Don't Cry, Nanking, also known as Nanjing 1937 (Chinese: 南京1937; pinyin: Nánjīng yī jiǔ sān qī), is a 1995 Chinese film about the 1937 Nanjing Massacre committed by the Imperial Japanese Army in the former capital city Nanjing, China.

Don't Cry, Nanking
Traditional Chinese南京1937
Simplified Chinese南京1937
Hanyu PinyinNánjīng yī jiǔ sān qī
Directed byWu Ziniu
Produced byWang Ying-Hsiang
StarringChin Han
Rene Liu
Cho Yuet
Edited byLS Group
Music byTan Dun
Release date
  • September 14, 1995 (1995-09-14)
Running time
110 minutes
LanguagesMandarin
Japanese

Plot

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Set in late December 1937, the story focuses on a family, a Chinese doctor, his pregnant Japanese wife and their two children, who escaped the Battle of Shanghai hoping to seek refuge in the capital where the doctor was born.

Being Japanese, the wife must hide her origins to the Chinese citizens, but soon upon their arrival, the city is invaded by the Imperial Japanese Army and this time, it is the father who tries to hide his identity as the family tries to reach the safety zone established by the International Committee for Nanking Safety Zone.

Among historical characters such as John Rabe and Minnie Vautrin, the film also features an out-of-context excerpt of the infamous hundred man killing contest between Toshiaki Mukai and Tsuyochi Noda.

There are some painful and brutal scenes such as the execution, by machine gun, of thousands of Chinese prisoners of war.

Being produced before the publishing of such books like Iris Chang's The Rape of Nanking and Herbert Bix's Hirohito and the Making of Modern Japan, the movie shows General Iwane Matsui giving the order to "kill all the captives" and omits any reference to Prince Asaka.

Cast

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Reception

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Upon its release in 1995, the movie grossed HK$2,102,915 in Hong Kong.[1] The film was not released in Japan until December 1997, nearly two years after its completion.[2]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Don't Cry Nanking : Le Box-office
  2. ^ "Nanjing Massacre film released". BBC News. 1997-12-15. Retrieved 2008-06-16.
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