Review of City of Life and Death (2009) by Anastasia F — 01 May 2010
An accurate illustration of events that took place in Nanking during the first few weeks of Japanese occupation.
The film begins with a war film tone to it, as it covers the last few days of the Japanese invasion of Nanking, but after fighting is over it shifts to a drama tone, covering the plight of many Nanking residents during the occupation. Has a Schindler's List feel to since it mostly revolves around John Rabe, a German businessman who put himself at risk by organizing the Nanking Safety Zone to help protect Chinese citizens from the Japanese occupation forces.
I was initially worried that this film would be filled with propaganda, on account of the Chinese Communist Party often successfully using the events of the Nanking Massacre to incite national unity, but was not disappointed. I feel it was a fair depiction of events that didn't go overboard in typical oversensitivity the average Chinese citizen has towards these events, and showed even some of the Japnese solders were shocked by the behavior of there own comrades.
A great film for anyone interested in the events of the Nanking massacre, or like me: A History whiz.
This review of City of Life and Death (2009) was written by Anastasia F on 01 May 2010.
City of Life and Death has generally received very positive reviews.
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