dream of a collective society"...until he was jailed by zealous Red Guards during the Cultural Revolution. Yet, even after spending five years in solitary confinement, Eppie remained loyal to the party's basic ideals. In Round Eyes in the Middle Kingdom, Ronald Levaco combines an engrossing (and beautifully written) personal narrative about both himself and Israel Epstein, together with an insightful meditation on a half century's worth of Chinese history. Winner of a CINE Golden Eagle, Gold Apple, and Golden Gate Award, this engaging portrait is highly recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (R. Pitman)
Round Eyes in the Middle Kingdom
(1995) 52 min. $199.95. Trans Film & Video. PPR. Color cover. Vol. 11, Issue 5
Round Eyes in the Middle Kingdom
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