Jottings from the Granite Studio

From Variety: Producer Steven North is seeking approval from Beijiing authorities to use Chinese extras and locations to film “Challenging Heaven,” a movie about the rise of Mao Zedong and the creation of the PRC.

The screenplay by John Goldsmith is an amalgamation/adaptation of two books: Philip Short’s biography Mao and Sidney Rittenberg’s 1993 memoir The Man Who Stayed Behind. Rittenberg, a young American GI who made his way to Yan’an following World War II and became acquainted (more or less) with the CCP leadership, especially Zhou Enlai. Never as much of an “insider” as he and some others believed, Rittenberg remained in the country after 1949 as an interpreter/token/prisoner. He returned to the United States in 1977.

In an interview for Variety, North said: “This is a very positive portrayal of Mao, and we are hoping that one the script clears the approval process, China will come up with services and support.”

I’m not sure how I feel about trying to sugarcoat any film version of Mao, (For a recent painful depiction of the Mao years, Fengming: A Chinese Memoir about the torment of a young journalist’s wife during the Anti-Rightist Movement and after) but if one had to pick a period for a more ‘positive’ portrayal of the Helmsman, the 1930s and 1940s might be the best bet.

At the very least, such a film could document the death of idealism, the descent into evil as power starts to slowly corrupt the soul of a man who at one time just wanted to do good. Who could play such a part? What paunchy middle-aged man with male-pattern baldness, a thirst for power, a lecherous streak, and an explosive unpredictable temper would fit such a role? Might I suggest:

After all, Gandolfini is out of a job as of June 10th and if Ben Kingsley can play Gandhi well…