Photo from Imdb
Plot Summary
Nanking 1937,
An American mortician, John Miller, arrived in Nanking (the then-capital of China) in order to bury a foreign head priest of a convent, just after the city was bombed and invaded by the Japanese forces. At the Catholic Church, which was under protection of the Red Cross, John found one young boy, George, and some student girls. Soon a group of prostitutes from the local brothel, led by Yu Mo, broke in the Church seeking a sanctuary , as westerners and foreign institutions seem to be left alone by the Japanese soldiers. On the next morning, a Japanese platoon broke in the Church and when the soldiers saw the girls, they tried to rape them. They even killed one girl by throwing her from the balcony. John wore the priest costume tried to stop the Japanese. His effort was unsuccessful, though. But A Chinese Major, Li, who was the only survivor of his troop, prepared traps using bombs and destroyed the whole Japanese platoon. But Major Li was outnumbered and killed later. A Japanese Colonel, Hasegawa then came to the Church and promised to protect the convent by placing guards in front of the gate, and requested that the girls to sing at the Japanese Army’s victory celebration. Fearing for their safety, Miller declined. Hasegawa informed him that it was not a request, but an order. The girls intended to do a mass suicide that night but Yu Mo and the other prostitutes decided to protect the girls by meeting the Japanese on their behalf. They knew that they would never come back. George, the former convent priest’s adopted son volunteered as well. Miller initially opposed their self-sacrificing decision, but ultimately agreed to disguise them as the schoolgirls, using his skills as a mortician. The next day, while the 12 prostitutes plus George disguised as the girls were led away by the Japanese soldiers, Miller hid the real girls on the truck he had repaired with a help from a Chinese man who reluctantly worked for Japanese forces to save his daughter. In the last scene, the truck was seen driving on a deserted road, away from the Japanese forces.
What’s in it for me?
“All human are born equal.” John Miller said in a scene in which he opposes the idea that the prostitutes will sacrifice their lives for the school girls. I initially agree with Miller but then I have to think about the girls. They’re just about 12-13 years old. I’m not saying that because the prostitutes have experience dealing with men so that they should sacrifice. In this situation, adults have a tendency of making a sacrifice for the youth. That’s human thing.
There have been many movies about “the Rape of Nanking.” This film is a fictional one. It doesn’t focus a lot on the fact that Japanese soldiers raped at least 20,000 women and girls and the death toll reached to 350,000 people. Instead, the film focuses on the fact that people can actually sacrifice themselves to save others although they’re not really know one another. Miller, a foreigner, can ignore the last boat to escape from Nanking and stay to help the girls. Yu Mo and the prostitutes and the boy, George, can sacrifice themselves for the girls. The girls also divert the Japanese once so that the Japanese soldiers know nothing about the existence of the prostitutes in the Church. Major Li and his remaining troops sacrifice themselves to protect as many Chinese as possible although they can give up and run away.
Just a movie cannot fully depict and let us understand the horror that the real people had to endure during meaningless wars. We are in the 21st century, and wars are still happening out there. Wars followed by other wars. How could people be brutal to our own mankind? It’s a question for which we may never find an answer.
Who’s in the movie?
Director:
Yimou Zhang. He was nominated Asian Film Award for Best Director with this film. Yimou Zhang was one of China’s most famous directors. He won numerous international awards for his outstanding career as a Chinese filmmaker such as BAFTA Film Award for Best Film not in the English language with Huo zhe (To Live) (1994), Grand Prize at Cannes Film Festival with Shanghai Triad (1995). Zhang’s main themes is the resilience of Chinese people in the face of hardship and adversity. Zhang Yimou was chosen to direct the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China.
Stars:
Ni Ni, as Yu Mo. She won Asian Film Award for Best Newcomer with this film. After that, she starred in several films of other Chinese directors.
Christian Bale as John Miller. Bale won Oscar for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role with The Fighter (2010) and was nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role with American Hustle (2013) and Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in The Big Short (2015). He’s also known for The Dark Knight Rises (2012), The Dark Knight (2008), Batman Begins (2005), The Machinist (2004), Rescue Dawn (2006), American Psycho (2000), Empire of the Sun (1987)
Ratings
People like this movie should watch
*City of Life and Death (2009)
Nanjing 1937 (1995)
Nanking (2007)
*John Rabe (2009)
Empire of the Sun (1987)
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