Maoist International Movement
If you needed any reasons not to go to the cinema with a Maoist, here are some film reviews from the website of the Maoist International Movement (MIM):
Independence Day
What should the international proletariat do when space aliens attack earth with the intent of killing all humans?? After the aliens are defeated, the oppressed may have a revolutionary opportunity amid all the destruction. Still, MIM asks, ‘who wrote this?’ For now, aliens are cultural creations, and therefore class creations. If this was a movie written with proletarian politics, advanced aliens would more likely be communists, not evil imperialists. Or in a different as yet unwritten revolutionary alien movie, the proletariat unites with the space aliens behind the bourgeoisie’s back. Then, at the crucial moment, the bourgeoisie realize they have been outflanked by the combined forces of the space aliens and the proletariat. Then, the aliens and what’s left of humanity peacefully coexist.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon contains a strong mixing of violence and eros in Eastern garb ? The effect of this film today will be to spread mystical ideas, beliefs in magic and a variety of other escapisms. As revolutionary scientists we believe that the state of human powerlessness created by capitalist society should not be resolved through fantasy but through scientific study and practice. When workers seize the means of production globally, the demand for such fantasy films will subside.
A Bug’s Life
Although A Bug’s Life is obviously fiction and geared for young children, it manages to portray many small and large aspects of what MIM would call class conflict. The grasshoppers demand tribute from the ants’ crops every year (feudalism); the ants bear this tribute because of the armed force of the grasshoppers and because of superstition... At the end of the film, we see that defeat of the grasshoppers and of superstition have allowed the ants to adopt a mechanical method of harvesting grain, leading to prosperity.
Next month: MIM at the Oscars?
Join over 10,000 people just like you. Get e-mail updates about new content, issue alerts, contests, and more!
Voices from the margins:
Multimedia: video, podcasts, and more.
- Poetry Slam in Zimbabwe
- The House of Hunger poetry slam held in Zimbabwe in 2006, and organised by the Pamberi Trust, showcased young artists performing inspirational work on issues from corporate power to child soldiers. The video features four of the poets.
Published by Pambazuka News.
- Iranian women speak out
- 3 March 2007, London. Women's rights activists marched through the English capital last week to celebrate International Women's Day with a protest against the misogyny of the Islamic regime in Iran and the threat of invasion by the US. Hear the voices of Iranian feminists Azar and Leila Parnian and the sounds of the demonstration as it passed through the heart of the city. Click here to learn more about the campaign.
Produced by Heidi Bachram.
- Raised Voices audio:
- Benny from West Papua on Corporate Power
- Vinayan from India on agriculture
New Internationalist (NI) workers' co-operative exists to report on issues of world poverty and inequality; to focus attention on the unjust relationship between the powerful and the powerless worldwide; to debate and campaign for the radical changes necessary to meet the basic needs of all; and to bring to life the people, the ideas and the action in the fight for global justice.
Except where otherwise noted, images on this site are copyright of the photographer/illustrator or representative agency.Except where otherwise noted, content on this site is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 License.
