Nanking (2007)

Directors:

Bill Guttentag
Dan Sturman

Writers (WGA):

Bill Guttentag (screenplay) &
Dan Sturman (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

3 July 2007 (China)

Genre:

Documentary

Tagline:

Even in the darkest of times there is light

Plot:

"Nanking" tells the story of the rape of Nanking, one of the most tragic events in history. In 1937...

Plot Keywords:

Nanking | Nanking Massacre China 1937

Awards:

3 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Hugo Armstrong	...	John Magee
Rosalind Chao	...	Chang Yu Zheng
Stephen Dorff	...	Lewis Smythe
John Getz	...	George Fitch
Woody Harrelson	...	Bob Wilson
Mariel Hemingway	...	Minnie Vautrin
Michelle Krusiec	...	Yang Shu Ling
Leah Liang Lewis	...	Banner Girl (as Leah Liang)
Chris Mulkey	...	Mills McCallum
Jürgen Prochnow	...	John Rabe
Sonny Saito	...	Higashi Sakai
Graham Sibley	...	Miner Searle Bates
Mark Valley	...	Stage Manager
Robert Wu	...	Li Pu

Directed by
Bill Guttentag
Dan Sturman

Writing credits (WGA)
Bill Guttentag		(screenplay) &
Dan Sturman		(screenplay) &
Elizabeth Bentley		(screenplay) (as Elisabeth Bentley)
Bill Guttentag		(story) &
Dan Sturman		(story)

Produced by
Violet Du Feng	....	co-producer
Bill Guttentag	....	producer
Joann Jacobs	....	associate producer
Michael Jacobs	....	producer
John Junkerman	....	field producer
Ted Leonsis	....	producer
Karen Lin	....	line producer
Dylan Nelson	....	associate producer
Dylan Nelson	....	line producer
Katie Strand	....	associate producer
Katie Strand	....	line producer
Izumi Tanaka	....	associate producer
Makiko Wakai	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Phil Marshall

Cinematography by
Stephen Kazmierski
Buddy Squires

Film Editing by
Hibah Sherif Frisina		(as Hibah Frisina)
Charlton McMillan
Michael Schweitzer

Casting by
Venus Kanani
Mary Vernieu

Costume Design by
Dayna Pink

Makeup Department
Lawrence Davis	....	key hair stylist
Klexius Kolby	....	makeup department head

Production Management
Julia Mintz	....	post-production supervisor
Jiakun Zhang	....	production manager: China Unit

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Crystal Gong Chun	....	assistant director: China
Carl Lawrence Ludwig	....	first assistant director
Carl Lawrence Ludwig	....	first assistant director: Los Angeles

Sound Department
Paul B. Clay	....	sound designer
Paul B. Clay	....	sound supervisor
Michael P. Cook	....	dialogue editor
Patrick Cyccone Jr.	....	sound re-recording mixer
John Haptas	....	sound
Scott Harber	....	sound
Mark Roy	....	sound
Ira Spiegel	....	additional sound designer
T.C. Spriggs	....	assistant sound editor
Greg Stacy	....	co-supervising sound editor

Camera and Electrical Department
Jennifer Lai	....	second assistant camera
Chris Magee	....	additional cinematographer
Sean Prichard	....	best boy grip
Anthony Savini	....	assistant camera: China unit

Animation Department
Trevor Smith	....	title animator

Editorial Department
Rao Fu	....	additional assistant editor
Sara Mineo	....	additional assistant editor
Mike Sowa	....	digital color timer
Rooth Tang	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Panu Aaltio	....	composer: additional music
Kronos Quartet	....	original score performer
Bill Pearson	....	music editor
Bill Pearson	....	score mix engineer

Other crew
Martin Alcala	....	production accountant
Marina Brodskaya	....	researcher
Pakk Hui	....	production associate
Yu-Xing Ji	....	production coordinator: China
Morgan Alexander Jones	....	production associate
John Junkerman	....	translator: subtitles
He-Yong Kang	....	location manager: China unit
Judy Kim	....	production attorney
Zachary Leonsis	....	researcher
Xin-Ran Li	....	assistant unit production manager: China unit
Kiyoka Miyazaki	....	production associate
Lanier Nelson	....	production intern
Wena Poon	....	translator: subtitles
Deborah Ross	....	title designer
Wan-shun Shih	....	researcher
Emily Wang	....	production associate

Production Companies

• HBO Documentary Films
• Purple Mountain Productions

Distributors

• A-Film Distribution (2007) (Belgium) (theatrical)
• Fortissimo Films (2007) (Hong Kong) (theatrical)
• Golden Village Entertainment (2007) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Kahn Pictures (2007) (Taiwan) (theatrical)
• THINKFilm (2007) (Canada) (theatrical)
• THINKFilm (2007) (USA) (theatrical)

Other Companies

• 42West  publicity
• Creative Artists Agency (CAA)  worldwide sales
• Dolby Laboratories  sound mix
• Hollywood-DI  HD screening services

MPAA:

Rated R for disturbing images and descriptions of wartime atrocities, including rape.

Runtime:

USA:88 min

Country:

USA

Language:

Japanese | Mandarin | English

Color:

Color | Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

China

Company:

HBO Documentary Films

Trivia:

Not to be confused with _Rape of Nanking, The (2007)_ , based on Iris Chang's book with that title.

An anti-war film - if you're ant-war inclined

This is a disturbing and fascinating film. It inter-cuts original newsreel film and film made by witnesses to the atrocity, face-to-camera reminiscence by some of the Chinese eyewitnesses, interviews (apparently made some years ago) with surviving Japanese soldiers who were involved in one part of the massacre, and a small cast of mostly American actors reading excerpts from diary entries, letters and other documents written by some of the 15 Europeans who tried so valiantly to maintain the "safe zone" in the old town of Nanking during the massacre.

As a history teacher, I have taught a little 20th century East Asian history. I knew of the Nanking massacre. I have read some of the documents used in the film and seen some of the still pictures. I hadn't seen any of the film before, though. It's very shocking stuff. That said, the most powerful and emotional moments of the film for me were the interviews. Especially the accounts of the old people, children at the time, who saw their family members killed or experienced rape.

Some of the comments I've read on the message boards here question whether this is a legitimate documentary. The Europeans (and some of the Chinese and one Japanese) are portrayed by actors. They do their job very well, but there is always a problem with dramatisation. How much can we trust the actors' interpretation of their lines? And how far has the editing gone? Then also, why choose just these people to represent the European community? Where were the Danish and British voices? Also, although they had tried to put themselves into character as prim missionary, grey businessman, reticent doctor, at least three of the actors were familiar faces to me, and in the beginning I found my thoughts wandering off the topic as I tried to identify them. (Mariel Hemingway, Jürgen Prochnow and Woody Harrelson.) Contrary to some of the voices on this message board, I don't think Nanking is anti-Japanese propaganda, or simply out to shock. I think the film makers are sincere when they say (through the words of their European witnesses) that the film does not set out to vilify the Japanese as a people. (Though I note that the Chinese witnesses uniformly refer to "Japanese devils" – at least in the subtitling.) But isn't it often the case that a film made to condemn the atrocities of war is always likely to be interpreted differently depending on the prejudices the audience brings with them? If you already think the Japanese are devils, this film will confirm you in your belief. If you distrust Americans, you will find more fuel for your prejudice here. If you think all war is hell, you'll go away convinced that this film is a great contribution to the cause of pacifism.

I tend towards the latter. And I think I could use this film in class to teach history.