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  Average Rating for City of Life & Death [2009] - 4 out of 5

  
  (based on 1 user reviews)
• City of Life & Death [2009]

  Kashif Ahmed 04 July 2010

  

  Brilliantly shot in Black & White, Lu Chuan's 'City Of Life And Death' is set during the Japanese invasion of China in 1937, focused on the infamous occupation of Nanking, known in history as 'The Rape Of Nanking'. Anyone expecting a simple good vs. evil shoot em' up or hand wringing, Spielberg-esue sophistry will be sorely disappointed. For this is a serious picture that attempts to tell an honest story about a series of horrific events in a pointless war between two great cultures. A masterpiece.

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Please note this is a region 2 DVD and will require a region 2 (Europe) or region Free DVD Player in order to play. Nanjing, China 1937. Japanese forces invade this once-capital of the Republic of China on December 9th. Throughout the following six weeks, soldiers raped thousands of women and annihilated hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians - with mass executions; crowds mown down by firing squads, and victims digging their own graves. Few events carry the ugly and sickening connotations of what has become known as the 'Rape of Nanking'. Director Lu Chuan tells the horrifying story through several figures, including a conscience-stricken Japanese soldier and John Rabe, a Nazi businessman who would ultimately save thousands of Chinese civilians' lives. Actors Gao Yuanyuan, Ye Liu & Wei Fan Director Lu Chuan Certificate 15 years and over Year 2009 Screen Widescreen 1.78:1 Languages Mandarin - Dolby Digital (5.1) Subtitles English Duration 2 hours and 19 minutes (approx)

Chinese director Lu Chuan directs this historical drama based on the invasion of Nanking - the then-capital of the Republic of China - by the Japanese army in 1936, the event that has since been dubbed the Rape of Nanking or the Nanking Massacre. Over a period of several weeks, tens of thousands of Chinese soldiers and civilians were brutally tortured, raped and killed by soldiers of the Imperial Japanese army. Filmed in black and white, the film portrays the experiences of several characters swept up in the conflict, both historical and fictional, including a Chinese soldier, a schoolteacher, a Japanese soldier, a foreign missionary, and Nazi businessman John Rabe (John Paisley).