wlee08
I won't leave an 'out of ten' for this one because I turned it off after an hour. Not to downplay what happened to the citizens of Nanking but sometimes you just have to ask yourself 'Why am I watching this?'. I rented this one cause it said 'based on the incredible true story...westerners unite to save thousands of innocent civilians from the atrocities of war' or something like that. So I was expecting some feel-good re-enactment of history, something akin to Schindlers List. But after watching for about an hour, listening to the REAL people describing some of the most gruesome acts of atrocity committed to their loved ones before their very eyes, I began to realize that this movie was not for me. Yes, all this happened, and yes, we must Never Forget, but at the same time I believe you can make an argument against using horrific anecdotes to teach history. For the people who lived through this I don't believe there is any story of redemption, no rhyme or reason, no heroic deliverance. Yes, good people stood up and saved lives and that should have been the focus of this documentary, not the unspeakable brutality.
Gethin Van Haanrath
World War II is usually glossed over as a western war. I rarely hear stories about the Japanese invasion of China, especially the massacre the Japanese committed against the Chinese in Nanking. It's good to see these kinds of documentaries coming out of the west where the focus is usually on the brave allies blowing up Nazis. Even the bombing of Dresden is buried and suppressed by veterans who don't want to be seen as cold, callous murderers, even though that's exactly what they are.Nanking is an excellent documentary about an absolutely disgraceful time in human history. What's even more disgraceful is that humanity hasn't learned from these mistakes and much of the same events are going on in the world today.
elskootero-1
I've been studying Japanese and Russian War atrocities for more than 30 years and STILL wonder why Hitler and the Nazis get 99% of the "holocaust" rap. Most people don't know of the rape of Nanking and countless other acts of Jap barbarism, like the fact that the Japanese were DIRECTLY responsible for over 14 million deaths NOT due to war combat, and the Russians, under DIRECT orders from Stalin, killed more than 16 million. Yet all you ever seem to hear is the 6 million Jews that the Nazis killed. YES YES YES, the holocaust was an obscene tragedy of the worst kind, but why don't we rap the Japs for their 14 million victims-after all, the world leaned on us for herding the Japs living in the US into internment camps during the war and then waiting 35 some years to repay them a part of what they lost; but what reparations have the Japanese made to the world for THEIR atrocities? THEY HAVEN'T EVEN ADMITTED IT TO THEIR OWN PEOPLE!! Japanese world history goes up to 1940,then skips to 1946 and continues to the present day!?!?!? This movie is a MUST-SEE! It is accurate, factual, and chilling! Go see it! And Iris Chang, may you rest in eternal peace, dear lady!
lastliberal
I watch movies for two reasons: to be entertained, and to be informed. This is one of the most informative movies that I have ever seen.The actions of the Japanese soldiers in 1937 as they invaded China was on a par with many of the atrocities that we have seen in our lifetime in Bosnia, Darfur, etc. It is a story that will stick with you for a long time.This is the story of a handful of foreigners who stayed behind as others fled and tried to save as many Chinese as they could. They saved over 250,000 by setting up a safe zone. Another 200,000 were killed and 20,000 women, between 12 and 60, were raped by the Japanese soldiers.The Japanese killed all young men just because they may be soldiers. They gang raped every night as many women as they could. It was an atrocity that clearly shows the level to which soldiers go in time of war. It is easy to commit these heinous crimes when you look upon the enemy as gooks, or nips, or chinks.A powerful film that should be seen by everyone.
AD
