John Rabe

Director:   Florian Gallenberger
Writer:      Florian Gallenberger (writer)

 Synopsis:

Based on a true story, John Rabe tells the epic story of a German businessman who rescued more than 200,000 civilians during the "The Rape of Nanking" in China. On December 13, 1937, the Nanking Massacre started and lasted for about eight weeks as thousands of prisoners of war and civilians were murdered.

While the Imperial Japanese Army unleashes a wave of brutality on the civilian population, Rabe and his comrades courageously and skillfully negotiate with the Japanese and wrest a guarantee for a safety zone from them. Hundreds of thousands pour into the zone – much more than expected. However, the Japanese continue to harass and attack the population, and it becomes more and more difficult to get supplies. A race against time begins as the Japanese plan to storm the zone.

Drawing from John Rabe's 1937 diaries as source material, Gallenberger has crafted a portrait of a man revered as a saint in China to this day – yet never rewarded for his courage during his lifetime.

After the war, Rabe was denounced for his Nazi Party membership and arrested first by the Russians and then by the British. However, investigations exonerated him of any wrongdoing. He was formally declared "de-Nazified" by the Allies in June 1946 but thereafter lived in relative poverty. His family was also literally starving at one point in time when he (Rabe) was partly supported by the monthly food and money parcels sent by the Chinese government in memory of his actions during the Nanjing Massacre

It made for a compelling and deeply emotional war movie.

Over 200,000 people are saved by Rabe and the others but hundreds of thousands of people die in the conflict and that’s not something the director, Florian Gallenberger, shies away from. This is a very distressing film and the cruelties of war are all on camera, including executions, attempted rape, beheadings and the degradation of women.

There are also some powerfully emotional performances, particularly from Ulrich Tukur as Rabe; a kind-hearted man who organises the group behind the safety-zone. Inglourious Basterds star Daniel Bruhl plays a German diplomat whose pleas to negotiate with the Japanese fall on deaf ears, and holding her own amongst the men is Anne Consigny, who puts in a steely yet sentimental performance as Valérie Dupres, the guardian of a group of schoolgirls.

 Every actor gives their heart and soul and the result is a distressing, violent, heartbreaking but ultimately hopeful film.

Awards

7 wins & 4 nominations

Links:

http://www.ideajournal.com/articles.php?id=22

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