City of Life and Death (2009) Review

[@tristanmakeiv7037]

This movie is straight up PTSD inducing, it’s so horrific and brutal yet shot and filmed so beautifully that it’s hard to stop watching. It’s one I thought I wouldn’t be able to watch again, but I managed to overcome that

[@eamonnclabby7067]

Visceral...red in tooth and claw...my PTSD...is more about nearby loud bangs...the dreams have faded pleased to report...E...

[@magnusmagnusen]

There should be no mercy for these war criminals, blatant disrespect to the victims

[@Great_Sandwich]

No mercy for _which_ war criminals? They're all gone, now. "Blatant disrespect to the victims"..? What is it that you're saying?

[@magnusmagnusen]

@@Great_Sandwich perhaps at least they should have been portrayed as the filthy animals they were. Reparations to China for the Century of Humiliation, not just from Japan

[@thesovietshark8945]

@@Great_Sandwichpossibly talking about their enshrinement at yasukini, not sure???

[@Great_Sandwich]

@@thesovietshark8945 Possibly. But that's a done deal. OP's _"no mercy"_ comment made me inclined to think that he had visions of war crimes trials in his head. It was 87 years ago. They're all gone, OP.

[@thesovietshark8945]

@@Great_Sandwich yeah, they had really bizarre wording

[@ThommyofThenn]

Still, from a purely film perspective, I love this one. You mentioned this too, but the way the some of the soldiers seem greatly disturbed by what they're doing while some seem to not mind or even enjoy their sadism, adds a ton of emotional depth. It shows how war brings out the worst in everyone and how normally 'good' people's revulsion to brutalising civilians is either ignored or viewed as a weakness.

[@oooTACooo]

Putting all emotions aside, I liked the way the film was shot in black and white - except for the one scene that included the red ribbon. You may recall this scene, but I won't mention it in detail (for obvious reasons). This scene seemed to me to be a homage to Spielberg's famous "little red coat" scene from "Shindler's List".

[@ThommyofThenn]

@@oooTACooo I like doing a "no emotion" run through a film as part of really evaluating it on a deeper level. Good approach especially for terrific movies

[@The_Daily_Tomato]

This is China's Schindler's List. This is one of the most difficult movies i've seen so if you're gonna give this one a go. Prepare yourself.

[@cagdaskose9429]

It is one of the masterpiece films of Chinese cinema. For years, the role of the Chinese people and state in the Japanese defeat and the genocide they suffered were not shown in US and Hollywood cinema. The Japanese defeat, just like the German defeat, was attributed only to the US military. In reality, Russia was responsible for the Nazi defeat. China played a key role in the Japanese defeat. China from 1937 to 1941 It fought alone with Japan. Throughout the war, almost half of the Japanese armed force remained committed to the Chinese front. China lost 20 million soldiers, 4 million of whom were soldiers. The Japanese army lost 1 million soldiers on the Chinese front. It can be said that Japan committed the greatest genocide of the Second World War in China. That's more than twice the number of 6 million Jews the Nazis are said to have killed.

[@agiekasaputro5884]

There's also a film about the said German, titled John Rabe

[@oooTACooo]

Did you ever see "The Flowers of War" (Christian Bale). It is also a hard one to watch concerning this horrific event, but not as painful to watch as "City of Life and Death".

[@CaptainAhab117]

I saw this movie only once years ago. I'm glad I watched it, but it was so uncomfortable to sit throught I simply have no urge to do it again.

[@oooTACooo]

I totally agree (I could watch it only once). Still, I am glad I did watch it.

[@chokingornot]

非常不错，你的勇气和态度值得赞赏。我虽然是中国人，但我一直不敢看这部电影，这太令人难受了。有时间的话，您一定要去一趟南京大屠杀遇难同胞纪念馆，我去过一次，终身难忘。我想，虽然现在是二十一世纪，二战结束已经快八十年了，但某些刻骨铭心的记忆依然难以抹去，对于中国人而言，这些是血债(blood debt)

[@JohnnyJohnsonHistory]

I would like to go there one day.

[@kingjoe3rd]

It's very rare for the Chinese Communist Party to allow movies showing the Nationalist Army or the Japanese Imperial Army in any kind of favorable or even a sympathetic way, so this movie must have been really special. The CCP like to portray Mao and his PLA as the only ones who fought against the Japanese, and that the Nationalist Army hid and did nothing until the US defeated the Japanese in 1945. Obviously, this is the exact opposite of what actually happened, as the Nationalist Army fought against the Japanese with American aid and held them off from capturing the whole country and Mao hid and did nothing until the war was over. It was only after the war that the Nationalist Army was so weakened by years of war with the Japanese that the CCP was able to take control with much support from the Soviets. The same thing basically happened with the Russian communists and WWI, where the Imperial Russian Army had been weakened by years of war with Germany and Austria.

[@critterjon4061]

They didn’t this movie was banned imminently upon release and the director arrested for portraying the imperial Japanese army in “too positive” of light

[@schizoidboy]

I think when it comes to raping within militaries it is often either a lack of discipline or else it is peer related action. I don't believe rape comes easy to men as some might think. It is a mixture of rage, shock, maybe the effects of battle fatigue, and whether or not the high command is paying attention. The scary thing is the guys who take part in these war crimes might not otherwise commit rape outside combat duty.

[@danielomar9712]

From what i understood , the Japanese saw the Chinese as subhumans and totally humiliated because instead of killing themselves , the soldiers surrendered en masse , which Japan saw as a huge disgrace

[@huabinsitu6459]

Japan's military at that time also saw Soldier's sexual needs as a key component to the morale of its army and the chain often allowed its Soldiers to take part. Especially since they dehumanized chinese people.

[@schizoidboy]

The Japanese had the "Comfort women" who were often Korean, Chinese, and at times other girls taken from occupied territories. Essentially they were forced into prostitution. @@huabinsitu6459

[@dereenaldoambun9158]

Oh, it can come easy to men when one viewed himmself/herself as superior being destined to destroy the inferiors & subhumans.

[@ariyantmishra1903]

it's the thrill of the battle and the PTSD that ensues

[@wiktorberski9272]

War is hell. I live in a country that experienced the horrors of World War II. Unfortunately, people seem to forget about these atrocities, so it's good that such films are made and remind us about these events.

[@timothy1949]

actually most people dont know that the republic of china wasn't really a unified country like what it seems on paper. China was actually a warlord state, and they command their own army in their area of influence. often times these troops could not be relied upon as the warlords would lose their influence and power once their army is destroyed, and not obeying "orders". and the fact that chiang managed to lose most of his german trained and equipped units in the battle of shanghai, early on in the 8-year struggle, which made the war much more difficult for china later on.

[@Great_Sandwich]

Interesting. Thank you.

[@JohnnyJohnsonHistory]

Thanks for adding this! My reviews are often brief and I don't always expand on important points like this.

[@timothy1949]

no worries, not an expert. :)@@Great_Sandwich

[@timothy1949]

yes and we enjoy these easy quick reviews. in fact, this is also a theme in the continuation of chinese civil war between the communist and KMT, after the world war ended. often times chiang would order the generals (some are essentially warlords) to relocate or move to another position and the generals would refuse politely. this is because they are fearful that once they move their army into chiang's territory, chiang may arrest them and take ownership of the army. kinda like the old wagner situation in russia but not exactly, they are on the same side on the surface but the actual relationship is more complicated. @@JohnnyJohnsonHistory

[@Tax_Collector01]

Yeah, it’s tragic and disappointing how quickly the KMT lost their German-trained units…they weren’t deployed sparingly.

[@MrLolx2u]

Rabe absolutely was a hero to the Chinese cause. Initially, he set up the International Quarters up and kept not only foreigners but also Chinese in the zone as it was estimated that he kept about 30,000 Chinese in a zone of just about the size of a football field. When the Japanese asked for the Chinese to be surrendered, Rabe was stated to have openly cursed at the Japanese and denied them entry. It was bad that the Japanese actually tried to violently storm into the compound in the middle of the night but were somehow beaten back. He initially didn't wanna leave China but due to the Germans and Japanese signing the Tripartie Act with Italy, Rabe was called back to Germany by Hitler himself and out of desperation, he had to leave but for what he did for the Chinese during that short period of time was immense and will forever be immortalized as a hero, even at a time when the CCP would scorn against most westerners post-Civil War.

[@user-qm7jw]

He's just an arms dealer tho. He turned against the Japanese not because he wanted to save the Chinese, but because he couldn't stand to see his business ruined by the Japanese army. He was only taking China's side for his own benefit, since his position in China would be jeopardized if Japan and Germany were to form an alliance. To say that he fought to save the Chinese from the Japanese sounds pretty much like propaganda to be honest.

[@MrLolx2u]

@@user-qm7jw Are you actually that dumb? Rabe was revered as a hero by both Communist AND Republican China way after the war and he's by far the few westerners that Communist China actually revere besides Claire Chennault. He worked for Siemens but how is he an arms dealer when whatever profit from the items that Siemens sells to the Chinese doesn't go to him but in fact heads back to Germany? Plus you think that Rabe could outsell the Weimar or the Nazi regime themselves? The Germans would sell to the Chinese regardless if Rabe's there to talk the deals out or not as the Germans selling arms to China has been around since the 1880s. Plus he actually took what he had saw in China back to Germany and openly talked smack about the Japanese and got arrested by the Gestapo for his heretical views on the allies of the Nazi regime. So Idk what shit you took but it's an extremely bad take.

[@shatterquartz]

Thank you for reviewing this hard-to-watch but great movie. It does indeed pull no punches, and leaves us with the fundamental question: how can otherwise ordinary human beings commit acts of inhuman atrocity?

[@oooTACooo]

Hi Johnny. Thanks for your courage to share a review of this film. I felt your review showed great insight. My perspective comes from being able to actually visit Nanjing and walk through the War Memorial museum that was erected on site there (my visit occurred in happier geo-political times, way back in 2004). I still can close my eyes and see the masses of skeletons unearthed in the opened graves they had on display there. Chilling and mute testimony to the horrors men can do. Based on what I saw there, this movie really nails the historical accuracy, like no other movie has concerning this event (and perhaps ever will). I think I went through a box of tissues while watching this film. I won't ever be able to watch it again, but nevertheless I do encourage any of you reading this to watch it, just once - lest we forget.

[@JohnnyJohnsonHistory]

That would be an sobering place to visit no doubt. Thank you for sharing some insight.

[@paulwee1924dus]

The interesting thing was that the Japanese sometimes did not camouflage their helmets, and sometimes they did camouflage them with nets or cloth.

[@LocalDallasMan]

Color coordination, audio levels, composition and commentary were all spot on. I love your content!

[@JohnnyJohnsonHistory]

Thanks man that's good to hear!

[@Great_Sandwich]

Hi Johnny, Thanks for bringing this to my attention. I teach about the Nanjing massacre as part of my history course, but find it increasingly hard to do in my older years. Holocaust education was part of the history curriculum in another school, but I just can't do it any longer. Dwelling in that horror year upon year takes it's toll on a man. I will try to gut my way through this film, as your review implies tremendous educational value. Might take me a while to get through it all, though. Small doses at a time, I fear. Thanks, great work, and Happy New Year.

[@JohnnyJohnsonHistory]

Thank you! And Happy New Year. I have no doubt it's a challenge. Some days even just reviewing war movies can be taxing so I can only imagine teaching such a subject to young people would be tough. Caution watching this one. Very sad.

[@MayumiC-chan9377]

me and my husband couldn’t make it through this movie. Some horrible things he saw militias in Sierra leone did to women and children and the horrible SA on Chinese women made me start crying. My father-in-law a Vietnam Veteran turned it off and we couldn’t continue.

[@JohnnyJohnsonHistory]

Sorry perhaps I should have given a better warning in the review... it's not an easy watch.

[@MayumiC-chan9377]

@@JohnnyJohnsonHistory no its something we had to see my husband has demons from his time in Africa and history in Asia is something i must recognize. please don’t feel bad the movie told a truth that cannot and should not be ignored.

[@pervertt]

This is a historically significant film. Beautifully shot in black and white, it tells the story of the Rape of Nanking, an event that has lost some of its ability to shock among Westerners. It is fortunate that the film came out in 2009, during a brief period of relative openness in China. The same film could not be made today; censors would have cut it down to a 2 dimensional anti-Japanese propaganda movie of which there are plenty from China. Even back then, I understand that director Lu Chuan had to fight to retain certain scenes, such as the victory march of the Japanese soldiers. What makes this film special, as I've found with many anti-war films, is its portrayal of humanity. The Japanese soldier who is revulsed by the evil perpetrated by his peers, the Chinese prostitutes who volunteered in a fruitless attempt to prevent further rapes. The film reminds me of another anti-war film also shot in black and white - The Human Condition, made 50 years earlier by the great Masaki Kobayashi. Both films leave an indelible mark on the viewer. On a personal note, God rest the souls of John Rabe, Minnie Vautrin, and all the other Westerner volunteers who stayed and set up the Nanking Safety Zone. They no doubt left China with severe PTSD after witnessing the savagery in 1937. And author Iris Chang, who took her own life after publishing her book on Nanking.

[@JohnnyJohnsonHistory]

Very thoughtful and expansive comment. Thank you kindly.

[@underarmbowlingincidentof1981]

the craziest thing about this war is the number of chinese prisoners of war released by japan after WW2 came to a close. 56. Not 56 thousand. Not 56 hundred. Just... 56. Here in Germany people spoke of horror of soviet POW camps but at least they came back alive.... not just... 56.

[@herberttan4169]

Until now, Japan still deny these atrocities done to China and refused to apologise.

[@redrocket604]

Yeah and China denies the Tiananmen Square massacre to this day too

[@Hamza086RSD]

I think I have this on dvd. My wife’s grandfather fought the Japanese, in Indonesia. as did mine, in Burma & India. yet, neither of us hate the Japanese. also, a great uncle was taken POW in Songapore. in fact it is my wife’s opinion that Japan & it’s occupation, whilst they did awful things to the Javanese, helped Indonesia gain their Independence, Sadly, my country, the UK aided the Dutch in trying to re impose colonialism.

[@rayray6490]

I guess it helped that Japanese soldiers never landed on UK soil to brutalize British civilians

[@FUCKTHEPOPO-ACAB]

thank you for sharing this movie. I'm a Chinese who lives in Germany now. It's a mixed experience for me to live in Germany and PR China, which were both heavily affected and involved in WWII. The reviews of this movie in China are more positive than negative. However as the extreme-nationalism growing rapidly nowadays in PR China, more and more people disliked this movie because they think in this movie, the director makes the Chinese too weak and brings unnecessary humanity to IJA soldiers. They and the government just need those kinds of movies, which shows the enemy are just monster and our Army are hero. It is more favorable for the propaganda preparing for the coming war against Taiwan, Japan and USA. This extreme-nationalism growing trend could also be seen when any nature disasters happen in Japan, for example the earthquake recently. Netizens in PR China showed insane hate against normal people in Japan, even to the Ministry of Foreign Affair PRC when they expressed sympathy to the Japanese who suffered in this tragedy. While in Japan, local media used signs written in different language, including Mandarin, to help people who don't understand Japanese escape ASAP.

[@GloryToTaiwan]

别搁这吹日本政府了，日本政府向海洋排放核污染水向周边国家询问意见了吗？日本政府他们有向中国或韩国对于二战的罪行道歉吗？日本政府有停止在教科书美化二战侵略历史吗？日本政府有停止朝拜靖国神社吗？只有三个国家与日本接壤，但是日本与这些国家全都有领土争端。你谈到日本的好的方面就说是日本人民与日本政府有多么好，谈到日本不好的方面就把日本人民与日本政府分开，而一谈到中国就说中国人民与中国政府都是坏的，太典了🤣👉🤡。

[@user-ud3sh5oe9m]

你是认真的吗？这电影怎么样暂且不论，日本地震不纯粹是嘲笑日本政府办事不利吗？还什么民族主义只要不反思就是民族主义呗？

[@FUCKTHEPOPO-ACAB]

啊？什麼外賓啊？ 要不要試試現在發個視頻在中國，慰問受災日本國民，體驗下中國人民的友好評論呢？ 你們中國人還是要共產黨好好管管的，上網實名制也做的不徹底這怎麼行呢？@@user-ud3sh5oe9m

[@norwegianboyee]

Most modern Chinese movies are stupid propaganda and awful. This is the only good one i've seen.

[@user-ud3sh5oe9m]

@@norwegianboyee Of course, anything about China is propaganda, including this one, because there is a scene in the movie where soldiers shout "China will not perish", which promotes nationalism

[@ryanvictoria6206]

The thing that haunts me in this movie was when they finally brought out the bodies of the prostitutes piled high in a wheelbarrow after being gang raped multiple times for several days without rest. While the japanese officers plays the piano uncaringly in the background.

[@theturtwig50]

That and the scene before it were some of the most haunting scenes put to film.

[@aynrandfan7454]

I visited the Nanking memorial museum after seeing this movie …the movie itself is one of the best most poignant WW2 movies made

[@jsipple31]

Great movie recommendations. The lense of a Japanese solder was fascinating.

[@WilliamAndrewPhilipBodie]

Happy New Year Johnny 😀

[@JohnnyJohnsonHistory]

Happy New Year!

[@BrowningFirearms]

Only thing I've seen from this file is the parade/march drum scene Wich is completely bonkers kzbin.info/www/bejne/bZTYl3poedGrrM0

[@GUNROCKS1990]

Could you review for “smell of the burning grass Film” a North Vietnamese NVA POV his experience during Vietnam War/American War

[@JohnnyJohnsonHistory]

Haven't seen it! I shall try and get a hold of it and see what I can do =)

[@noobepro_7146]

Man i wish you did a review bit longer

[@JohnnyJohnsonHistory]

yah me too. It mostly comes down to how much footage a studio will typically let me use.

[@asaduckworth9369]

Where can you watch this film?

[@Justin-pe9cl]

Was there a reason for it to be in black and white?

[@thenorthstarsamurai]

It's a good stylistic choice

[@Elcore]

My opinion is it's because the director likes to show extreme closeups of the actors' faces followed by wide shots of the ruined city quite a lot, and black and white makes both things feel more a part of the same landscape. Practically, the movie would have had a very minimal colour palette if it was shot in colour anyway. Black and white allows for more intense lighting, bringing out shadows in faces more clearly (there is a lot of subtle acting with facial expression in the movie). It also helps to show the massacre as part of some wider, incomprehensible conflict over which the ordinary humans on either side have no control; there is no 'red vs blues' as the Japanese and Chinese uniforms are just shades of grey. There is more to it, but that's why I feel it was shot this way.

[@michealkasey2292]

inb4 the Japanese ultranationalists and their cronies come in saying nanking never happened

[@nf4042]

What do you mean?

[@michealkasey2292]

@@nf4042 In a lot of videos that feature movies regarding the Chinese front in WW2, there tends to be one or two people that tend to "sour the mood" by inserting a comment stating "[insert war atrocity] never happened!" or that "Based on these facts and statistics (of which are clearly taken out of context) it is clear that [insert war atrocity] was actually exaggerated/did not happen and is CCP propaganda.", most common of which is Nanking. The latter comment is more common, however.

[@nf4042]

@@michealkasey2292 seems like not many, according to your opinion, right? Can share those comments here?

[@michealkasey2292]

@@nf4042 I don't tend to catalog every Nanking denialist comment I see so I personally don't have much to share directly, and so here's just a couple examples from a user named "A. Shota", whom I had a "discussion" with around 3 years ago: "The Holocaust DID happen. Because there’s proof of it. The photos taken in Nanking are NOT Japanese soldiers. The uniforms are WRONG." "It’s not possible that what they’ve never done before can just suddenly occur in one city." "Yes, there were small rapes that happened in Nanking, but those were individuals who broke the Bushido Code which they we’re properly punished by their superiors."

[@nf4042]

@@michealkasey2292 can you lead me to the chat? I wanna read the discussion, if possible. Did you talk about UNESCO?

[@AVKnecht]

I'm glad I watched the film but never ever want to see it again. It's just nightmare inducing.

[@MagronesBR2]

You know you're in hell when Schindler's List is A HAPPIER MOVIE in comparison

[@synthmaniacmoog2607]

One of the best war films of all time.

[@Ukraineaissance2014]

As ive got older I find i cant read about things like Nanjing. Im glad i learnt about it when i was younger. Its beyond comprehension.

[@billyponsonby]

Very nicely done

[@Tonystarkes888]

only one film stands above all and thats Black Sun: The Nanking Massacre pure in its form.

[@user-un4ln8ub6h]

🇹🇼

[@MayumiC-chan9377]

As the granddaughter of a japanese Medic who read the diaries left behind by my grandfather i pray we never see wars on this scale again. My grandfather never agreed with what his nation did to Asian and my grandfather dedicated his life to pediatrics after the war. I became a pediatrician to carry on his work. My grandfather wrote in his diary “us survivors have a duty to repent for the past”.

[@Galtj38]

the Nation (the Japanese people) didn't do it. It was the government and their Imperial army & navy.

[@JohnnyJohnsonEsq]

As a Canadian/Brit my government has committed historic crimes too. Particularly to First Nations. I don't feel responsible in a way that causes guilt but I am responsible to learn about it and make sure it doesn't happen again. We can only own the time we live in. Be proud. Japan is a beacon of democracy in Asia now.

[@MayumiC-chan9377]

@@Galtj38 think about it though many people in Japan either sided with the imperial government and many were forced. My grandfather was station in the Phillipines and it haunted him what the imperial army did to the civil population. My husband is an ex-soldier and he’s haunted by central Africa.

[@MayumiC-chan9377]

@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq I live in the USA with my husband and children my husband is a veteran and is African/Japanese/Filipino quite an interesting mix as my parents told me. My husband is haunted by the Congo and Sierra Leone things he prays never visited in modernized society.

[@imgvillasrc1608]

​@@Galtj38The Japanese people didn't do it, but their indifference allowed it to happen. "Evil prevails when good people do nothing."

[@raseli4066]

Men behind the sun

[@drakashrakenburgproduction5369]

The only movie I watch that I couldn’t finish.

[@lunluntien]

I think the flag at thumbnail will be more accurate if it was the flag of Republic of China one

[@JohnnyJohnsonHistory]

I just use it to indicate the nation of origin for the production.

[@evancrum6811]

Thank you for what you do

[@mechacream]

Props to Johny for bringing the often overlooked part of the war. Modern Japan is notorious for whitewashing and denying their WWII atrocities. This movie was review bombed by Japanese spammers calling the event the "Nanking Festival"

[@gypsydildopunks7083]

I remember viewimg a Mondo/exploitation version in the late 90s or early 2000s that was unwatchable. It was deplorable

[@firemasterx23]

Nanking makes me sad

[@PeaceIslandStudio]

Just to let you know that a Civil War started immediately after the end of WW2

[@OasisTypeZaku]

The Kwantung Army was pretty much their own thing apart from Tokyo. Emperor Hirohito even protested the invasion at first, but political pressure made him change his mind. Because of the military culture of Japan at the time, he Had to support it, or face the possibility of following the Romanovs. However, that doesn't let them off the hook. They knew Nanking happened, they knew about the crimes and Tojo ordered and/or approved of them. Japan has Godzilla to teach about the horrors of the Atomic Bomb, what does China have to teach about the Nanking Massacre?

[@mikloridden8276]

People that cried about Oppenheimer thinking Japan was the victim should watch this.

[@michaelp9061]

The japanese war criminals are more brutal than monsters. This is a super tough movie to watch.

[@fingerblade590]

If you are interested in this history, you can read Ms. Iris Chang's works "Nanjing Massacre" and "The Rape of Nanking".You will understand why the Japanese government's denial of the existence of this history has led to the anger of the Asian people, especially those in China and Korea.

[@tunglam8210]

The Japanese victory parade : is that historically accurate ?? Its a mesmerizing scene , but I've read that it was a harvest parade performed by Japanese farmers and never performed by Japanese military ?

[@user-vw8it9oo8h]

As a Japanese, some of the depictions in this movie are unnatural or unsatisfactory, but overall I think it is depicted from a fair perspective based on documents and testimonies. However, I still do not honestly trust all the numbers released by the Chinese government.

[@Rob-cq9hq]

While it is no doubt accurate to portray the atrocities committed by Japan there is a certain amount of irony that it is produced by the most deadly regimes in history. It would be like hitler producing an emotional film about the atrocities in Myanmar. Accurate, sure, but no less hypocritical.

[@JohnnyJohnsonHistory]

Yes. Kinda. I tried to keep my review historical and less political.

[@MrPieman00]

But Mao nor the CCP were involved in the making of this film idk what ur trying to get at

[@Rob-cq9hq]

@@MrPieman00 in china the party is involved with all media being produced. If the party doesn’t put its stamp of approval on it you don’t produce it or you get “non-personed” for attempting to do so. Party loyalists are also strategically placed in the media as well. It is just like the fascist system was in Germany “sure you can ‘own’ a business so long as you are a nazi, produce what the nazis want and in the quantities they want it, sell it to whom the government tells you to sell it to, and support the ideologies the nazis desire through your messaging and branding, hiring, and firing. Fail to do so and you will disappear and the government will find a more suitable ‘owner.’” China has adopted essentially that same system which is why it appears to the naive to be free. We are sadly also moving towards that same system ourselves. Nevertheless, what I am getting at is not that the individual people of china bear its guilt for the atrocities committed, nor do I lay some misguided blame at the feet of the director, but that the state sanctions a message portraying the evils of another regime while hypocritically suppressing any media that sheds light on their own atrocities. So, unless I am mistaken, this is a Chinese produced film and to think the CCP is not involved in some major way would be naive.

[@MRDPG59]

@@MrPieman00 If it is a movie made in China then the CCP was involved they do NOT let movies out unless they approve it and it makes China either looks good or makes them look like the victims they put out many anti Japanese shows to keep the 'hatred' of the Japanese out to their people to keep them hating others and get their minds off what the CCP have done and are doing

[@mikloridden8276]

Believe it or not, this film was somewhat censored in China, the CCP made its own movie called “Don’t cry Nanjing” particularly because this one humanizes the imperial army a bit.

[@hahahehe9946]

ur review is kinda like CCP propaganda which altering we hate Japan movement

[@JohnnyJohnsonHistory]

How so? I only mentioned historic facts. Everyone knows the identity of the CCP and that Japan, like Germany, are democratic allies now.

[@justin-pv6ff]

Your comment is kinda like one of a autistic down syndrome son of a prostitute that has a very Low IQ.

[@r.t1576]

CCP wasn't in power at that time.

[@hahahehe9946]

@@r.t1576 Yeah but CCP using such propaganda for hating 🇯🇵

[@peacemen6460]

Tenno Heika Banzai!

[@user-vu1fz3se1z]

詐欺映画ｗｗｗ

[@kaitai5900]

Nice propaganda movie.

[@Maharlikano_XYZ]

Weeb.

[@piranhaattack4836]

Wait so this movie came out in 2009 but is in black and white?

[@kg7162]

Artistic view, human eye See more the black and white contrast so for one side thé face and the scene are more in depth and also it make a more dramatique tone of the film because it can resemble the old footage