Nanking Film Review Documentary Analysis Historical Perspect Movie Review

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Nanking Film Review

I am always somewhat on my guard whenever I see a film about an historical event, just because I know how big a part propaganda and especially war propaganda or atrocity propaganda has played in our own nation’s history in modern times (Wilcox, 1940). For that reason, I go into a film like Nanking always wondering about what the other side would have to say about this story. I think there is always another side that needs to be told, that should be heard at the very least. Otherwise, our sense of history is colored by a single perspective. What I found most challenging about Nanking, therefore, was the fact that it offers only a single perspective on this historical event. Yet, there may be others worth considering, as History.com points out: “Anger over the events at Nanjing continues to color Sino-Japanese relations to this day. The true nature of the massacre has been disputed and exploited for propaganda purposes by historical revisionists, apologists and Japanese nationalists. Some claim the numbers of deaths have been inflated, while others have denied that any massacre occurred” (History, 2023). Noting this is just my way of pointing out my own discomfort with approaching historical films that want to produce a certain effect in the audience by emphasizing a single perspective. Having read the book Hiroshima by John Hersey and having seen the documentary Hellstorm, I can only say that there are indeed many stories to tell about war. The film Nanking is one to add to the list. There are things I liked about but also things I did not like. The main challenge for me was simply watching it to the end.
What I did like about the film was the use of archival footage.

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I like anything authentic that takes me back to a time and place that truly existed. Seeing the archival footage was the best part of the film. That gives…

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…were like. I found that to be illuminating—but also somewhat limited in terms of gaining deep insight. In my view, my understanding of the subject would be even more enhanced by getting information from multiple sources on this matter—ones that even clash. I do not like to rush in making conclusions about anything without being able to do my own research on the matter.
My recommendation for this course would be that there is no harm in using the film in the future. I would only suggest offering another option as well—such as something like The Truth about Nanjing by Satoru Mizushima. This would certainly be an example of “the other side” of the issue. It might be controversial and offensive to some, but this is kind of my point about doing one’s own digging—not everything is going to come across as acceptable to all people at all times. The two films could be examples of how history is told differently according to different people, different groups, and so on.….....

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Nanking Film Review Documentary Analysis Historical Perspect Movie Review