petejones81 This is the most repulsive, idiotic and absurd documentary I've ever seen. How many people starved to death under Kim-Jong Il, 2 or 3 million? Mao's policies led directly to the starvation of 18 to 48 MILLION! THIS IS NOT FUNNY! Even if you were trying to be funny about Mao the professor's "jokes" mostly take the form of infantile mockery of Chinese accents.This is a fan letter from an idiot who for some reason has a job teaching somewhere. I WOULD LOVE TO KNOW WHERE! Did you know Mao was in favor of democratic elections every 4 years? The professor takes Mao's statement of this totally at face value. Mao was a great democrat! Wow, where did I ever get the impression he wasn't? Maybe his entire history in power. I don't know if I was more offended as a screenwriter, as an MA in Political Science. I think just as a human being. Hitler could only be so lucky to have a hagiographer as sycophantic, dishonest and immoral as the fool that made this.

b2z2 I am no historian but this film is quite enjoyable. I think the story of Mao is a mixed bag. First, I just like to say that the people who think Mao killed millions of people and is on par with Hitler are seriously misinformed. I would for their sake advice not show off such a view to informed friends because they make fools out of themselves. Its like saying George W Bush is like Mussolini. Mao certainly had many personal flaws and made mistakes in leading a new nation. But on a personal level he was a charismatic leader and inspired a passionate following. In this aspect you can compare him to a Hitler but also to FDR or JFK or Jesus. I think the film points out that Mao is not some cunning evil mastermind slaughtering people for pure pleasure. Mao largely wanted to improve the country. I think personal attacks on Mao because of the political upheaval and the challenges of a new nation had to face is ridiculous. Though this movie have a bit of Pro-Mao bias I think it should be viewed as a counter weight to the overwhelming negative bias in the media today.

gring0 The man killed possibly 50 million people; a population the size of Canada in 3 years alone during the Great Leap Forward. Teachers in the city I am writing this, Peking, were tortured and murdered by the thousands amidst 10 years of chaos. But hey! At least they closed down schools and promoted mind-numbing Peking Opera and gave women the freedom to work like slaves like the men. And he let the Dalai Lama escape, after (neglecting to mention that Mao was the one who invaded Tibet and massacred countless numbers). Imagine mocking a humorous documentary about Stalin or Hitler! But because the millions of dead were only little yellow Chinamen, their deaths don't deserve consideration and Americans for whom this was made who know nothing about the history can enjoy the infantile animation and music. www.tracesofevil.blogspot.com

sunshine-cousin This was a great movie! Its style was unlike that of any documentary I have seen before. While most documentaries these days seem to feel that they can inform you by being deadly dull, maybe with an occasional joke thrown in, this one kept you in stitches almost throughout. Moreover, the laughs and the goofy style had a purpose. Director Lee Feigon was trying to restore Mao's reputation but also to attack the Chairman's deification. Feigon shows that Mao deserves credit for much of the growth for which his successors have taken credit. The goofy tone Feigon uses not only makes the movie go faster but does a great job in demolishing the myth that Mao was once a god. And so we find out some of the wackier even perverse elements of Mao's private life.