Nanking

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Nanking

R,

2007,

1h 28m,

Documentary

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Watchlist

96%

46 Reviews

Tomatometer

88%

5,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

96%

Tomatometer

46 Reviews

88%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

This documentary chronicles the events in the Chinese capital city of Nanjing following the Japanese invasion of 1937. Combining archival footage with interviews and cinematic recreations of historic events, the film follows German businessman John Rabe (Jürgen Prochnow), surgeon Bob Wilson (Woody Harrelson) and American missionary Minnie Vautrin (Mariel Hemingway) as they sacrifice their own safety to protect Chinese refugees from the marauding Japanese army.

Critics Consensus

This powerful and horrific documentary brings the atrocities committed at Nanking to light without sugarcoating any of the brutality.

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Jonathan F. Richards

Film.com

Apr 13, 2008

The lesson here is not simply to vilify the Japanese soldiers of that era, but to make sure that we never forget who we are and what our country stands for today.

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Sid Smith

Chicago Tribune

Feb 1, 2008

3/4

Sheds light on particular wartime atrocities largely neglected in the collective memory.

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Tom Keogh

Seattle Times

Feb 1, 2008

3/4

Nanking doesn't tell us why decency and compassion completely break down from time to time. It just tells us something terribly modern and all too familiar.

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Richard Propes

TheIndependentCritic.com

Sep 17, 2020

3.5/4.0

One of 2007's most important documentaries.

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Kelly Vance

East Bay Express

Apr 28, 2011

This painful documentary ends on a hopeful note, although with a clear view of the cloud over human nature.

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Ian Buckwalter

DCist

Jun 12, 2010

5/10

A noble effort, but a flawed delivery. The film would benefit from more time spent with the real survivors, and less with actors tasked with "playing" the Western saviors.

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Bill Guttentag

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Dan Sturman

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Synopsis

This documentary chronicles the events in the Chinese capital city of Nanjing following the Japanese invasion of 1937. Combining archival footage with interviews and cinematic recreations of historic events, the film follows German businessman John Rabe (Jürgen Prochnow), surgeon Bob Wilson (Woody Harrelson) and American missionary Minnie Vautrin (Mariel Hemingway) as they sacrifice their own safety to protect Chinese refugees from the marauding Japanese army.

Director: Bill Guttentag, Dan Sturman
Producer: Bill Guttentag, Michael Jacobs, Ted Leonsis
Screenwriter: Dan Sturman, Bill Guttentag, Elisabeth Bentley
Production Co: HBO Documentary Films, Purple Mountain Productions
Rating: R (Descriptions of Rape|Disturbing Images|Descriptions of War Atrocities)
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: Japanese
Release Date (Streaming): May 3, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $160.1K
Runtime: 1h 28m

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