CHINA TRILOGY: rare footages, undisputably the best documentary about China.
In 1986 Ambrica Productions began the CHINA Trilogy, a series of three feature-length documentaries that explore the history of modern China. Much of the twentieth century in China has been dominated by a single generation of men and women and their commitment to communism. This group formed the Chinese Communist Party in the 1920's, came to power in the 1940's and transformed the country into a world power in the 1980's. Now the last leaders of this generation are passing away, bringing to an end one of the most dramatic periods of Chinese history. Their stories and the stories of the ordinary people of China -- peasants and workers, intellectuals and soldiers, families in villages and cities -- form the heart of the CHINA Trilogy.
The first film, CHINA IN REVOLUTION describes the epic upheaval that began in China with the fall of the last emperor in 1911. Over the next four decades, the Chinese people were caught up in struggles with warlords, foreign invasion and a bitter rivalry between the Chinese Communist Party and the Nationalist Party. The film highlights the two figures who came to shape events, Chang Kai-shek and Mao Zedong. First they worked as allies to unite the country and then they fought a bloody civil war that was won by the Communists in 1949.
CHINA IN REVOLUTION 1911-1949 explores the turbulent years prior to the establishment of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 1949. This ground breaking television documentary is the first to examine this complex historical era through interviews with people who experienced it. In the course of the program, viewers watch and listen as Chinese citizens recall their dramatic pasts. The film, which combines rare archival footage with location segments filmed in China and Taiwan, was first broadcast on PBS just after the Tiananmen Square tragedy of 1989. CHINA IN REVOLUTION begins Ambrica Production's epic series on the history of 20th century China.
PRESS REVIEWS
"The film provides exactly the sort of long-range socio-political context that Western news organizations seldom bring to breaking events. Moreover, it does so with a visual integrity that is simply stunning... If this film serves no other purpose, it reminds us that the Tiananmen Square rebellion has a much longer history -- and a far deeper context -- than a few days in June 1989. No one 'lost'China, but this film helps re-find her." The Boston Globe
"What is remarkable about this documentary film is not only that it contains rare footage chronicling those turbulent years, but also that the archival footage is enlivened by the film-makers' interviews with people - both on the mainland and on Taiwan - who either witnessed the happenings shown on the screen or were themselves participants in the historic events that changed China for better or for worse. The recounting of their personal experiences brings history closer to the audience and provides authentic details in a breathtaking panorama." The Asian Wall Street Journal .
《China - A Century of Revolution》 Sue Willams 1989,1994,1997 美國製片人Sue Williams耗資一百多萬美元給美國PBS電視台(Public Broadcasting Service）拍攝的文獻記錄片，去年藍帶出碟，3張，很有價值（難以想象是怎樣采訪到這些人的！），最近才抽空看完。 片子把中國近代史按領導人（獨裁者）分三個部分—— 1.CHINA Trilogy: China in Revolution: 1911-1949 
Kathryn Pierce Dietz，Sue Williams，1989 2.CHINA Trilogy: The Mao Years: 1949-1976
 Sue Williams，1994 3.CHINA Trilogy: Born Under the Red Flag 1976-1997 
Sue Williams，1997
感覺就像是費正清的《偉大的中國革命》的簡潔電影版而已，很簡單，你看到片頭的讚助機構就能明白——片子所有觀點的出發點是美國官方，也就是說，這是一部用美國官方利益來衡量一切的中國近現代史。 中國近現代史的革命和複雜程度不是一言兩語能說清的（也就說不清根本），片子采取了很傳統的西方史學觀——因果確定關係，很明顯的強調了個人對曆史的決定性作用啥的。關鍵在於——這個省略（是資源的問題，也是認識的問題），絕對是一種誤導——對不了解中國曆史的人（可以是外國人，也可以是現在的中國大學生）。 所有的問題都被簡單化呈現了，沒有一點分析。這恰恰和中國近代史的情況完全相反。具體不再多說，也三言兩語說不出來。 至於片子本身，是采用了很傳統的西方記錄片模式，各種個人觀點（相互矛盾）都有呈現，但所有的資料都很簡單，無法讓觀眾作出判斷，當然，對一部隻有360分鍾的紀錄片來說，已經不容易了。 影片的觀點，平淡無奇，關鍵是資料，對一個普通中國人來說，這些資料（有孫，蔣，毛，鄧的真實講話錄音資料），實在是太牛逼了，我年近50的親戚，第一次驚奇的聽到孫中山是怎麽說話的——完全是一個港商的範兒，第一次看到沈醉是啥樣的。當然，你也可以聽到薄一波的山西話和趙的河南腔，真TM親切。 這裏就開始一部部的介紹,先介紹第一部CHINA Trilogy: China in Revolution: 1911-1949 | 
小子來看的時候，鏈接已經失效了，能否恭請再upload一下？