''Don't Cry, Nanking'', also known as ''Nanjing 1937'' (), is a 1995

Chinese film The cinema of China is the filmmaking and film industry of mainland China, one of three distinct historical threads of Chinese languages, Chinese-language cinema together with the cinema of Hong Kong and the cinema of Taiwan. China is the hom ...

about the 1937

Nanjing Massacre The Nanjing Massacre, or the Rape of Nanjing (formerly Chinese postal romanization, romanized as ''Nanking'') was the mass murder of Chinese civilians, noncombatants, and surrendered prisoners of war by the Imperial Japanese Army in Nanji ...

committed by the

Imperial Japanese Army The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA; , ''Dai-Nippon Teikoku Rikugun'', "Army of the Greater Japanese Empire") was the principal ground force of the Empire of Japan from 1871 to 1945. It played a central role in Japan’s rapid modernization during th ...

in the former capital city

Nanjing Nanjing or Nanking is the capital of Jiangsu, a province in East China. The city, which is located in the southwestern corner of the province, has 11 districts, an administrative area of , and a population of 9,423,400. Situated in the Yang ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

Plot

Set in late December 1937, the story focuses on a family, a Chinese doctor, his pregnant Japanese wife and their two children, who escaped the

Battle of Shanghai The Battle of Shanghai ( zh, t=淞滬會戰, s=淞沪会战, first=t, p=Sōng hù huìzhàn) was a major battle fought between the Empire of Japan and the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China in the Chinese city of Shanghai during ...

hoping to seek refuge in the capital where the doctor was born. Being Japanese, the wife must hide her origins to the Chinese citizens, but soon upon their arrival, the city is invaded by the

and this time, it is the father who tries to hide his identity as the family tries to reach the safety zone established by the

International Committee for Nanking Safety Zone The International Committee was established in 1937 to establish and manage the Nanking Safety Zone. Many Westerners were living in the city at that time, conducting trade or on missionary trips. As the Imperial Japanese Army began to approach N ...

. Among historical characters such as John Rabe and

Minnie Vautrin Wilhelmina "Minnie" Vautrin (September 27, 1886 – May 14, 1941) was an American missionary, diarist, educator and president of Ginling College. A Christian missionary in China for 28 years, she became known for caring for and protecting at le ...

, the film also features an out-of-context excerpt of the infamous hundred man killing contest between Toshiaki Mukai and Tsuyochi Noda. There are some painful and brutal scenes such as the execution, by machine gun, of thousands of Chinese

prisoners of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...

. Being produced before the publishing of such books like Iris Chang's ''

The Rape of Nanking The Nanjing Massacre, or the Rape of Nanjing (formerly romanized as ''Nanking'') was the mass murder of Chinese civilians, noncombatants, and surrendered prisoners of war by the Imperial Japanese Army in Nanjing, the capital of the Republ ...

'' and Herbert Bix's '' Hirohito and the Making of Modern Japan'', the movie shows General Iwane Matsui giving the order to "kill all the captives" and omits any reference to Prince Asaka.

Cast

* Chin Han - Shing Yin *

Rene Liu Rene Liu Ruo-ying (; born 1 June 1969) is a Taiwanese singer-songwriter, actress, director and writer. In the Sinophone world, Liu is widely known by her affectionate nickname "Milk Tea". Her music often focuses on love stories and has built an ...

- Shu Qin *Cho Yuet - Lui Oi *Ulrich Ottenburger - John Rabe *Michael Zannett - John Magee *Rebecca Peyrelon - missionary Miss Hua

Reception

Upon its release in 1995, the movie grossed HK$2,102,915 in Hong Kong. The film was not released in Japan until December 1997, nearly two years after its completion.

References

External links

*
''Don't Cry, Nanjing''
from the Chinese Movie Database

on director Wu Ziniu Nanjing Massacre films Second Sino-Japanese War films 1995 films 1990s Mandarin-language films Chinese war drama films Films set in the 1930s Films directed by Wu Ziniu Films scored by Tan Dun 1990s war drama films 1995 drama films {{1990s-China-film-stub

Plot

Cast

Reception

See also

References

External links