It is known as the Rape of Nanking. Journalist Iris Chang has called it "the forgotten holocaust of World War II." By the time it ended, more than 300,000 Chinese civilians, including children, had been killed. Many were mowed down by machine gun fire, some were beheaded, others were burned to death or buried alive, and tens of thousands of Chinese women were gang-raped. If the Rape of Nanking is indeed the forgotten holocaust, no one who watches City of Life and Death is likely to have it fade from memory. This is a stark, unrelentingly grim film which is a horrifying depiction of man's inhumanity to man. It also happens to be a brilliantly-made film, and the fact that it tells a true story only serves to enhance its stunning impact.
City of Life and Death
Studio: Kino Lorber
Year: 2009
Rated: Not Rated
Program Length: 135 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 1080p
Languages: Mandarin DTS-HD 5.1 MA
Subtitles: English
The Program
Life is more difficult than death. - Kadokawa, a Japanese Army officer at Nanking, China in 1938
It is known as the Rape of Nanking. Journalist Iris Chang has called it "the forgotten holocaust of World War II." By the time it ended, more than 300,000 Chinese civilians had been killed. Many were mowed down by machine gun fire, some were beheaded, others were burned to death or buried alive, and tens of thousands of Chinese women were gang-raped. If the Rape of Nanking is indeed the forgotten holocaust, no one who watches City of Life and Death is likely to have it fade from memory. This is a stark, unrelentingly grim film which is a horrifying depiction of man's inhumanity to man. It also happens to be a brilliantly-made film, and the fact that it tells a true story only serves to enhance its stunning impact.
In a very real sense, World War II began in 1931 when Japan invaded and occupied Manchuria. Over the course of the next six years Japan conquered China's major cities, including Shanghai and Peking. Nanking, which had only recently been declared the capital city of the Republic of China, fell to the Japanese on December 13, 1937. When the city fell, most of the surviving soldiers in the Chinese Army broke ranks and tried to lose themselves among the civilian population. What set off the Japanese soldiers has never been entirely clear. The film suggests that the Japanese were outraged when small groups of Chinese soldiers decided to resist. Unable or unwilling to distinguish between soldiers and civilians, the conquerors embarked upon an orgy of killing and rape.
The carnage would have been even worse were it not for the efforts of John Rabe (John Paisley), a German businessman who had become the leader of the Nazi Party in Nanking. Rabe had lived in China for 30 years and he respected the Chinese people. He was able to use his influence as a Nazi leader to help set up a safety zone in Nanking, where civilians would presumably be safe from marauding Japanese soldiers. In the film Rabe is aided by two women - one Chinese, Miss Jiang (Yuanyuan Gao), and the other an American, Minnie Vautrin (Beverly Peckous). Rabe also has a Chinese assistant named Mr. Tang (Wei Fan), whose family is protected by virtue of his relationship with Rabe. Most of the principal characters are based upon real people.
In spite of overwhelming evidence about what happened at Nanking, Japan has never accepted responsibility for it. That being the case, I was surprised to find that this film, which was made by the Chinese writer-director Chuan Lu, does not stereotype all of the Japanese soldiers as bloodthirsty savages. The film focuses on one Japanese officer, Kadokawa (Hideo Nakaizumi), who is troubled by what he sees his fellow soldiers doing. Other Japanese soldiers express a longing to go home, which is not surprising considering that much of Nanking had been reduced to smoldering rubble and the streets were littered with corpses.
The response of the Japanese Army to the widespread rape of Nanking's women was, to put it mildly, bizarre. As a Japanese historian has written, "The Japanese Expeditionary Force in Central China issued an order to set up comfort houses during this period of time because Japan was afraid of criticism following the cases of massive rapes between battles in Shanghai and Nanking." The euphemistically-named "comfort houses" were dens of prostitution which were staffed by "luring, purchasing or kidnapping" women from China, Taiwan, Korea, Indonesia and the Philippines. At Nanking, the Army eventually gave John Rabe an ultimatum. Either the refugees would provide 100 women to service the Japanese soldiers, or the Army would level the safety zone.
It would be perverse to call City of Life and Death an entertaining film. In fact, it is a difficult film to watch and is extremely troubling, but it also is an important film. One of the most disturbing scenes involves a child, but it is neither gruesome nor graphic. It is, however, an excellent example of what has been coined "the banality of evil" because of the casual way in which the act is committed. It has been nearly 74 years since the fall of Nanking, yet similar atrocities continue to occur around the world. A film as well-made as City of Life and Death can do much to illuminate the horrors of genocide. Whether the entire human race will ever learn to live in harmony remains very much in doubt.
The Video
The 2.35:1 1080p image is appropriately displayed in black & white and is excellent. The images of the city of Nanking are reminiscent of the second half of Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket. The picture is very sharp, with strong contrasts, solid black levels and very good shadow detail. The expressions on the faces of many of the characters are at times quite haunting. During certain scenes hand-held cameras are used to effectively convey the chaos which often reigned in Nanking. The cinematography is superb and this fine Blu-ray transfer does it full justice.
The Audio
The lossless 5.1 DTA-HD MA audio is extremely powerful and effective. The film includes several battle scenes which give the surround channels and subwoofer a workout. The sounds of gunshots in the night accurately convey how terrifying it must have been to the Chinese refugees. The dialogue seems to be clear, but I do not know any Mandarin so I really cannot comment on it. The English subtitles are easy to read and I quickly forgot that I was reading them. The film wisely does not try to subtitle everything which is said, and there are even a few instances where some of the characters speak a few words in English.
The Supplements
The Blu-ray disc includes just a collection of still photos (some of which are in color) and an array of trailers for other Kino Lorber releases.
The enclosed DVD contains a feature-length (113 minutes) "making of" film entitled Matters of Life and Death: The Making of Lu Chuan's City of Life and Death. This film is full frame (1.33:1) and is presented in both color and black & white. The audio is in Mandarin with English subtitles. This in-depth look at the film's production is informative and gives many of the cast members an opportunity to reflect upon how working on the project affected them, but its length seems like overkill and many viewers may not have the patience or sustained interest to sit through all of it.
The Packaging
The Blu-ray disc and the accompanying DVD are packaged in a standard-sized Blu-ray keep case, which is held in a sturdy cardboard slipcase.
The Final Analysis
City of Life and Death clearly is not for everyone. It is a gut-wrenching, haunting war film which remains essentially true to the historical record. Perhaps someday we will be able to understand why we sometimes treat our fellow humans with such savagery. This film does not answer all of the questions that it raises, but it does forcefully call attention to them and requires us to ponder them.
Equipment used for this review:
Panasonic DMP-BD50 Blu-ray player
Panasonic Viera TC-P46G15 Plasma display, calibrated to THX specifications by Gregg Loewen
Yamaha HTR-5890 THX Surround Receiver
BIC Acoustech speakers
Interconnects: Monster Cable
Release Date: October 25, 2011
