Plot of Nanking

Nanking tells the story of the Japanese invasion of Nanking, China, in the early days of World War II. As part of a campaign to conquer all of China, the Japanese subjected Nanking – which was then China’s capital – to months of aerial bombardment, and when the city fell, the Japanese army unleashed murder and rape on a horrifying scale. In the midst of the rampage, a small group of Westerners banded together to establish a Safety Zone where over 200,000 Chinese found refuge. Unarmed, these missionaries, university professors, doctors and businessmen – including a Nazi named John Rabe – bore witness to the events, while risking their own lives to protect civilians from slaughter. Directors interpreted the film as a documentary, which is told through deeply moving interviews with Chinese survivors, chilling archival footage and photos of the events, and testimonies of former Japanese soldiers. Another crucial idiosyncrasy of the film, Nanking, is a filmed stage reading of Westerners' letters and diaries, which was presented by Woody Harrelson, Mariel Hemingway and Jurgen Prochnow. Through its interweave of archival images, testimonies of survivors, and readings of first hand accounts, the film puts the viewer on the streets of Nanking and brings the forgotten past to startling life. When audiences watch the film, it is just like these atrocities are taking place in front of them, beheaded innocent civilians, burried alive women and children, and raped young girls. Horrible scenes is told in a deep and sorrowful tone by those survivors, Westerners, and solidiers. In the film, there is even a Nazi officer, who hold the safety zone for Chinese refugees. He wrote a letter to his superiors asked for solution. These Westerners who hold the safety zone, were not soldiers. They were unarmed nuns, teachers, doctors, and priests. They banded spontaneously, just because they thought they have to. Directors make this film in a touched way, furthermore, they want to reveal truths, and that is the reason why they filmed it as a documentary.

Written by Aries