In December 1937, the Imperial Japanese Army laid siege to the Chinese capital of Nanking, killing as many as 300,000 citizens during a six-week reign of terror, the details of which Japan and China dispute to this day. Abandoned by the outside world and with no resources or defenses, the people of Nanking were subjected to torture, rape and death by a chaotic army that had little experience operating in a foreign country. Chinese filmmaker Lu Chuan's (Mountain Patrol: Kekexili) latest film is a bold re-creation of these events, told with startling humanism through the eyes of both victims and occupiers. Delving into the psychology of the Chinese's struggle to survive and a Japanese soldier's struggle with his conscience, Lu's film is ultimately an indictment against the cruelty of war. Shot in dazzling black-and-white Cinemascope, City of Life and Death is a visionary re-telling of one of the most horrific chapters in modern Asian history, and an unforgettable masterpiece of contemporary world cinema. (Partially subtitled) Official Web Site
Director: Lu Chuan
Cast: Ye Liu, Yuanyuan Gao, Hideo Nakaizumi, Wei Fan, Yiyan Jiang, Ryu Kohata, Bin Liu, John Paisley, Beverly Peckous, Lan Qin, Sam Voutas, Di Yao, Yisui Zhao
MPAA Rating: NR
Run Time: 2hrs 12mins
Release Year: 2009
Country Of Origin: China/Hong Kong
