Nanking will debut on Cinemax tonight at 7:00 pm EST. I hope you will be able to watch the film.
Ted's Take
Nanking will debut on Cinemax tonight at 7:00 pm EST. I hope you will be able to watch the film.
I was impressed by the NANKING documentary film. My friend, Iris Chang, wrote the book which set the framework for the film and I was not disappointed by the documentary. It is a story that needed to be told since few people had heard of the efforts of the leaders of the safety zone. Rabe was another Schindler and he deserves much credit for being so. Not all nazis were bad people and not all Japanese soldiers were bad. What is important, in my opinion is to show that many Germans and Japanese in WWII did not bend to pressure from their superiors or political/military organization…and refused to go with the flow and commit brutal acts that they were pressured to do. An intersting note. Iris Chang was working on another book when she commited suicide in November 2004. part of this story took place in China at the Hoten/Mukden (now called Shenyang in Manchuria) Japanese POW camp. This time the story dealt with the brutality committed against American POWs from a midwest National Guard tank battalion and the plight of their relatives and friends back in their four (garrison)hometowns after the men went MIA. The book is being finished by a best selling author, Joseph L. Galloway, who is an admirer of the work Iris Chang did. Although great cruelty was the norm for Japanese POW camp guards there are notable exceptions to this. The many taped interviews in the NANKING film with living witnesses are quite important. Before she died Iris had traveled to four different states to interview in person
many of the POW veterans ands their families. Luckily many were done on videotape and perhaps, if we’re lucky, Ted Leonsis may take an interest in doing another film on the last book of Iris Chang.
I just watched the movie and I must say this movie made me think about many different things as a Japanese citizen. Growing up in Japan, the Nanking topic was controversial subject and it was taught very briefly in school. After so many years, this topic is still taboo in Japan. However, it’s time for Japanese people to learn more about what happened. Whatever really happened, I think the most important thing is to learn from it and never to repeat such a horrible act. This documentary also had great casting and amazing story telling including great interviews. I am looking forward to seeing your next creation as a movie producer!!