December 13, 1937 to January 1938: The Nanking Massacre For the first time in this project, we're off to Asia with Jīnlíng Shísān Chāi (The Flowers of War), a film by the acclaimed Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou (Raise the Red Lantern (1991), Hero (2002), and House of Flying Daggers (2004)). The film focuses on a group of people that take shelter in a Nanking church when the Chinese capitol is invaded by the Japanese Army. The film features an ensemble cast, starring Christian Bale, Ni Ni, Zhang Xinyi, Tong Dawie, Atsuro Watabe, Cao Kefan and Huang Tianyuan.
Miller arrives at the church and is informed by George Chen (Tianyuan), a reserved young man left in charge after the Father's death, that the priest's body was tragically destroyed by a stray bomb and they have no more need of him. Miller demands to be paid for his trouble, but George insists they have no money to pay him. Meanwhile, the remaining schoolgirls arrive and the church is sealed against outsiders. George asks Miller to fix a broken-down truck parked in the courtyard so they can evacuate the city, but Miller refuses to do it for free. Major Li arrives shortly thereafter and takes a position outside the church with his rifle, a guardian angel of sorts.
Soon, a group of prostitutes appears, seeking refuge, but George turns them away, so their unofficial leader, Yu Mo (Ni Ni) simply leads the girls over the church's walls. George is helpless to stop them and the women take up residence in the church's basement. The prostitutes and the schoolgirls find themselves immediately at odds and are constantly fighting. Yu Mo also tries to persuade Miller to fix the truck, that he may take the prostitutes to safety instead, offering sex in return. He quickly becomes infatuated with her but doesn't want to commit himself to anything. Drunk, in an attempt to win over Yo Mo with humor, Miller dresses in the Father's vestments and attempts to engage in a little role-playing, but things get a little out of hand and Major Li is forced to intervene.
Suddenly a force of Japanese soldiers breach the gates and storms inside, intending to rape the virginal schoolgirls. Still in the Father's clothes, Miller comes to their aid, acting as the church's priest and putting his life on the line to save them. Undeterred, the soldiers persist and Major Li engages them with his rifle. After the battle, the local Japanese Colonel, Hasegawa (Watabe), pays a visit to the church, apologizing for the behavior of his men. He says he is a music lover and wants the girls to perform at a Japanese victory ceremony, stationing guards around the church for their safety. However, as time passes, Miller realizes the terrible truth: the Japanese are merely protecting the girls as 'party favors' for their celebration, and everyone must come together in the remaining time to try find a method of escape.
Wow. I was really impressed with this movie. The visuals are simply stunning and the events portrayed, though uncomfortable at times, are not widely studied in the West. Yimou's signature visual style is evident throughout, resulting in something quite beautiful and serene, a stark contrast to the brutal events depicted. Acting-wise, Ni Ni is great, as the beautiful yet mysterious Yu Mo, as are many others, such as Huang Tianyuan's charming-yet-infuriating performance as George. Further, Christian Bale is solid as the conflicted Miller which, by no means a standout, is good in the role and allows the other actors to shine. My personal favorite is Tong Dawei as Major Li, the consummate professional/undeniable bad ass. Honestly, I'd love to see a movie just about him.
Of course, a film such as this is bound to attract the usual complaints about the White Savior, and this movie is no different. Indeed the credits struck me as somewhat odd as well: Christian Bale was listed first, prominently, then the whole crew (director, writer, composer, cinematographer, etc), and finally the rest of the cast was all at the end. Indeed, though this film is largely historical fiction, there were whites such as John Rabe, a German, who actually helped get people to safety. However, what I would say is this: this film was made by a prominent Chinese director, for a Chinese market. At no point during the production of this film, was there some up-his-ass American jamming his manifest-destiny crap into this movie. In fact, during an interview, Yimou said it was a conscious choice on his part and getting Bale's character into the movie/past the censors was one of his biggest accomplishments: "this kind of character, a foreigner, a drifter, a thug almost, becomes a hero and saves the lives of Chinese people. That has never ever happened in Chinese filmmaking, and I think it will never happen again in the future." Similarly, Yimou wanted to present a more sympathetic/"layered" portrayal of the Japanese, than that usually seen in Chinese film, particularly with Colonel Hasegawa, who struggles internally with the orders of his superiors.
A lot of Western reviews at the time of the film's release release were, I feel, unduly harsh on these counts alone. There's a tendency I've seen a lot lately for people to get indignant on the behalf of others who aren't offended in the slightest (such as Roger Ebert's review of this film, where he asked why is couldn't have been a Chinese mortician instead of an American one) and it drives me crazy. Honestly, I think that telling people from another country (or of another race), based on our own sensibilities, what should be offensive to them is far worse. Regardless of who helped who historically, though, this film is largely about the Chinese characters and that's what's really at the heart of this story. The film is mixed language, 40% English/60% Chinese (subtitled).
Overall, seeing great films such as this, that I've never seen before, is one of the main reasons I'm doing this project. This movie combines good acting with a compelling, heart-wrenching subject I know very little about, and presents it all through dazzling visuals. Though the events portrayed are grim and tragic, the film itself is brilliant and masterfully crafted. It's also available on Netflix Instant Watch so you should definitely check it out! I rate this film a 4/5.
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