The Big Parade (from Guangsi Film Studio) is definitely one of the less important movies of the early Fifth Generation (directed by Chen Kaige with Zhang Yimou on photography). And that’s leaving aside the dubious political basis of this film.
The film focuses on a company of soldiers preparing for the Parade to mark the 35th Anniversary of Liberation. Training is harsh but much less brutal than we have seen in many American films.
There are a number of fairly superficial stories about the individual participants but these don’t get in the way of the main event. There is one small revolt by a soldier who wants to express his ‘individuality’ but he soon sees the error of his ways and returns to the ranks.
The soldiers march 10,000 km in preparation for their 60 second display. The films ends with actual footage of the march in Tienanmen Square in 1985.
Some writers have found criticism or irony in this film but I do not see it. In the end this film is what it was intended to be: militaristic propaganda. The film shows (and does not explicitly criticise) how the system turns ‘good men’ into soldiers ready to obey whatever orders they are given. As PLA soldiers were to do a few years later.
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