Moving the Mountain

Amazon.com

This moving documentary by Michael Apted tells the story of the Chinese democracy movement that culminated in the massive uprising in Tiananmen Square in May 1989. Li Lu, a leader of the student movement, appears in interview segments to talk about growing up during the cultural revolution, and his reminiscences provide a structure to the story of how a younger generation in China came to cry out for democracy. Archival footage and dramatic reenactments provide a compelling visual component to his story. The protests at Beijing University that mushroomed into the massive protests at Tiananmen Square are shown in well-chosen news footage, and student leaders, including Chai Ling and Wu'er Kaixi, talk about their experiences in the vortex of the uprising. This film pulls no punches in describing how the Chinese government finally sent in thousands of troops and crushed the revolt, and some of the footage shown is disturbing. The student leaders were forced to go underground, and they speak movingly of how they were smuggled out of China in fear for their lives. Their thoughts about China, which they still profess to love, are fascinating, and this is a very intelligent look at one of the most important stories of our time. --Robert J. McNamara

Description

Beijing, May, 1989. The world watched as a hundred students became a thousand, a thousand became ten thousand, as thousands became a million - and a nation starved for freedom, cried out for a taste of democracy. In this compelling film, director Michael Apted (Nell, Gorillas in the Mist), captures the power and passion of the Tiananmen Square uprising through a unique combination of newsreel footage, dramatic re-enactments and extensive input form the actual student leaders. Exploring their personal histories, reflections and thoughts on the future. MOVING THE MOUNTAIN paints a portrait of courage, conviction, and commitment that the New York Post calls, "A soaring - and sobering - tribute to the human spirit."

Customer Reviews:

A mostly great human rights document.......2006-09-19

Very much above average as documentaries go; MOVING THE MOUNTAIN reuinites several of the leaders of the student pro-democracy movement that ultimately escalated into the Tiananmen Square massacre. I can remember being a college student in North Carolina at the time - a different world for sure - but days of seeing the escalation galvanized us all, as we saw people of our own generation (granted, in a very different cultural and political atmosphere) standing up for something, and keenly wanted them to succeed. Suffice to say that we were devastated by the ultimate outcome.

Apted has structured MOVING THE MOUNTING ingeniously, cutting between interview footage and news footage of the escalating protests and massacre, and it's both extremely tense filmmaking, and extremely moving. My lone gripe, a common one among documentarians - allowing the camera to linger a bit too long on others' tears - to me this seems a bit interpersonally intrusive, and also intellectually puts too fine of a point on points already eloquently expressed. This is finely crafted enough - both as a human rights document, and as a sharply constructed film, that he needn't stoop to pulling tears from an audience already greatly moved.

This noted, it's also not the entire film by a longshot, and any one interested in human rights struggles around the globe should really make an effort to see this.

-David Alston

Moving the Mountain dvd.......2003-04-29

Excellent work.It is just breath taking how people were fighting for their democracy.Hats of to their courage.

The personal lives of the leaders of Tiananmen Square........2002-04-28

Very moving account of the personal lives and struggles of five leaders in this truly grass roots movement. As a documentary it really sparkled because it was not at all dry or melodramatic, and yet there was a lot of interesting detail. Really gives you a lot of food for thought.

Moving the Mountain.......2000-07-10

This was a wonderful viedo! The documentary is a little long, however, there is such a mixture of commentary from the students who demonstrated at Tiananmen Square and actual footage of the events that took place, that it made you want too watch this viedo all the way through. The viedo has been a useful tool in helping the students in a classroom setting learn about collective behavior; what it takes to make it happen, its possible out-come, as well as the physical and emotional toll it can take upon its participants. I highly recommend this viedo.

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