On Frozen Blog

Gustafsson and I had the privilege of attending the Washington D.C. premiere of Nanking, the Ted Leonsis-produced film about the infamous 1937 Nanking Massacre. The film, winner of the Documentary Film Editing Award and nominee for the Grand Jury Prize at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival, is a harrowing survivors’ tale of the people of Nanking.
Author Iris Chang called Nanking “The Forgotten Holocaust;” it is that phrase (and Chang’s book) which Leonsis identified as one of the triggers that inspired him to undertake this project. As he said in the post-film Q&A, “[Forgotten and Holocaust] are two words that should never be together.”

The events now known as ‘the rape of Nanking’ lasted approximately six weeks. The city was looted and burned, and marauding Japanese soldiers unleashed a staggering wave of violence on Nanking’s population. According to the summary judgment of the International Military Tribunal for the Far East — also known as the Tokyo Trials, “estimates indicate that the total number of civilians and prisoners of war murdered in Nanking and its vicinity during the first six weeks of the Japanese occupation was over 200,000. Approximately 20,000 cases of rape occurred in the city during the first month of the occupation.”[1]

The filmmakers conducted interviews with survivors of the invasion; these heart-wrenching stories told by those that endured them truly drive home the horrors of this tragedy. The now-elderly survivors’ sagas are simultaneously stirring tales of perseverance and stunning horror-stories of mankind’s capacity for cruelty.
Nanking draws from letters and diaries of the Westerners who remained behind to help the poor and helpless while the rest of the city evacuated. These heroes are revered in China, yet largely unknown to the rest of the world — one of the things this film will hopefully rectify.

Prior to the fall of the city, many Chinese fled the approaching troops and all foreign citizens were ordered to evacuate. A group of 22 European and American expatriates, however, refused to leave. Despite devastating air strikes and the threat of an oncoming army, these Westerners — including John Rabe, a Nazi businessman; Bob Wilson, an American surgeon; and Minni Vautrin, the American headmistress of a missionary college — remained behind in order to set up a Safety Zone to protect civilians. Some two hundred thousand refugees crowded into the Zone, which spanned two square miles. During the brutal occupation, Safety Zone committee members vehemently protested the army’s actions to the Japanese authorities, but the carnage continued. Every day John Rabe, Minnie Vautrin, and the others fought to keep the Safety Zone’s boundaries intact and the refugees safe.[2]

The filmmakers made an intriguing and ultimately perfect decision to use Hollywood actors as the Westerners whose writings provide much of the film’s basis. Woody Harrelson, Mariel Hemingway, Jurgen Prochnow, and Stephen Dorff are among those whose portrayals of these heroes bring them to life on screen. Each was chosen not only for their acting abilities, but for their resemblance to the real person. Thus, as the performances are interspersed with archival footage of the people themselves, the transition remains surprising smooth.

The performances are quite effective — every word the actors speak is drawn directly from the letters and diaries of the people themselves. The actors address the audience as if we were the recipients of those letters, and the impact is powerful.
Lest one think that this film somehow targets the Japanese, Leonsis makes it clear that it is an anti-war film, not an anti-Japanese film. Sadly, the tragedy of Nanking has been, and still is, replayed on many other stages throughout the world.
Nanking is a powerful reminder of man’s tendency toward cruelty when presented with too much power, and illustrates the adage of those who forget history being doomed to repeat it. Yet it is also the story of individuals who fight evil to protect the helpless, and those who rise above horrible circumstances to inspire others.
I cannot recommend Nanking highly enough; it’s an incredible documentary that pulls you in with its riveting†stories — both horrible and uplifting –†yet never strays from the truth.
You can go to Ted Leonsis’ blog and sign up to be informed of the film’s release in theaters and/or on DVD; you can also see his keynote presentation at the AFI SILVERDOCS filmfest.