Movie Forums Top 100 War Movies - Group Watch

You would be a current candidate right? You watched the last film City of Death and you've only chose once I believe. Or am I missing something?

I usually don't count myself as a potential candidate since I'm the host, but if nobody else joins in, I might host the next one if nobody minds.

I'll have a go if you need a nomination.

That would work as well, but as a rule, you have to watch the current nomination in order to be eligible to be a host.

This is the second time I have watched this film, and I think I rate it higher now than I did previously. I cannot understand why it is not spoken about as one of the greatest war films ever made. It is a masterpiece. The black and white cinematography is perfect for the gloomy atmosphere of war, as we see the events of the Nanking massacre unfold, and together with some of the most effective surround sound I've heard outside of a cinema (bullets flying everywhere, tanks roaming and shrapnel buzzing past the speakers etc)

It focuses on the Japanese occupation of Nanking, China in 1937, and is based on true events. Those events are shocking, harrowing and extremely difficult to watch. One particular moment midway through the film really shakes the viewer. Chuan Lu focuses on several characters throughout the film (on both sides of the conflict) and his direction shows tremendous empathy for all of them. He actually received many death threats for portraying the Japanese character Kadokawa so sympathetically, which is extremely harsh given how the Japanese army and government is portrayed throughout the rest of the film. Other characters are a a school teacher, a foreign missionary, and John Rabe, a Nazi businessman who would ultimately save thousands of Chinese civilians.

It's estimated that over 20,000 Chinese women were raped during the siege of Nanking by Japanese soldiers. Some of this is depicted in the film, with disturbing scenes. There are also scenes of brutal torture and execution. Although if anything, the film goes light on it compared to what is alleged to have occurred. The only reason I can think that this is under-praised is that it features a Nazi and Chinese soldiers that for once are not the bad guys.

It's a tough watch, but it is essential for any cinephile who is keen on war / history films. No prizes for guessing if this will be on my ballot or not

Nomination #11

A little disappointed but still a very good film. It's just that my expectations were sky high. I was familiar with the story after reading about it due to watching the Men Behind the Sun films. Those are extreme exploitation films that I wouldn't recommend to anyone reading this thread. I did not like the cinematography and I will just chalk that up to a matter of taste. I also didn't like the score, a common complaint I have with war films. The two combined made this feel like a Hollywood film at times, not the worst thing in the world, but also not what I was hoping for. As horrible as what we witness in the film is, I'm not sure it gave the atrocity proper justice. Maybe that would be impossible? I also thought that they tried to make every single moment dramatic and powerful, which in turn lessened the drama and power. There were still moments of power and how could there not be. It comes with the territory. As the film went on, I thought the more personal stories came to the forefront, and that was the film's biggest strength.

I should've mentioned that I thought it was a great choice to film in black & white but there's something about it. Maybe I just like a more gritty look. It reminded me of Dead Man with Johnny Depp, another movie that gets praised for the cinematography, and another movie I don't care for the look of.

Have you seen John Rabe (2009) same subject matter as City of Life and Death but with more focus on John Rabe and the efforts to save some of Nanjing's residents. It's a different look & feel than City of Life and Death, there's beheadings. It might be worth checking out. I liked it.