In early 1843, Europe under an autocratic monarchy was famine-ridden, economically depressed, fraught with crisis, and on the brink of change. At that time in Britain, the Industrial Revolution upended the world order and gave birth to a new class - the proletariat. Upholding the idea of fraternity and communism, workers' organizations were established one after another, and they aspired to build a communist society in which everyone was a brother. At this point, two young Germans, Marx and Engels, who subvert the utopian thinking of these organizations, will shatter this illusion and transform their struggle and the future of the world.
The film mainly tells the story of Marx, the editor-in-chief of the "Rheinische Zeitung", who was forced to suspend publication because of his criticism of the Kingdom of Prussia, and then moved to Paris with his wife. When Marx founded the German-French Yearbook, he met Engels and became friends because of their common ideals and beliefs. Engels ran a textile factory in Manchester, England, and possessed great skill and economic knowledge. Engels gave Marx a lot of support in terms of money and knowledge. And the two co-authored The Communist Manifesto.
The opening scene of the film shows us a picture of people at the bottom of society picking up branches in a gloomy forest. However, because the legislature is partial to the owners of the trees, the act and practice of picking up branches is defined as theft, and then the Ruthless enforcers punish poor people who allegedly "steal" wooden branches. Taking this plot as a clue, the film then leads to the appearance of Marx. Marx criticized the above situation, and wrote and published "The Debate on the Law of Forest Theft". The simple plot made the young Marx's image of hatred, sharp views, and outspoken imprint in the hearts of the moviegoers, and the cruel current situation of the society at that time also made the moviegoers understand that Marx wanted to understand the world, explain the world, and change it. reason of this world.
The film takes cues from the capitalist class, the proletariat, and communism. In the era of the bourgeoisie, the gap between the rich and the poor was large, and the hierarchy was extremely strict. The capitalists continued to exploit and oppress the people at the bottom, and continued to obtain profits based on the use of cheap labor. Just like a plot in the movie: In the spinning mill run by the Engels family, a child laborer accidentally broke his finger by the machine after working for more than ten hours without sleep. Instead of apologizing and compensation, the factory owner reprimanded him. workers, and demanded a deduction of part of the worker's wages to repair damaged machinery. We can see that at that time the bourgeoisie was tyrannical and tyrannical, and the working people were miserable. At this time, Marx and Engels should always keep their heads clear, withstand pressure and various voices of doubt, criticize the existing proletarian ideology in a straight-forward manner, and remove the veil of communism layer by layer. They lead historical materialism to the stage, promote the development of socialism from utopian to scientific, and propose that the proletariat changes the status quo not by kindness and compromise, but by resistance and struggle. In the end, they wrote the Communist Manifesto, the first programmatic document of scientific communism, after untold hardships. The publication of this book is both the climax and the end of the film, and the audience can't help but feel excited and emotional!
Marx's thought (Marxism) is the product of the development of the times and the answer to the major issues of the capitalist era, showing the charm of Marx's theory and the power of thought. He broke through the shackles of old ideas, realized a great revolution in the history of human thought, and created a brand-new world outlook of the proletariat. At the same time, the material and economic reality of Marx's time is the basis for Marx to create his thought. He was extremely critical of the capitalist system of exploitation and had deep feelings for the broad masses of the working people. Without the characteristics of the times at that time, it is very likely that Marx and Engels would not have created a revolutionary theory representing the fundamental interests of the working class and the working masses. And Marx actively participated in the practice of proletarian revolutionary struggle while creating the theory. As he himself said: the task of the philosopher is not only to explain the world around him, but also to change the world.
Through the "Communist Manifesto", Marx and Engels created a communist specter wandering in Europe, sounded the horn of communism, and changed the world! We were shocked by the gathering of young people from the two eras!
——2020.3.8
First reviewed by the Ma-Singapore Youth Film Review
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