China unveils plans for Japanese war atrocity film

[quote]
BEIJING (Reuters) - China unveiled plans on Monday to make a war movie, produced and financed by Americans, chronicling the 1937 massacre of civilians in Nanjing by invading Japanese soldiers.

Announcement of the film project came a day before Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi was expected to visit a controversial shrine where Japanese leaders convicted as war criminals are honoured alongside Japan’s 2.5 million war dead
… [/quote]
The rest of the article can be read here: uk.news.yahoo.com/14082006/325/c … -film.html

I think maybe the Chinese are funding this movie just stimulate racism and hatred towards the Japanese and stir nationalism inside Communist China to divert attention away from their own atrocities. It is a wonderful idea to document history, but this seems like a reaction to the Japanese PM’s War Shrine visit.

I hope all of those Japanese tourists steer clear of China and come to Taiwan to help the economy here.

Pot Kettle Black

Well, I hope the film shows the brave efforts of the Chinese Army to fight to the death to defend Nanjing. :slight_smile:

I think that the Chinese nationalists would really love to give Japan a bloody nose as payback for all the WW2 atrocities. After Taiwan is absorbed, I would expect China to cast its eyes to some of the islands in the Ryukyus.

I think most Chinese would agree with you that the defense of Nanjing was pathetic. Blame it on the KMT. Not like the CCP did any significant fighting against the Japanese either…

Back in college, I went to see Nanking 1937 (the movie title is with a k, not j in Nanking) at my school’s Chinese film festival. It was an OK movie. It showed all the infamous bits of the massacre, like Japanese soldiers putting sticks of dynamite in babys’ hands and then laughing when it exploded, or two lieutenants having a contest to see who can decapitate the most people in a day.

But probably the most interesting bit to readers of this forum is when they showed a Taiwanese soldier conscripted under the Japanese. At first, they show him being bullied by his Japanese superiors, being ordered to fetch some ammo and what not, but then he has the last laugh when he sabotages his post by setting off some grenades and killing his commanding officer (or something like that. It’s been several years since I saw the movie.) He then flashed a thumbs-up to some nearby Chinese civilians, as if he were saying, “Hey, we’re on the same side!” Since then, I’ve wondered about that scene. Would a Taiwanese soldier, born under the Japanese regime, feel that sort of camraderie towards a Chinese person? Loony pan-greens would insist no, mainland Chinese would insist yes, of course, so who knows. :idunno:

The movie ends with the Japanese storming a civilian safehaven established by the Germans and the Red Cross and gang-raping everyone in sight. The director was at the movie showing, so after the movie was finished I asked him about that scene, since I had just read Iris Chang’s book on the Nanjing Massacre and she asserted that the safehavens established by John Rabe were for the most part secure. The director insisted that the Japanese did indeed overtake all of the safehavens. Again, :idunno:

Everyone is atrocious!

Actually, there was a movie about the Japanese War Crimes in China, Tokyo Trial. It became a big hit last September 07.

Sorry, I have to paste the entire article the link is not available anymore.

BEIJING, Sept. 1 – “The Tokyo Trial,” a historical film recounting the trial of top Japanese war criminals at the International Military Tribunal for the Far East 60 years ago, opens nationwide Friday. At media previews this week in Shenzhen, Beijing and Shanghai, the film won high praise from both audiences and critics.

In “Tokyo Trial,” Hong Kong veteran Kenneth Tsang play the righteous Chinese prosecutor.

The movie focuses on the trial of 28 Japanese war criminals at the end of World War II in 1946 and depicts how the eloquent Mei Ruao, a Chinese judge, charged the Japanese for war crimes, maintaining China’s dignity on the international stage.

“This part of history has been submerged for too long and many people don’t know the facts. Even when I got the script, my impression of this part of history was a few words like ‘Tokyo trial,’ and ‘Hideki Tojo.’ To show the trial and to tell people what really happened at the trial is of great importance,” said director Gao Shuqun.

In fact, the Tokyo trial was the biggest international trial in history, even larger than the Nuremberg trials. It lasted two and a half years, from May 1946 to November 1948. During 818 public sessions, trial records reached 48,000 pages; and 419 witnesses gave testimony.

The movie version is Gao’s feature film debut after gaining a reputation for directing realistic TV dramas. Some music critics said the music in the movie was reminiscent of “Schindler’s List.” The State Administration of Radio, Film and Television censors reportedly approved the film without cuts, and some critics say the movie is likely to be the latest dark horse success since “Crazy Stone.”

“The most important thing about the movie is that it’s true to history,” said Gao. “That Mei insisted on sentencing criminals to death is true. The dialogue between Mei and war criminal Hideki Tojo is the original based on the trial record. The courtroom and the Japanese restaurants are replications of the real ones. Even the tiles used for the buildings are made with Japanese technology. What we’re trying to do is to show the historical accuracy and legal authenticity,” he added.

However, Zhang Peiji, who went through the trial as an assistant to one of the prosecutors, said some details of the film were inaccurate.

He said the clothes war criminals wore were not suits but army uniforms. In the movie, Chinese judges and prosecutors talk to each other before and after the trial. Zhang said the rule was that they were not allowed to talk in private.

The mainstream film attracted Hong Kong, Taiwan and mainland stars, including Kenneth Tsang, Eric Tsang, Damian Lau, Ying Da, heartthrob Ken Zhu and Kelly Lin.

The movie also attracted U.S. and Japanese actors. Gao said he had thought Japanese actors would turn down the opportunity to perform in this historical movie, but they accepted the plot and delivered professional performances. About 80 percent of the dialogue is in English and Japanese.

With an investment of 30 million yuan (US$3.75 million), Gao said Japanese distributors have expressed interest in buying the screening rights for Japan.

Nice convergence of Chinese nationalism and Hollywood looking to cash in on a bestseller.

Come closer please. Automatic flushing will begin when you draw near.