| City of Life and Death [Blu-ray] |  | Director: Lu Chuan
Actors: Gao Yuanyuan, Liu Ye, Fan Wei, Hideo Nakaizumi, Yuko Miyamoto
Studio: Mega Stars
Category: DVD
List Price: $67.98
Buy New: $28.95
as of 9/8/2010 21:29 CDT details
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New (4) from $28.95
Seller: -importcds
Rating:  4 reviews
Sales Rank: 46,000
Format: Black & White, Dolby, Subtitled, Import
Languages: Cantonese (Subtitled), English (Subtitled), Mandarin Chinese (Original Language)
Rating: Unrated
Media: Blu-ray
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 6.7 x 5.3 x 0.5
EAN: 4895017006598
ASIN: B002UOKXNS
Release Date: November 17, 2009
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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"Life is more difficult than death" June 22, 2010
trashcanman (Hanford, CA United States)
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
So once again the god of Asian cinema has shined upon me and delivered something new to my doorstep. While admittedly, I'm often hesitant to embrace the genre of film I refer to as "soul-scorchers" since they tend to revel in a combination of realistic atrocity and overwrought sentimentality that I find manipulative and distasteful, I am still of the opinion that one must partake of them from time to time if only to be reminded just what your fellow man is capable of. I found "City of Life and Death" to be an effective, yet somehow disconnected chronicling of some of the events of the second World War in Asia. I would in fact, consider this mandatory viewing to those whose knowledge of WWII only reflects the Eurocentric viewpoint we were all taught in school. Europe and America were not the only countries involved in this worldwide atrocity that has bafflingly been referred to in our country as "the greatest generation". Apparently, body counts is the way we are keeping score on that. I'm personally glad my generation is lagging a bit. The film covers the Japanese conquest and subsequent tyrannical reign in the Chinese capitol of Nanjing, where the story is told from several viewpoints, all sympathetic, and often opposing.
I'm not quite sure what people will make of this one. While it certainly avoids the overt sentimentality of your typical Hollywood stuff, the actors all give strong emotional performances. But the lack of a prominent score removes much of the manipulative elements and the filmmaker simply lets the black-and-white imagery and the trials of the characters speak for themselves only occasionally filling otherwise silent scenes with an unaccompanied piano or violin. At times it feels as though punches are being pulled, but at the same time the director obviously felt strongly about presenting the events in an entirely neutral manner and allowing the viewer to make of it what they will. It almost feels like more of a historical documentary at times in that aspect. The battle that happens early in the film is extremely well put together and very clearly illustrates the events and strategies at play where scenes often fall into chaos and rely on violence and explosions. I was very impressed with the realism. When the Japanese armor arrives, the Chinese have only two options: scatter or surrender. Those who surrender are all penned up like cattle down to the little boy who was only fetching ammo. As they are marched out of their pen, you certainly get a bad feeling, but when you see they are being marched to the sea, my blood ran cold as I tried to imagine what the victims must have felt like knowing the inevitable. Some are buried while still alive after being cut down like wheat by a machine gun scythe, but most are simply left where they lie. Too much trouble to bury all of the roughly 300,000 who were massacred during this ordeal.
Now ask yourself this: how do yo know when things literally can not get any worse? How about when a nazi is the voice of reason and compassion? How cruel does an occupying force have to be to make a god-cursed nazi cry? Watch the film and find out. After most of the troops are disposed of, the Japanese army spares no expense brutally hunting down any possible survivors, even barging into hospitals and shooting the wounded in their beds. But it's the abominable practice of rounding up "comfort women" that finally makes the sympathetic German overseer of the international "safe zone" set up to offer shelter for refugees crack. Mothers, sisters, and daughters all forced to prostitute themselves to the army who slaughtered their friends and family and destroyed their homes. These women literally serviced one soldier after another until they died hoping that their sacrifice would prevent the army from slaughtering the remainder of their people. Now, let it be noted that Japan has denied the existence of these practices. And let me add that only the lowest of the lowest scum would deny an act that has literally thousands of living witnesses. What's that? You say rape and genocide are old news? You want more personal violence? Well how about a Japanese soldier tossing a small child out of a window a few stories off the ground while the parents look on? Something for everybody here.
Many of the characters in City of Life and Death are based on actual people and their historical accounts of the events of the Nanking Massacre. One, at least, is still alive to tell the story. I wouldn't get attached to most of the cast, though. There's a whole lot of death in this city and not so much life. Plenty of character development to go around, though. The German, Chinese, and Japanese viewpoints are all presented admirably, heroic sacrifices are made, and one prominent character makes it out to the other side only to decide he cannot live with what he's seen. Powerful stuff all around. There are also some very interesting moments that stand out. I was particularly fond of the Japanese victory parade sequence. The barbaric garishness of these troops dancing in unison through the rubble-filled streets of the city they emptied with their brutality is both a fascinating look at the culture and a black irony that borders on the comedic. The tragedy of a scene where the Japanese try their hand at benevolence by allowing a wagon of condemned men a chance to be rescued by their sobbing family members is almost palpable. The women are told that they may only take one man each, else they will be shot. So if your father and husband are both on the wagon, better make the choice, ladies.
City of Life and Death can't exactly be called an entertaining film, but it is a fantastic historical portrayal of some of the horrors of the second World War in Asia. If you were wondering why Japan isn't allowed to keep an army to this day, this film may answer that question for you. Some viewers may feel a bit disconnected from the events due to the film's unusual style, but that's all part of the extremely objective viewpoint fostered throughout by the director, Lu Chuan. You are simply there to observe the trials and tribulations as they happened and are not nudged to shed tears by sappy music or excessively dramatic shots and shoe-horned romance. That is both the film's strong and weak point. If they wished it, it could have been a much more horrific film to shake you to your very soul. But as it is, it is a fairly sterile telling of a few of the atrocities visited upon the people of a single city in China while the world looked the other way. And it does a great job of it. The cast and crew were extremely brave and Chuan suffered quite a bit to get the film made with resistance from both the Chinese people (who objected to the balanced POV), and the Japanese actors he attempted to garner for the soldier roles. Most prominent Japanese actors refused and some of those who accepted reportedly suffered nervous breakdowns on the set after realizing just what their people had done and having to re-enact the deeds. But the fact that neither side seems to be happy with the finished product means the filmmaker did his job and effectively portrayed the reality of the situation and didn't get hung up on emotional exploitation. Big thumbs up on that.
An unfathomably dark chapter of humanity June 1, 2010
Chris Blackshere (hampered by what's acceptable)
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
What the hell is wrong with people? This is a film that will leave you feeling numb and almost ashamed to be a human being. Now I've seen the movie Black Sun: The Nanking Massacre, plus I've read two in-depth reviews of this movie. But nothing could totally prepare me for the atrocities I was about to witness in CITY OF LIFE AND DEATH. The fact that this story is totally true makes it impossible to disregard, even for the most jaded of gorehounds like myself.
Superbly acted and shot in beautiful black and white, Director Lu Chuan somehow brings an element of grace and elegance to a barbaric story. The fact he seems to be holding back on the overall horrors of this terrible moment is evident. It's almost like he slices your throat and then gives you an oxygen mask to breathe.
There is an early war scene that stands alone as one of the most powerful and haunting scenes ever filmed in the history of cinema. I won't comment on the details, but it is guaranteed to leave you frozen in your seat. It is completely riveting, however it also proves to be this film's only downfall. The entire rest of the movie seems pretty anti-climatic.
For any person with a thirst for history, regardless of the harsh realities that this encompasses, CITY OF LIFE AND DEATH is essential viewing. To ignore the evils of yesterday simply embraces its return. Thank you Woopak.
The Rape of Nanking March 22, 2010
Keris Nine
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
As far as definitions for Hell on Earth go, the assault on the Chinese city of Nanking by the invading Japanese army in 1937 is certainly on a par with the horrors of the worst of the Nazi concentration camps. Ruthlessly and systematically wiping out of the Chinese army soldiers defending the town, the abuse, torture and mass execution of citizens and the notorious rape and murder of the city's women engaged as "comfort women" for the Japanese troops is one of the darkest moments in the history of modern war crimes.
It's a harrowing subject with material of such a degree of obscenity that, despite it being a popular subject for film with several documentary attempts and another film about John Rabe released around the same time as this one, it's a difficult one to approach within the limits of what a conventional war movie can show. Appropriately then, Lu Chuan adopts a style and approach similar to Steven Spielberg in Schindler's List, shooting in eye-catching widescreen black-and-white, taking in multiple viewpoints that chart the complete breakdown of any recognisable human qualities into barbarism on an unimaginable scale. Initially, there's the view from the Chinese soldiers defending the city, as well as the view from a young Japanese officer Kadokawa. The city taken, the view switches to the "Safe Zone" (which in reality is far from safe at all) established by the Nazi representative in the town John Rabe, seen mainly from the perspective of his Chinese assistant Mr Tang, his wife and family.
City of Life and Death is an exceptionally well-made film, a true war epic, although, like Schindler's List, it could also be accused of being much too attractively photographed in glossy black-and-white, effectively glamorising a subject that should simply be unwatchable. It's hard to imagine however how else a film about the Rape of Nanking could be made. What matters is how honestly and effectively the film approaches the subject and the historical reality, and while it spares us graphic detail of the worst abuses, the full mounting horror of what occurred and the impact it must have had on individuals caught up within it is unquestionably fully felt. A powerful and moving film then and essential viewing, but like Schindler's List, perhaps not one you'd want to come back to watch very often.
 Terrifying December 27, 2009
Anthony (Denmark)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
City of life and death by director Lu Chuan is one of the greatest war-movies ever . The movie is about when the japanese army occupied the former capitol of China , Nanjing ( Nanking ) in 1937 and killed over 200.000 and raped tens thousand of chinese women . The movie is pretended in black and white and with a amazing music score by Liu Tong . Definitely not for the weak-hearted , absolutly terrifying . 5 big stars
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