City of Life and Death [Blu-ray]

"City of Life and Death" is - like "Schindler's List" and "Saving Private Ryan" - a viscerally real look at a period of history that cinematically shakes our perception of that era and events. In this case it's "The Rape of Nanking" when the Japanese invaded China in 1937-'38. On one hand I tend to think the style of washed-out, black and white, grainy cinematography - to emulate the look of World War Two era photographs - has become a cliche. But the director here, Lu Chuan, has managed to bring that same incredible weight that Spielberg brought when you FIRST saw HIS movies of that era, back again as though you've not seen anything interpreted this way before. The story follows many characters and their fates through the initial invasion, the slaughter of prisoners and the "comfort stations" set up for the Japanese soldiers. The movie is pretty damning of the invading Japanese and an ending that contrasts that very traditional society from the brutality we've seen carried out in the two hours before you get to that point - really forbodes the end of Imperial Japan as we realize a society that hides such brutality under such a civil and "traditional" facade, simply could not stand. The many dramas of each individual character are poignant and sometimes quite grim. The titles at the end show us the dates of those who died and surprisingly those few that survived this massacre some living on for decades. The movie is a powerful depiction of what happened in this very grim part of history and after seeing this movie you will never think of this historical period - if you thought about it at all - in the same way, ever again.

CITY OF LIFE AND DEATH is a masterpiece - of film making, of finding the midline of response to war from both sides, of cautiously but successfully blending intimate stories with the gory atrocities of war, and of recreating a period of history we too soon forget unless prodded by works such as this. Lu Chuan both wrote and directed this vision of the 1937 decimation of Nanking, the capital of China, by the Japanese that lasted in action for only six weeks but that has been a permanent festering wound on the history of mankind that will always be a reminder to what War is about.Subtitled NANKING! NANKING! the audience is led to expect a film honoring the Chinese who bravely fought to resist of the Japanese invasion and ultimate destruction of the then capital of China. Instead the writer/director elects to put us in the midst of the war, showing all aspects of how war changes and affects and destroys people. The black and white film is able to create the illusion that we are actually in 1937 Nanking. We meet several important personalities from that time: the Chinese Resistance leader Lu Jianxiong (the inordinately gifted and handsome actor Ye Liu), the Chinese schoolteacher Miss Jiang (Yuanyuan Gao) who fights constantly to save her people, the Nazi German John Rabe (John Paisley) who maintains a Safety Zone to protect the Chinese until the Nazis recall him to avoid insulting their Japanese allies, Rabe's Chinese assistant and translator Mr Tang (Wei Fan) and his wife (Lan Qin) who despite the suffering they endure from the Japanese still are selfless in the choices they make to help their people, and Kadokawa (and impressive Hideo Nakaizumi) who as a Japanese soldier is a symbol for those warriors who are conflicted about the cruelty inflicted on the Chinese. These individuals provide stories with the story that allow the viewer to connect to the human aspect of the victims and the perpetrators of the annihilation we are witnessing. There are devastating scenes of the forced 'comfort houses' created to keep the Japanese soldiers happy, the demanded selection of 100 Chinese women to provide physical gratification to the enemy, the massacre of thousands of citizens - men, women, children - and the destruction of the very city itself. But Lu Chuan balances these with some very tender moments, such as the first sexual encounter of a virgin soldier with a prostitute and how he interprets this experience as love to the point of providing as much gratitude and safety to the prostitute as he can, and the incredibly tender scenes between Lu Jianxiong and a little boy who brings him bullets.The cast is stunning and while many of us do not recognize the faces, they are obviously some of the cream of the crop of Chinese and Japanese actors. Yu Cao is in charge of the very realistic and photographically perfect cinematography and the musical score by Tony Liu is not only appropriate for the theme of the film but also provides some very simple Western piano music for the intimate scenes. There are multiple choices of subtitles including English. CITY OF LIFE AND DEATH not only documents a piece of martial history that is important to remember, but it is also another way of viewing how WAR can alter the minds and lives of those on both side of the battle. Highly Recommended. Grady Harp, June 11

I am very familiar with the history leading up to, this event, and the aftermath after World War Two ended. I have read the book "The Raping of Nanking" and other stories; this to include a book of the writings of people from Nanking and their final posting in their diaries on the day they were killed by the Japanese. This included photographs of what the Japanese did to the people in China; and Nanking. Don't go there as the image of the violence is horrific and terror filled. Using live babies just cut out of their mothers for bayonet practice. Reading and seeing the photographs of two Japanese Military officers in a contest to see which one could off the heads of the most men in a time period; soldiers all around betting and enjoying the spectacle. I guarantee you see this movie, read the history of this event you will never again look at the Japanese People the same.____You walk away for ever wondering how any so called civilized nation and its people can reduce themselves to do such horror to other people. I think the worst of the story is of the Japanese pleasure woman brought from Japan, as her participation in the "patriotic" war effort, who is raped repeatedly every day; not only raped but beaten and brutalized and finally dies after servicing over two hundred Japanese soldiers in a single day. What gets me the American left always tells you of the internment of 120.000 Japanese in America; Japanese never treated like in the concentration camps in Germany, Russia, China and Italy. The socialist left liberal never tell you that over 6,000 Japanese-Americans were repatriated to Japan to fight against America on the battlefields of the Pacific; nor do the socialist tell you of the 1,221 Japanese spies in America. What I didn't like was the fact the whole story was not told of Nanking; the Japanese getting to Nanking killed as many as 2,500,000 Chinese soldiers and civilians before they arrived at Nanking and killing there in the following three month upwards to 440,000 Chinese Citizens. Nor is there any mention of Chinese civilians used as guinea pigs with the Japanese experimenting with biological weapons and poison gases. Nor does it tell the viewer; "after World War Two was over" the Japanese leaving Nanking released biological weapons that killed another 130,000 Chinese.____What bothers me most in history the progressive Franklyn Roosevelt who was trying to shape America in Russia's communism image knew of these atrocities by the Japanese going back before 1935 and he keep the information away from the American people. BTW World War Two started in 1931 with the United States joining in on December 8th, 1941.____No I hate watching this movie; only because if it was accurate to history; I knew what to expect. There is one thing also worth mentioning not shown in this movie, I believe the Yangtze River, along the river bank of the city of Nanking, were held Chinese military and civilian prisoners about 150 yards deep [crushed together everyone required to remain standing] and almost 5.5 miles long. No mention that the Japanese rolled out 7.7 machine guns each twenty yards apart the entire 5.5 miles of prisoners. This is only hinted at in the movie, in twenty minutes every person held prisoner was mowed down by the onslaught of machine gun fire. Any survivors were quickly dispatched. Only three known survivors managed to live through that event. Three days later to combat the stench of death every inch of the dead on the beach was coated in thick dense oil and then set ablaze. There are films taken of the event but I warn you know the aircraft filming the burning flies the entire 5.5 miles and dead bodies and as the plane is flown you can watch the wave front of the blaze go along the beach - careful the film runs just over six minutes long.____I like this movie for only one reason; it gives voice to the Chinese victims of the Japanese. This history should be known to all. If FDR had not been so eager to be good progressive; American knowledge of the what the Japanese were doing; perhaps it could of been avoided. Anyone crying over the interment camps for the Japanese in America; after seeing this movie; you liberals you can take your indignation of shove it up your rear ends. Almost 5,000,000 Chinese died in and around Nanking; brutal inhuman deaths. It is they you should be defending and never letting their memories die. Babies, children, boys, girls, teenagers, men, women, grand parents, elderly and disabled, priest and academics where wantonly murdered by the Japanese. When you see people alive being used for Japanese bayonet practice - no don't you dare expect me to feel sorry for the Japanese in America in internment camps. Do I recommend watching this movie, I do; but, only if you assume the character of one of the Chinese who actually went through this horror. Notice I made no mentioning of living through this history. One last comment; the Japanese soldier that treats the Japanese comfort woman with kindness and concern - that is his wife.

数多の戦争映画の中で最高傑作の一つと思う。永く保続してこ後世に伝うるに足る作品であろう。

Too one sided. The NATIONALIST Chinese side. Film focused too much on the alleged atrocities. What provoked the Japanese? There was a need for more of balanced approach to this point in history.

..capolavoro della filmografia Cinese.Il racconto dell’invasione da parte delle Forza Giapponesi a Nanjing è esposto in modo crudo e realistico con immagini che non sono adatte ad un pubblico impressionabile.Ovviamente noi Italiani siamo obbligati ad acquistare le versioni Import visto che nessuno si impegna a portare film del genere nel nostro paese e nel nostro idioma.Consigliato a tutti indistintamente (ma solo Over 18!!!)…

Based on true story of Japanese invasion [Rape] of Nanking in China during WW-II.WARNING: it's a difficult film to watch given the inhuman atrocities committed (and graphically shown) in this film.

It was hard to get this movie so the price is very high.