Nanking

Much has been written and filmed about the Rape of Nanking, one horrifying episode in the long strong of horrifying episodes that was WWII. But whether you are familiar with the history or not, this documentary is worth a look.

The contemporary actors that you see listed play the parts of historical figures in "talking head" presentations of those peoples' words captured in letters and journals. These "interviews" are interspersed with interviews with real survivors from both sides of events.

There are aspects of the situation that are strikingly heroic. When the Japanese descend upon Nanking, thousands of residents are gathered into a safety zone created by a coalition of American missionaries and German businessmen (how jarring to see one man try to save Chinese by putting them under a swastica)

The agonizing daily struggles, the suffering, the death, the torture-- the horror of these events is almost unimaginable, and the aftermath is heartbreaking. This is a moving and effective piece of work, an important film that is not easy to watch (the bits of the actual footage smuggled out of the city is almost unbearable), but which is necessary to see.