'The Tank Man,' a 'Frontline' Documentary, Examines One Man's Act in Tiananmen Square

Tonight's rambling episode of "Frontline" asserts that from China's teeming citizenry, one man's brief, thwarted act of defiance actually changed the world.

"The Tank Man," as he is called in lieu of a confirmed identity, was the Beijing obstructionist who stood in the way of a column of tanks in Tiananmen Square nearly 17 years ago. This 90-minute episode, produced by the provocative filmmaker Antony Thomas, argues that although the Tank Man's gesture did not lead to his government's collapse after soldiers fired on peaceful protesters, it inspired reformers everywhere to challenge totalitarian oppressors.

Mr. Thomas's ambitious, sprawling take knows few bounds as it maps upheaval from Mongolia to Hong Kong and charts a rural-to-urban migration of hundreds of millions of job-seekers. Along the way, the program hustles to explain dismal labor conditions, Internet privacy and rivalries among journalists. What is billed as a story of one man becomes a catchall format for every useful bit of information about China's commitment to economic modernization and resistance to political reform.

All this rests on the shoulders of an anonymous figure, and while there are theories about who he may have been, the report named for him gives up the ghost too quickly. "The Tank Man" presents analyses about who would want him to remain unknown and counterarguments about how his exposure would have ensured his survival. By the end, viewers will remain confused about whether his act was premeditated or spontaneous, whether the plainclothes people who carried him away were protectors or persecutors, and, of course, whether the Tank Man is dead or alive.

Still, the episode presents vast stores of information about China's new wealth -- and some accusations against rich Westerners who are, in turn, getting richer. One of the most compelling diversions in this overlong documentary explains the role Yahoo played in helping Chinese officials imprison a dissident journalist. In the narrator's estimation, compliance with Chinese laws can seem like complicity with rights-abusing regimes.

Governments are resourceful when tracking presumed enemies of the state, and dissidents prove craftily well connected, and yet anyone who does know where this man might be isn't saying. It would appear that applying any available technology to identify him is like using a pair of tweezers to isolate an electron. Ultimately, "The Tank Man" reintroduces a frustratingly faceless enigma and teases a viewer with the hope of a resolution that never arrives.

Frontline The Tank Man On most PBS stations tonight; check local listings.

Written, produced and directed by Antony Thomas; Claire Tyler, project manager; Michael Sullivan, Frontline executive producer for special projects; David Fanning, Frontline executive producer. Produced by WGBH Boston; co-produced by Antony Thomas Productions Ltd. and Channel 4.