City of Life and Death

2009 2h 12m ZH

👍

7.4

SOLID

★7.4TMDB · 250

DramaHistoryWar

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In 1937, during the height of the Second Sino-Japanese War, the Imperial Japanese Army has just captured Nanjing, then-capital of the Republic of China. What followed was known as the Nanking Massacre, or the Rape of Nanking, a six week period wherein tens of thousands of Chinese soldiers and civilians were killed.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Liu Ye
Lu Jianxiong
Gao Yuanyuan
Miss Jiang
Hideo Nakaizumi
Kadokawa
John Paisley
John Rabe
Beverly Peckous
Minnie Vautrin
Fan Wei
Mr. Tang
Qin Lan
Mrs. Tang
Ryu Kohata
Officer Osamu Ida

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Lu Chuan
Writers: Lu Chuan
Languages: German, Mandarin, Japanese, English
Countries: China, Hong Kong

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 89% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 17 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 4 languages: German, Mandarin, Japanese, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: China, Hong Kong.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Lu Chuan, shot by Cao Yu. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Liu Tong. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Yun Teng shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Liu Ye and Gao Yuanyuan and Hideo Nakaizumi carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Lu Chuan directs. Cao Yu behind the camera. Liu Tong scores. Yun Teng cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in China, Hong Kong. Dialogue in German, Mandarin, Japanese, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 89% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
2Released 17 years ago.
3Dialogue crosses 4 languages: German, Mandarin, Japanese, English.
4International production across 2 countries: China, Hong Kong.
5Directed by Lu Chuan, shot by Cao Yu. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Liu Tong. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Yun Teng shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Liu Ye and Gao Yuanyuan and Hideo Nakaizumi carry the top of the cast.
9IMDB entry: tt1124052 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 12 themes, including "war crimes", "mass murder", "war victim", "second sino-japanese war (1937-45)".
11Released under 12 different titles around the world.