Life of Mao Tse Tung

2014, 100 minutes

Life of Mao and 1949 Amethyst attack

Actor Gerry George is seen as Leader-of-the-Opposition Mr Winston Churchill addressing honourable members at the dispatch box in the House of Commons, during the critical Yangtse Incident in 1949, when a class II frigate of the Royal Navy, “HMS Amethyst” was fired-upon by artillery and troops loyal to the then revolutionary leader Mao Tse Tung; during which time the beleaguered ship's bridge, steering-gear and engine rooms were wiped-out, seriously wounding the captain and the coxswain, plus several sailors on board. Flying-out to Shanghai to take part in the production, during January and February, last year, Gerry was told by China's most-celebrated director, John Woo, that after this 100-episode biopic was released he would become the most famous face in China, after the late Chairman Mao, whose life and work this major biopic focuses upon. The first episode (shown above), went out to every home in China last week, and the feedback Gerry has received since has been phenomenal, with calls for his further services in the role of Churchill, coming in from all quarters, and not least in Asia and Europe. “This was a tremendously satisfying experience for me”, said Gerry, “my having been given a conducted-tour of the vast Shanghai Studios, which are in themselves like a scale-model of pre-war London, with trams, cinemas and coffee houses - all of them fully-functional, since this venue has a dual role as a Film Studio Theme Park -which features prominently in the Shanghai Tourist Guide, and is visited by hundreds of thousands of European visitors, every year”. “What thrilled me the most though” said Gerry, “is that China has now taken a giant leap towards Western Democracy, and the shadow of Communist totalitarianism seems to have been blown-away with the wind-of-change, like so many lovely Lotus-blossoms caught-up in the breath of Spring”

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