Beautiful, interesting, incredible cinema.

See what’s playing
City of Life and Death
  • Try 7 Days Free
  • Now Showing
  • MUBI GO
  • Gift MUBI
  • Film Database
  • Notebook
  • Notebook Magazine
  • MUBI Editions
  • SHOP
  • About
  • Ways to Watch
  • Students
  • Jobs
  • Terms & Privacy
8.0
/10
502 Ratings

CITY OF LIFE AND DEATH

南京！南京！| Nanjing! Nanjing!

Directed by Lu Chuan
Hong Kong, China, 2009
Drama, History, War
  • 135135 minutes

Synopsis

Based on recorded witness testimony from real-life survivors, City of Life and Death is a stunning depiction of the Rape of Nanking, meticulously recreating the infamous reign of terror conducted by the occupying Japanese army in the Chinese capital in 1937.

Synopsis

Based on recorded witness testimony from real-life survivors, City of Life and Death is a stunning depiction of the Rape of Nanking, meticulously recreating the infamous reign of terror conducted by the occupying Japanese army in the Chinese capital in 1937.

Our take

Few filmmakers have gone so far to dramatize historical atrocities. In disarmingly gorgeous, stark, and widescreen B&W photography, alongside a minimal score, Lu Chuan visualizes the era to reveal the humanity and pinpoint the villainy. This is a heart-breaking, unmissable landmark film.