Mardi Gras: Made in China DVD Review

By Kam Williams

Powerful Documentary Contrasts Globalization with American Decadence

If you've ever witnessed the annual New Orleans ritual of wanton women baring their breasts for beads at Mardi Gras, you probably were too engrossed by the sordid spectacle to stop to think about where all those shiny necklaces came from. Well, Mardi Gras: Made in China traces the gaudy jewelry back to the source, factories in China where very young women are virtually enslaved, forced to work extremely long days literally for pennies an hour while being virtually imprisoned in gated dormitory-style compounds they're only allowed to leave once every two weeks.

Director David Redmon (Intimidad) deserves accolades galore for crafting this damning expose' which brilliantly contrasts the plight of obviously impoverished and utterly subjugated Asian females with the embarrassing behavior of all those drunks and bimbos floating up Bourbon Street on Fat Tuesday. Perhaps now proverbial Ugly Americans will be persuaded to reflect upon the role which their decadence plays in an exploitation simply for the sake of disposable trinkets.

Girls Gone Wild meets globalization.

Excellent (4 stars)
Unrated
In Mandarin and English with subtitles
Running time: 75 minutes
Studio: Carnivalesque Films

DVD Extras: PG version, deleted scenes, worker's diary and clips from upcoming Carnivalesque films.

To see a trailer of Mardi Gras: Made in China

judythpiazza@newsblaze.com