A true-story account of a German businessman who saved more than 200,000 Chinese during the Nanjing massacre in 1937-38.
Director:
Florian Gallenberger
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Title: John Rabe (2009)
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8 wins & 7 nominations.
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Ulrich Tukur | ... | John Rabe | |
| Daniel Brühl | ... | Dr. Georg Rosen | |
| Steve Buscemi | ... | Dr. Robert Wilson | |
| Anne Consigny | ... | Valérie Dupres | |
 |
Dagmar Manzel | ... | Dora Rabe |
| Jingchu Zhang | ... | Langshu | |
| Teruyuki Kagawa | ... | Prince Asaka Yasuhiko | |
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Mathias Herrmann | ... | Werner Fließ |
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Tetta Sugimoto | ... | Col. Nakajima Kesago |
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Akira Emoto | ... | Gen. Matsui Iwane |
| Arata Iura | ... | Major Ose (as Arata) | |
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Shaun Lawton | ... | John Magee |
| Christian Rodska | ... | Lewis Smythe | |
| Gottfried John | ... | Dr. Oskar Trautmann | |
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Fang Yu | ... | Han |
Learn more
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Plot Summary
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Storyline
After 28 years building and managing a vast Siemens plant in Nanking, John Rabe is ordered by the new Nazi regime to close it down. Before he can pack, the Japanese army, lead unofficially by a bloodthirsty imperial uncle, lays siege to the city. Rabe accepts, as prominent representative of Japans' major European ally, to head the Western ex-pats society's plan to start and run an international zone, like worked in Shangai. Rabe however wants it to save his workers and their close ones, over 200,000, and sacrifices all his personal interests. Written by KGF Vissers
Plot Keywords:
japanese occupation | japanese occupation of china | character name as title | two word title | based on real person |Taglines:
History needs extraordinary heroes.Certificate:
See all certifications »Parents Guide:
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John Rabe: He didn't stay in the car? His head was cut off!
Colonel Nakajima Kesago: It was an honorable death. A contest between two officers. Very popular in Japan.
John Rabe: What contest?
Colonel Nakajima Kesago: Who decapitates the most enemies.
See more »
Music by Kenneth Alford
Lyrics attributed to Toby O'Brien (uncredited)
Performed by Ulrich Tukur and Steve Buscemi
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
Not surprisingly, none of the major film companies in Japan were interested in investing - or indeed screening - the film. See more »Goofs
The USS Panay is shown as a passenger ship when she was in fact a U.S. Navy River Gunboat. The movie shows the Panay being attacked within sight of Nanking (now known as Nanjing) but in reality it had moved 28 miles upriver and dropped anchor, along with three Standard Oil tankers. The attack lasted for 2.5 hours until the ship finally sunk. The attack left 3 sailors dead, 43 sailors and 5 civilians wounded. See more »Quotes
Colonel Nakajima Kesago: He disobeyed the rules by not staying in the car.John Rabe: He didn't stay in the car? His head was cut off!
Colonel Nakajima Kesago: It was an honorable death. A contest between two officers. Very popular in Japan.
John Rabe: What contest?
Colonel Nakajima Kesago: Who decapitates the most enemies.
See more »
Alternate Versions
German TV version features ca. 45 minutes of additional footage. See more »Soundtracks
Colonel Bogey MarchMusic by Kenneth Alford
Lyrics attributed to Toby O'Brien (uncredited)
Performed by Ulrich Tukur and Steve Buscemi
See more »
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Details
Release Date:
2 April 2009 (Germany) See more »Also Known As:
John Rabe See more »Edit
Box Office
Budget:
$20,000,000 (estimated)Opening Weekend USA:
$4,892, 23 May 2010Gross USA:
$67,519Cumulative Worldwide Gross:
$1,484,665Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Dolby DigitalColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1Contribute to This Page
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An important movie that must be watched. John Rabe was a hero to the Chinese people. He saved 200,000 men, women, and children from certain hardship, probable torture, and likely death. Yet after the war, he was condemned by his country, and lived a life of poverty, slipping into obscurity until his death. There has been too little written about this man. "The Rape of Nanjing" by Iris Chang does cover him in good detail in parts of the book. It's certainly about time for a piece to have been done about his efforts in Nanjing, about his life.
The movie is masterfully paced, poignant, and at times devastatingly sad - only able to hint at the atrocities the people of Nanjing must have faced. Yet the movie is ultimately a tribute to the power of few to change the lives of many, to the ultimate goodness of humans.