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Witness to History

The Collapse of the Soviet Union
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Gr 8 Up—This short documentary outlines the history of the U.S.S.R. from its earliest roots in the 1920s to its dissolution in 1991. Among the topics covered are Czar Nicholas II's abdication, Lenin and the Russian Revolution, Stalin and his goal to make the Soviet Union a superpower, the Iron Curtain and the Cold War. Mikhail Gorbachev's economic and political reforms, and the fall of the Berlin Wall. Each era of Soviet history is clearly recounted by the narrator as the events are shown in black-and-white and colorized archival video. The audio quality is good and the narrator uses a conversational tone that is easy to follow, though at times facts are presented too quickly to take notes. A few more maps, timelines, and charts could have been useful. A functional secondary source of information if used in conjunction with classroom discussion.—Jessica Miller, New Britain Public Library, CT
In this beautiful, heartrending, yet horrifying film, North Koreans tell their stories of imprisonment, sexual slavery, torture, murder, and escape to China or South Korea during the nearly 50-year regime of Kim Il Sung (1912—94). The interviews are illustrated through the interspersion of dance sequences, archival news footage, and drawings. Particularly interesting are the North Korean propaganda films celebrating Kim Il Sung as God and showing in the face of mass starvation happy workers, elaborate military displays, and the creation of a new flower in 1988 in honor of the 46th birthday of Kim's son and successor, Kim Jong Il. A valuable time line traces 20th-century events in Korea. Bonus features include previously unreleased footage of camp refugees. This mesmerizing film displays excellent production values and is highly recommended for Asia collections.—Kitty Chen Dean, formerly with Nassau Community Coll., Garden City, NY
Reviewed by Kitty Chen Dean , Oct 01, 2010

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