John Rabe

John Rabe

  • Director: Florian Gallenberger
  • Writer: Florian Gallenberger,John Rabe,Erwin Wickert
  • Countries of origin: France, China, Germany
  • Language: Cantonese, Mandarin, German, Japanese, English, Ukrainian
  • Release date: April 2, 2009
  • Sound mix: Dolby Digital
  • Aspect ratio: 2.35 : 1
  • Also known as: City of War: The Story of John Rabe
  • The film "John HD Rabe Diary" is directed by Florian Gallenberger and co-led and starred by Ulrich Tukur , Daniel Brühl , Steve Buscemi , Zhang Jingchu and Kagawa Teruyuki . The film was released in Mainland China on April 29, 2009.
    Videos taken from John HD Rabe wartime diaries written by "John HD Rabe Diary", by the "Chinese version of Schindler," the legendary story, depicts the tragic memory of that period of Nanjing thrilling. The film records the whole story of " Nanjing Massacre " from the perspective of a person who has witnessed it . John HD Rabe, who once believed in Nazism, stepped forward in the cruel reality of war and set up an " international safety zone " during the "Nanjing Massacre ", saving the lives of 200,000 Chinese people   .

    Details

    • Release date April 2, 2009
    • Filming locations Nanking, China
    • Production companies Odeon Fiction, EOS Entertainment, Majestic Filmproduktion

    Box office

    Budget

    $20,000,000 (estimated)

    Gross US & Canada

    $67,519

    Opening weekend US & Canada

    $4,892

    Gross worldwide

    $1,484,665

    Movie reviews

     ( 100 ) Add reviews

    • By Krystal 2022-12-21 14:32:11

      The Chinese should not forget Rabe.

      After losing his job, Rabe, the manager of Siemens China, could go back to China to get social security, but he did not lose his humanity and rationality. He worked with other foreigners to set up a safe zone, tried his best to save his compatriots in Nanjing, and took out all his belongings to solve everyone's food problems.

      The scene of separation from his wife and Rabe's departure from Nanjing was very touching!

      The reason I gave this film 3 stars is that Zhang Jingchu...

    • By Alexis 2022-12-19 16:09:42

      "Because he's a cheerful and happy guy, no one can deny it"

      3.5 stars, I watched the 134-minute version, I heard that there is also a 5-hour extended version, but unfortunately I didn't find it. As far as this version is concerned, there are many logics and loopholes that are difficult for the Chinese to understand, such as Rabe's ideological change and the final lack of explanation for the German fantasy. Perhaps for the director, copying a Schindler-style story is in line with His audience, but he clearly didn't take into account the overall...

    • By Elenor 2022-12-19 11:22:43

      never forgive

      I remember the first time I learned about the Nanjing Massacre in junior high school. At that time, I went to the library during the school lunch break. I couldn’t sleep and bored. I saw a somewhat worn history book. I don’t remember the title. The black-and-white photos are so depressing and uncomfortable to look at. The content records the suffering of the compatriots in the Nanjing Massacre. The description is direct, the words are shocking, and the photos are...

    • By Jennie 2022-12-11 01:39:00

      In remembering history, we must also remember those who helped China

      The Japanese bombed the city of Nanjing

      The narrative of this film is not too strong, and the visual expression is average, but there are also some good pictures and points that have a deep impact on me.

      1 Rabe held a farewell party the night before he was about to leave. The Japanese bombed the city of Nanjing. Rabe opened the...

    • By Pat 2022-12-10 11:13:30

      He is the Chinese Schindler

      Rabe is the Chinese Schindler. The most representative and dramatic scene in the film is the scene in which Rabe raised the Nazi flag to protect Chinese civilians. This is as contradictory as his historical identity. man, but did the right thing; so did the Japanese soldier who had the slightest conscience. There is no choice of identity and nationality, and the position is embarrassing, but no party of any nationality is comparable to human nature, first human, and then other identities......

    User comments

      ( 62 ) Add comments

    • By Camylle 2023-09-11 15:38:56

      I'm very moved, but I'm also thinking about why the people at that time didn't...

    • By Blake 2023-08-16 04:58:35

      It's better than China's. I hope China can one day not expect foreigners to save...

    • By Verona 2023-08-07 07:17:40

      how to say. . . Involving the different positions of different countries, I don't know whether it is objective or...

    • By Alexanne 2023-07-20 15:31:05

      Three and a half. Sure enough, as I expected, the fatal mistake that Nanjing Nanjing made was not made in this movie. This is a very dramatic melodrama. Don't equate it with realist films or documentaries. It is this purity that makes it higher than the four dissimilarities in Nanjing. This film is also more touching than Nanjing, a little fanciful, the first half is obviously better than the second half, Zhang Jingchu's plot is a...

    • By Greyson 2023-07-19 15:37:51

      Samsung to Steve...

    Movie plot

    In 1937, businessman John HD Rabe and his wife Dora lived in the then capital of China—Nanjing. He was the head of the SIE, NYSE branch. It was difficult for him to give up this branch to his heir, Werner Fries. John HD Rabe loves China, he knows he is a charismatic figure here, but when he returned to the headquarters of SIE, NYSE in Berlin, he was just one of the employees. At his farewell ball, the Japanese bombed the city of...
    more about John Rabe Movie plot

    Behind the scenes gags

    The total investment in the film is as high as 20 million US dollars.
    "John HD Rabe's Diary" was completely banned in Japan. As early as at the Berlin International Film Festival , Kagawa Teruyuki said that the local premiere in Berlin would be the last time he watched the film on the big screen, because "it will be impossible to see it after returning to Japan."
    Regarding the rape scene, Zhang Jingchu said: “At the time I was only...
    more about John Rabe Behind the scenes gags

    Negative Reviews

    "John HD Rabe Diary" is a commercial film of mediocre quality. Its foothold is the universal feelings in the hearts of Westerners, and this feeling and Nanjing Massacre have made Chinese people feel heartbroken every time they mention it for 60 years. When the national catastrophe is combined, the narrative of "John HD Rabe's Diary" appears superficial and one-sided. The Film Bureau has always been strict in censoring foreign films...
    more about John Rabe Negative Reviews

    Movie quotes

    • John Rabe: To the Führer of the German people. Chancellor Adolf Hitler. My Führer. As a loyal party member and upstanding German. I turn to you in a time of great need. The Japanese Imperial troops conquered the city of Nanking on December 12, 1937. Since then I have witnessed atrocious crimes against civilians. Please help to end this catastrophe and make an appeal to our Japanese allies in the name of humanity. With a German salute.

      [Rabe signs the letter]

    • John Rabe: Stop it! This is the safety zone. Get out and leave the women alone.

      [Rabe switches to German and makes a Nazi salute]

      John Rabe: We're Germans. Germans. We're Germans.

      [Japanese officer aims his pistol at Rabe]

      John Rabe: Help me out here, damn it!

      Dr. Georg Rosen: [Rosen also makes a Nazi salute] Heil... Shitler. Heil Shitler.

      John Rabe: [after resolving the situation] That's not funny.

      Dr. Georg Rosen: We got through.

      John Rabe: All the same, he is the Führer of the German people.

      Dr. Georg Rosen: And shall I tell you what I don't find funny?

      John Rabe: Yes what is it?

      Dr. Georg Rosen: It also concerns the so-called Führer.

      John Rabe: Listen here...

      Dr. Georg Rosen: Friedrich Rosen, my father. An ambassador and foreign minister, forced to flee and die in China. Simply because my grandfather, Beethoven's best friend, no less, happened to be Jewish. My father couldn't die in the country he always lived for. That's not funny. Nor is my position as secretary. After years as embassy councillor. I should be glad to even be alive. Do you think that's funny?

      [Rosen makes a Nazi salute]

      Dr. Georg Rosen: Heil Shitler.

    • John Rabe: Chang, what's the point in you having a head?

      Chang: So that it not rain into my neck.

      John Rabe: Quite right.