John Rabe

"History Needs Extraordinary Heroes"

2009 2h 14m DE

👍

7.1

SOLID

★7.1TMDB · 132

DramaHistoryWar

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A true-story account of a German businessman who saved more than 200,000 Chinese during the Nanjing massacre in 1937-38.

“History Needs Extraordinary Heroes”

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Cast

Ulrich Tukur
John Rabe
Dagmar Manzel
Dora Rabe
Steve Buscemi
Dr. Robert Wilson
Daniel Brühl
Dr. Rosen
Zhang Jingchu
Langshu
Teruyuki Kagawa
Prince Asaka Yasuhiko
Anne Consigny
Valérie Duprès
Gottfried John
Dr. Oskar Trautmann

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Florian Gallenberger
Writers: Raymond Boy, Florian Gallenberger
Languages: German, English, Japanese, Mandarin, Cantonese, Ukrainian
Countries: Austria, Belgium, China, France, Germany, Italy, Spain

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

ERA

Did you know

Released 17 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 6 languages: German, English, Japanese, Mandarin, Cantonese, Ukrainian.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 7 countries: Austria, Belgium, China, France, Germany, Italy, Spain.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

CAST

Did you know

239+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Florian Gallenberger, shot by Jürgen Jürges. 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 Annette Focks. 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 Hansjörg Weißbrich 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

Ulrich Tukur and Dagmar Manzel and Steve Buscemi carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Florian Gallenberger directs. Jürgen Jürges behind the camera. Annette Focks scores. Hansjörg Weißbrich cuts. Produced in Austria, Belgium, China, France, Germany, Italy, Spain. Dialogue in German, English, Japanese, Mandarin, Cantonese, Ukrainian.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 17 years ago.
2Dialogue crosses 6 languages: German, English, Japanese, Mandarin, Cantonese, Ukrainian.
3International production across 7 countries: Austria, Belgium, China, France, Germany, Italy, Spain.
4239+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.
5Directed by Florian Gallenberger, shot by Jürgen Jürges. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Annette Focks. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Hansjörg Weißbrich shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Ulrich Tukur and Dagmar Manzel and Steve Buscemi carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "History Needs Extraordinary Heroes".
10IMDB entry: tt1124377 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 12 themes, including "japan", "china", "biography", "ns-zeit".