This is a lovely to look at, but narratively weak look at the Rape of Nanking. Basic plot: A group of convent girls and a group of prostitutes seek refuge in a church during the invasion of Nanking. Also in the mix is a drunken mortician, who through a series of misunderstandings posses as a priest to protect the girl. The japanese eventually find out about the prostitutes and gives them all a choice. The prostitutes need to turn themselves over to the Japanese army or else they will take the school girls instead. A lot of the reviews mention that to much emphasis was placed on the "hollywood" star -- Christian Bale. I would say that the problem is more to with not quite know exactly what to do with the actor. It was a bit like he was in a different movie. That said, there is some very interesting moments in the film. The opening scene is very exciting and wonderfully shot. Students would love how it portrays the chaos of war. It is a bit like the opening of "Saving Private Ryan" in terms of its intensity - although not as graphic which would make it better for student use. I like how it pin pointed the arbitrary nature of war. There is also a great character in the commander of unit of Chinese soldiers who sacrifices his men and eventually himself to save the young school girls. Obviously, self sacrifice is a major theme in the film. Although the film doesnt quite hold together, there are very interesting and moving moments.
I'm glad someone posted a review on this! When this movie was mentioned in class, I wanted to watch it. I had a couple of students researching the Rape of Nanking, and they were having trouble finding concrete information about what exactly happened. Does this film show the history of the event, and explain why it occurred? Hopefully, I will get to check out this film soon. Sounds like it is worth checking out, even if just for some of the cinematography.
This is one of my favorite films. Prior to this film, I only knew little about the subject of the Rape of Nanking. I really liked how the movie touched upon the stories of the young females.
The Flowers of War depicts the rape of Nanjing, when Japanese forces overtake China. In the film, Christian Bale plays an American mortician who in the middle of these circumstances finds himself arriving at a convent. The convent is serving as a safe haven to several young girls who didn’t flee Nanjing in time and are now in Japanese occupied territory. A group of prostitutes arrive at the convent seeking refuge. They are hid in the basement while John Miller (Christian Bale) attempts to repair a truck in hopes of helping the girls escape from the Nanjing. In this time of war, the Japanese soldiers arrive at the convent looking for women to rape. The prostitutes sacrifice themselves to the Japanese in place of the convent girls. This chronicle depicts a human interest story of martyrdom, in which one group sacrifices themselves to save another. It also shows the brutality and history associated with the rape of Nanjing and what Chinese refer to as a time of immense “humiliation” for their country.
Besides the cinematographic and historical value, I think the movie also showed another aspect of Chinese relation with the West during the time of the Sino-Japanese War. Before showing the movie, I would front-load for the student or at least discuss about how China was already open to the West during that time. In the movie, most of the actions took place inside a Catholic church showed that the presence of Christianity in China was well-established even though it did not flourish. Moreover, the Catholic church setting also gave us a unique perspective about the international relation between Japan and other world powers in China. In the movie, the Japanese soldiers were deferential, or at least paid their respect to this Western institution when Miller reminded them of where they were at. It's a complex issue--one in which the movie did not plan to elaborate--that should at least be mentioned to consolidate students' understanding of the historical context of the movie.