IMDb > City of Life and Death (2009)

City of Life and Death (2009) More at IMDbPro »


Overview

User Rating:
7.6/10   916 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?

Up 3% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.

Director:

Chuan Lu

Writer:

Chuan Lu (writer)

Contact:

View company contact information for Nanking Nanking on IMDbPro.

Release Date:

22 April 2009 (China) more

Genre:

Drama | History | War more

Plot:

A dramatization of the rape of Nanking in 1937. | full synopsis

Plot Keywords:

more

Awards:

2 wins more

NewsDesk:
(22 articles)

Latest MPAA Ratings: Bulletin No: 2094
 (From Rope Of Silicon. 4 November 2009, 11:39 AM, PST)

AFI Fest 2009: Precious, The White Ribbon, Ajami
 (From Alternative Film Guide. 31 October 2009, 10:58 PM, PDT)

User Comments:

Strong but not great more (17 total)


Cast

  (Credited cast)

Ye Liu ... Lu Jianxiong
Yuanyuan Gao ... Miss Jiang
Hideo Nakaizumi ... Kadokawa
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Wei Fan ... Mr. Tang
Yiyan Jiang ... Xiao Jiang
Ryu Kohata ... Ida
Bin Liu ... Xiaodouzi
Yuko Miyamoto
John Paisley ... John Rabe
Beverly Peckous ... Minnie Vautrin
Lan Qin ... Mrs. Tang

Sam Voutas ... Durdin (as You Sima)
Di Yao ... Tang Xiaomei
Yisui Zhao ... Shunzi
more
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Additional Details

Also Known As:

Nanjing! Nanjing! (China: Mandarin title)
Nanking Nanking (International: English title)
more

Runtime:

Hong Kong:132 min

Country:

China | Hong Kong

Language:

Mandarin

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1 more

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Filming Locations:

Changchun, China more


Fun Stuff

Trivia:

It took 4 years and cost RMB 80 million (about US$11.7 million) to make. more


FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
23 out of 29 people found the following comment useful.
Strong but not great, 9 May 2009
7/10
Author: Stone Chen from China

Unlike Shindler's List or John Rabe, this film focuses not on one particular hero in this kind of atrocities, but the countless ordinary people suffering from the horrors of war. Director Lu did an excellently balanced view, some may say too balanced, from the civilians and the soldiers - Chinese and Japanese alike during the rape of Nanking. The subject matter is profound, the acting is top-notch, the cinematography is excellent, however, the pacing is deliberately slow to match the mood of the film, making me wonder some time how long I had to suffer through. The ending is also a disappointment, when the director tries way too hard to make life the symbol. Still, overall, the movie is good, important and relevant. Watch it.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for City of Life and Death (2009)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
city of life and death robert-pearce847-1
Why Has the Film Title Been Changed? theMidnightSun
Historical not Historic Reality WilhelmDutchie
This is a movie about life value Dennis_fcb
Comparison with 'Dont Cry Nanking'? graphis_7
Poor on content? rwid
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