China: The Roots of Madness
"To deal with madness, we must understand its roots."
Plot
China: The Roots of Madness is an incisive and sweeping documentary that traces 170 years of Chinese political upheaval, from the decline of the Qing Dynasty to the height of the Cultural Revolution. Narrated by Joseph Campanella and written by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Theodore H. White, the film examines the collapse of the imperial system and the subsequent power vacuum filled by warlords, the Kuomintang, and eventually the Communist Party. White utilizes his personal experiences as a wartime correspondent in China to provide a first-hand perspective on the rise of figures like Sun Yat-sen, Chiang Kai-shek, and Mao Zedong. The narrative culminates in a chilling analysis of the 'madness' of the 1960s, portraying a nation transformed by decades of internal torment and anti-Western sentiment. Ultimately, the film serves as a Cold War-era attempt to explain to an American audience how a former ally became a perceived global threat.
Director
About the Production
The film was a significant collaboration between producer David L. Wolper and journalist Theodore H. White. It was notably sponsored by the Xerox Corporation for its television debut. Because it was produced for television syndication rather than a network, it aired on over 100 independent stations across 41 states during a single week in early 1967. The production relied heavily on White's personal archives and rare historical footage he acquired during his years living in China.
Historical Background
Released in 1967, the film arrived at the absolute zenith of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution in China and the height of the Cold War. At this time, the United States had no formal diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China, and the 'Red Guard' movement was viewed with a mixture of bafflement and terror by the West. The film reflects the 'Who Lost China?' debate that had permeated American politics since 1949. It was produced just a few years before Nixon's 1972 visit to China, capturing a specific moment of American hostility and fear toward the Maoist regime.
Why This Film Matters
The film is a landmark in televised journalism, representing the 'White-Wolper' style of documentary that blended high-level political analysis with dramatic archival storytelling. It shaped the American public's understanding of China for a generation, reinforcing the image of a nation trapped in a cycle of 'tyranny.' Today, it is studied by historians less for its objective accuracy and more as a primary source documenting 1960s American foreign policy attitudes and the rhetoric of the Cold War.
Making Of
The making of 'China: The Roots of Madness' was driven by Theodore H. White's desire to contextualize the alarming news coming out of Red China during the mid-1960s. White worked closely with director Mel Stuart to edit thousands of feet of archival film, some of which had never been seen by Western eyes. The production faced the challenge of condensing nearly two centuries of complex history into a 90-minute television slot. White's script was intentionally provocative, reflecting his own disillusionment with the turn of events in a country he had once covered with great sympathy. The score by Harry Freedman was composed to emphasize the dramatic and often tragic shifts in the Chinese social fabric.
Visual Style
As a documentary, the visual style is defined by its use of 'found footage' and archival reels. The film utilizes high-contrast black-and-white photography to create a sense of historical gravity. Director Mel Stuart and editor William T. Cartwright used rapid cutting techniques during battle scenes to convey the chaos of the revolution, contrasted with slow, lingering pans over still photographs of the Chinese peasantry.
Innovations
The film was a technical feat in archival restoration for the 1960s, as the production team had to stabilize and clean decades-old nitrate film gathered from various international sources. Its successful syndication across 101 independent channels was also a significant feat of independent distribution outside the 'Big Three' networks (ABC, CBS, NBC).
Music
The score was composed by Harry Freedman and is characterized by its dramatic, orchestral sweep. It often incorporates Westernized interpretations of Chinese musical motifs to signal shifts in the historical narrative. The music is used heavily to underscore the 'madness' of the title, becoming increasingly dissonant during the segments covering the Red Guards.
Famous Quotes
There are 700 million Chinese today, one quarter of the human race, who are taught to hate. Their growing power is the world's greatest threat to peace and life.
Fifty years of torment bred madness. To deal with madness, we must understand its roots.
They have been transformed from our greatest friend into our greatest enemy.
White asked Mao: 'If you come to power, will anybody be able to print anything he wants?' Mao replied: 'Of course, except for enemies of the people.'
Memorable Scenes
- The opening montage showing the Red Guards marching with Little Red Books, juxtaposed against the ancient Great Wall.
- The rare, grainy footage of the 1900 Boxer Rebellion and the siege of the foreign legations in Peking.
- The segment featuring Pearl Buck's emotional recollection of the Empress Dowager Cixi's decree to kill all foreigners.
- The final sequence which warns of the 'nuclear threat' of a modernized, yet 'mad' China.
Did You Know?
- The film features extremely rare footage of the wedding of Chiang Kai-shek and the funeral of Sun Yat-sen.
- Theodore H. White was Time magazine's China correspondent during World War II, giving him unique access to the historical figures depicted.
- The documentary was released under a Creative Commons license in later years, making it widely available for educational use.
- The title 'Roots of Madness' refers specifically to the chaos of the Cultural Revolution occurring at the time of the film's release.
- It was one of the first major American documentaries to attempt a comprehensive 150-year history of China for a mass television audience.
- The film includes interviews with Pearl Buck, the Nobel Prize-winning author who grew up in China as a missionary child.
- Despite its historical value, the film is noted for its stark Cold War bias, frequently referring to the Chinese population as being 'taught to hate.'
- The production costs were entirely covered by a private donation from John and Paige Curran, which was unusual for a documentary of this scale.
What Critics Said
At the time of its release, the film was highly acclaimed for its production values and the prestige of Theodore H. White's involvement, leading to its Emmy win. Critics praised its ability to make sense of a 'mysterious' and 'closed' society. Modern critics and historians are more polarized; while they respect the rare archival footage, they often criticize the film's Orientalist undertones and its simplified thesis that 2,000 years of Confucianism led directly to the 'madness' of Maoism.
What Audiences Thought
The film was a major television event, reaching millions of viewers through its wide syndication. For many Americans in 1967, this was their first visual introduction to the history of the Boxer Rebellion and the Long March. It was perceived as an authoritative, if frightening, explanation of why the world's most populous nation seemed to be in a state of total upheaval.
Awards & Recognition
- Emmy Award for Outstanding Program Achievement in the Documentary Category (1967)
Film Connections
Influenced By
- The Making of the President 1960 (Theodore White's previous work)
- The March of Time (Newsreel series)
This Film Influenced
- The World at War (1973)
- The Last Emperor (1987) - for its historical scope
- Various Cold War educational documentaries
You Might Also Like
Film Restoration
The film is well-preserved and has been digitized due to its release under a Creative Commons license. It is frequently used in university history courses and is available in various public domain archives.