Nanjing! Nanjing! (2009)

Director:

Chuan Lu

Writer:

Chuan Lu (writer)

Release Date:

22 April 2009 (China)

Genre:

Drama | History | War

Plot:

In 1937, Japan occupied Nanjing, the Chinese capital. There was a battle and subsequent atrocities against the inhabitants, especially those who took refuge in the International Security Zone. |

Plot Keywords:

Siege | Chinese | Battle | Marauder | Death Of Daughter

Awards:

10 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Ye Liu	...	Lu Jianxiong
Yuanyuan Gao	...	Miss Jiang
Hideo Nakaizumi	...	Kadokawa
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Wei Fan	...	Mr. Tang
Yiyan Jiang	...	Xiao Jiang
Ryu Kohata	...	Ida
Bin Liu	...	Xiaodouzi
Yuko Miyamoto
John Paisley	...	John Rabe
Beverly Peckous	...	Minnie Vautrin
Lan Qin	...	Mrs. Tang
Sam Voutas	...	Durdin (as You Sima)
Di Yao	...	Tang Xiaomei
Yisui Zhao	...	Shunzi
Junichi Kajioka	...	Japanese Newspaper Reporter (uncredited)

Directed by
Chuan Lu

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Chuan Lu		writer

Produced by
John Chong	....	producer
Sanping Han	....	producer
Hong Qin	....	producer
Steffen Wild	....	consulting producer
Andy Zhang	....	producer
Li Zhou	....	producer

Original Music by
Tong Liu

Cinematography by
Yu Cao

Film Editing by
Yun Teng

Production Design by
Yi Hao

Sound Department
Qizhen Lai	....	sound

Visual Effects by
Churk Harry	....	visual effects artist
Eric Lo	....	senior visual effects artist
Don Ma	....	visual effects
Joey Tang	....	digital compositor
Yan Zhou	....	title designer: China Film Group

Other crew
Junichi Kajioka	....	script translator

Thanks
Yang Du	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• China Film Group
• Chuan Production Film Studio
• Jiangsu Broadcasting System
• Media Asia Films
• Stellar Megamedia

Distributors

• Media Asia Distribution (2009) (worldwide) (all media)
• Applause Entertainment (2009) (Taiwan) (theatrical)
• Distribution Company (2010) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Kino International (2011) (USA) (theatrical) (North America) (subtitled)
• Lark Films Distribution (2009) (Hong Kong) (theatrical)
• Metropolitan Filmexport (2010) (France) (theatrical)
• Nutopia (2010) (Greece) (theatrical)
• Shaw Organisation (2009) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• A-Film Home Entertainment (2011) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Argentina Video Home (2011) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Carmen Video (2009) (Russia) (all media)
• Film1 (2011) (Netherlands) (TV) (limited)
• Golden Screen (2009) (Malaysia) (all media)
• Gryphon Entertainment (2012) (Australia) (DVD) (as 'City of Life and Death')
• High Fliers Distribution (2009) (UK) (all media)
• Karma Films (2009) (Spain) (all media)
• Mega Star Video Distribution (2009) (Hong Kong) (DVD)
• National Geographic Cinema Ventures
• New KSM (2010) (Germany) (DVD)
• Rose Media and Entertainment (2009) (Thailand) (all media)

Special Effects

• Centro Digital Pictures Ltd. (visual effects)

Other Companies

• Cinerent  camera and lighting equipment supplied by
• Kodak Cinelabs  film processing

Also Known As:

"City of Life and Death" - International (English title)
"Ciudad de vida y muerte" - Argentina (imdb display title), Spain
"Élet és halál városa" - Hungary (imdb display title)
"Byen mellom liv og død" - Norway (imdb display title)
"City of Life and Death" - France (imdb display title)
"City of Life and Death - Das Nanjing Massaker" - Germany (DVD title)
"I poli tis zois kai tou thanatou" - Greece (transliterated ISO-LATIN-1 title)
"Miasto zycia i smierci" - Poland (imdb display title)
"Nanjingin verilöyly" - Finland

MPAA:

Rated R for wartime violence and atrocities including sexual assault, and for some sexuality and brief nudity

Runtime:

Hong Kong:132 min | Argentina:132 min (Mar del Plata Film Festival) | France:133 min | USA:133 min

Country:

China | Hong Kong

Language:

Mandarin | English | Japanese | German

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Hong Kong:IIB | Singapore:M18 | UK:15 | USA:R | Argentina:16 | New Zealand:R18 | Ireland:15A | France:-12 | Norway:15 | Netherlands:16 | Australia:MA15+

Filming Locations:

Changchun, China

Company:

China Film Group

Trivia:

The film spent a long time clearing its way through the Chinese censors. It took six months for full script approval and another six months for the finished film to be approved.

Amazing piece of cinema, powerful. dramatic, moving

Viewed at the Festival de Cannes 2009 (Market screening)

Since I am not Chinese, or of Chinese extraction, City of Life and Death has a different resonance for me. I know of the Nanking massacre (for which, it has to be said, the Japanese have yet to apologise or even properly acknowledge) from my own interest in history, as well as the John Rabe story (the Nazi who helped save thousands of Chinese civilians, until recalled to Germany since Hitler did not wish to upset his Japanese allies).

Therefore, for me, City of Life and Death retells a fearful part of history, but not one with which I have any direct connection. So while this film may resonate a certain way for Chinese viewers, be they from the mainland, Hong Kong or overseas Chinese, I can tell you that I, as a European, have seldom seen a film so powerful, gripping, dramatic and moving.

City of Life and Death is not nationalistic propaganda or a reversioning for the screen: no punches are pulled. The woman next to me was in tears. So be warned, this is not easy viewing. But by featuring on a few characters, allowing them to become fully three-dimensional human beings (not Chinese, not Asian, but human beings who live, love and feel) director Lu Chuan makes his audience feel and share their fear and terror as the Japanese invaders commit atrocity after atrocity on the fallen city's inhabitants. Never forget, this actually happened.

If anything, Lu Chuan soft pedals on the horrors. They are depicted, but are not front and centre. This is not a horror film so gore hounds and ghouls should seek their thrills elsewhere. Rather, it is the arbitrariness with which the Japanese went about their murderous work that scares. Wrong place, wrong time: rape, torture, murder. This wasn't the efficient, methodical murder the Nazis introduced, but rather cold brutality, as a cat toys with a helpless mouse. Unthinking, unreasoning, just because.

Filmed in black and white, City has so many images and scenes that remain fixed in you mind long after the final credits have rolled. Lu Chuan even selects the grain and grading according to the action. The use of colour would, in this case, have weakened the film.

But if City of Life and Death were just two hours of suffering it would be unworthy of an audience. So Lu Chuan gives us the central characters of Mr. Tang (John Rabe's secretary), Miss Jiang (a schoolteacher) and Kadokawa (a sensitive Japanese soldier who witness but cannot delay the unspeakable). All of them are helplessly swept up in the maelstrom, which Lu Chuan leavens with scenes of (attempts at) normal life, normal human interaction and naked attempts at survival. These are people with whom one can identify and empathise.

Yet, at heart, City of Life and Death is extremely uplifting. The message, at the end, is positive and optimistic. In writing this review, the film is coming back to me again. What I once read, black and white on a page, has been made real for me and, yes, I'm emotionally moved by it.

If you believe in the power of film, want a break from popcorn entertainment, are looking for a film that can make you feel (as opposed to having your emotions manipulated) then please go see this one. It's rare when I think a film should be seen, deserves to be seen, but City of Life and Death belong in that very rare category.