Nanking

In 1937, before America entered the War, the Japanese invaded the city of Nanking, China. Most of the privileged people fled. The less fortunate were trapped. Horrible atrocities were committed. More than 200,000 people were brutally slaughtered and more than 20,000 women were raped. However, if it were not for a brave group of Westerners who considered it their mission to help the people and therefore did not flee, there might have been even more carnage.

This powerful documentary tells this story, based on the diaries and letters from those few committed Westerners. Most of them were missionaries and the one woman, Minnie Vautrin, ran a girls' college. There was also a German businessman who was a Nazi. In addition to interviews with some survivors, as well as historical footage, the filmmaker used a staged reading of the diaries and letters of these Westerners by a variety of professional actors as a device to tell this story. Woody Harrelson is one of these actors as well as Mariel Hemmingway. Jurgen Prochnow was cast in the role of John Rabe the German businessman who, at one point, wishes he could let Adolph Hitler know about these Japanese outrages because he considered Hitler a compassionate man who would not let such atrocities exist.

The filmmakers did an excellent job of organizing a tremendous amount of material. The film was well paced, clear, to the point, and didn't have a wasted word or image. Most of the time there were tears in my eyes and yet the underlying story of how the courage of the brave few who kept the carnage from being even worse, turned the film into moving story instead of letting it sink into absolute despair.

This story is a part of history that should not be forgotten, and a story of inspiration amidst the despair.

Nanking is a truly great film. I give it nothing by accolades.

In August of 1937 Japan bombed and then invaded China's capital city of Nanking. In the ensuing six weeks some 200,000 people, mainly citizens, were slaughtered; tens of thousands of others endured unspeakable atrocities that included mass executions, torture, widespread rape, burning and looting. This documentary film draws on archival film footage, interviews with Chinese survivors and Japanese soldiers who witnessed the atrocities, and then the letters and diaries of a small group of westerners who stayed behind to help the Chinese despite the orders of the American Embassy to evacuate. These westerners, mainly missionaries, saved some 250,000 Chinese by establishing a two square mile "Safety Zone" in Nanking. The film switches back and forth between the Japanese atrocities and the heroism of the three missionaries, George Fitch (whose secret 16mm movies documented the horrors), surgeon Bob Wilson, and Minnie Vautrin who headed the Ginling Women's College; and then their leader, the Nazi businessman John Rabe (whose 800-page diary became a key piece of evidence). To a person the Chinese still venerate these four people as their saviors. After the war a tribunal convicted twenty-five Japanese leaders of war crimes. Warning-- parts of this film are very hard to watch.

As a Chinese, I would like to say, many thanks to the people who made the great film. The truth needs to be known to the whole world. I'm also deeply indebted to those Western people who helped Chinese in our difficult time. I would like to see someday people in Nanking erect monument for those great people. There's no reason Chinese people deserve such cruelty. Shaped by the teachings of Confucianism and Taoism, Chinese people traditionally like to make peace and harmony with neighbors. If you look back Chinese history, it's always ethnic tribes who attacked and invaded China, not the other way around. After years' ruling, the attackers were often assimilated with Chinese, and became Chinese themselves eventually. That's the magic of China. On the other hand, the Japanese people are militant in nature and by training. They committed such horrendous crime, but even till now, they refuse to acknowledge what they did and never apologized. Simply, take a look of their banking system. After bubble burst, rather than acknowledge their bad debt, they used all their means to cover it. It's no wonder their economy is still dragging along after 18 years. Their decade-long economic deflation reflects their shameless nature exactly. Personally I hope the new generation of Japanese can learn from their forefather's crime, and make contribution to the world peace instead. But history rhythms, that could be my hopeless wish. Their prime minister continues to bow to the soul of war criminal, Tojo. In contrast, the Germany Chancellor kneed down to in front of the Polish Getto Victim Memorial to beg forgiveness for what Hitler did. The most hated liars are those whose revise history.

War is crime. War not only costs life of both sides, but also wipes off treasures and capitals accumulated through generations. The first and second world war exhausted the great British Empire. The Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815) destroyed France, the most powerful country from 1700-1800. The Peloponnesian War (431-404 BC) destroyed Greece Empire. I am afraid the current Iraq War could abolish the great power the United States holds, causing unexpected consequences. We need to unite together, opposing all the wars.

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