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Eternal Life in the Flames (Red Crag)
(Beijing Film Studio, 1965)
liehuo zhong yongsheng
Dir.: Shui Hua
Adapted from a novel, Red Crag, by Luo Guangbin and Yang
Yiyan, this film glorifies martyrdom in the Communist revolution. It
portrays a group of underground Communists in southeastern China and
their heroic struggle against the Nationalists on the eve of 1949.
On her way to make contact with the local guerrillas, Jiang sees a
severed head hanging over the city wall. The victim turns out to be
her husband, the guerrilla leader who was executed by the
Nationalists. The barbaric scare tactics only reaffirmed
Jiang’s hatred for the Nationalists. Because of a
defector’s betrayal, the CCP’s underground network in
the city of Chongqing is in danger. One of the ringleaders, Xu
Yunfeng, is arrested. Jiang is also arrested as she escorts a
shipment of weapons to the guerrilla. Despite being tortured by the
KMT secret police, Jiang refuses to give her inquisitors any
information, which earns her the respect of her fellow jail-mates.
With the help of a prison cook, who turns out to be an undercover
Communist, the prisoners plan a break-out. As the Communist army
comes close to the city, the KMT secret service has Xu and Jiang
executed. Many prisoners manage to escape to safety, while others
are ruthlessly gunned down by the Nationalist soldiers.
(Yingjin Zhang and Zhiwei Xiao, eds, Encyclopedia of Chinese Film,
London: Routledge, 1998, p. 279.)
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