Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.0

City of Life and Death Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov October 14, 2010

Winner of the coveted Golden Seashell award at last year's San Sebastian Film Festival, Chinese director Lu Chuan's powerful "City of Life and Death" (2009) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors distributors High Fliers. Most unfortunately, there are no supplemental features on the disc. In Mandarin, with imposed English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

At the gates of Nanking

The city of Nanking, China, 1937. The Imperial Army has destroyed the Chinese forces. At the Yijiang Gate, hundreds of Chinese soldiers are trying to flee to safety. A small group of their comrades, however, vows not to let them through. In a matter of minutes, they are crushed by the crowds.

The Japanese enter Nanking and begin to exterminate those who have chosen to stay. Some are shot, others are beheaded. Many Chinese soldiers trying to save their lives are shot by their comrades. Eventually, the Japanese capture all men capable of carrying a rifle and move them to a large camp at the banks of the Yangtze River. There, they are either shot or burnt alive.

A Safety Zone is created on the outskirts of Nanking, and women and children are encouraged to seek shelter in it. A few Westerners, mostly medical staff, led by John Rabe (John Paisley), begin helping the wounded. Meanwhile, small units of Japanese soldiers begin looting the city. Many old men, women and children are killed in a disturbingly violent manner before they could reach the Safety Zone.

To celebrate their victory, the Japanese order the medical staff at the Safety Zone to gather one hundred young Chinese women. They would be used for entertainment purposes and later on brought back to the Safety Zone. In exchange for their cooperation, the women and their families would be given plenty of food and warm clothes to survive the winter.

The women are escorted to the Imperial Army’s main camp. All of them are raped. Some are also executed. Those who survive the rapes and killings are sent back to the Safety Zone where they either die of their wounds or go insane.

Meanwhile, the Japanese resume the killings - anyone captured outside of the Safety Zone is immediately executed. Some of the soldiers literally lose their minds, and commit acts of unspeakable violence. To boost their morale, the commanders of the Imperial Army stage a small parade to celebrate the fall of Nanking.

Shot in glorious black and white, Lu Chuan’s City of Life and Death is a powerful film with a universal message. It chronicles the notorious Nangking Massacre, during which approximately 300 000 soldiers and civilians were killed (according to different reports, between 60 000-70 000 women were also raped).

The tragic events in the film are seen through the eyes of a Japanese soldier by the name of Kadokawa (Hideo Nakaizumi, Who's Camus Anyway?). However, he is hardly its central figure; director Chuan’s camera spends plenty of time with unnamed Chinese soldiers and civilians who end up being executed by the Japanese.

The gruesome footage and sense of chaos are overwhelming. In fact, large portions of City of Life and Death feel like censored historical footage. Fittingly, the entire film is formally divided into small chapters, each preceded by a descriptive text in English. At the end of each chapter, Death predictably triumphs.

Despite its controversial subject matter, however – to this day, the Nanking Massacre remains a sensitive issue for Chinese and Japanese officials, both accusing each other of using it for propaganda purposes – the film never feels like a massive attempt at demonizing a former enemy. On the contrary, it delivers a universal message about the pointlessness of war.

In addition to Cao Yu’s handsome lensing, City of Life and Death also boasts an unforgettable music score courtesy of Liu Tong. Gentle piano tunes are blended with dramatic orchestral music that enhances the already exceptionally powerful images from Nanking.

Earlier this year, City of Life and Death won the prestigious Golden Seashell (Lu Chuan) and Best Cinematography (Cao Yu) awards at the San Sebastian Film Festival.

City of Life and Death Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.20:1, encoded with VC-1 and granted a 1080p transfer, Lu Chuan's City of Life and Death arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors High Fliers.

This high-definition transfer is practically identical to the one Hong Kong-based distributors Mega Star used for their Blu-ray release of City of Life and Death. Generally speaking, fine object detail is very good, clarity pleasing, and contrast levels consistent. There are, however, traces of mild noise reduction, most of which are noticeable during selected close-ups. Mild edge-enhancement is occasionally easy to spot as well. The color-scheme, however, is impressive; there are a variety of rich blacks and gentle grays and whites; many of the panoramic vistas from inside the city are simply stunning. Lastly, there are no serious stability issues to report in this review. I also did not see any annoying cuts, marks, stains, or debris. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

City of Life and Death Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: Mandarin Dolby Digital 5.1 and Mandarin Dolby Digital 2.0. For the record, High Fliers have provided imposed English subtitles for the main feature. For the record, they appear inside the image frame.

It is rather disappointing to see that High Fliers did not manage to port the powerful Mandarin Dolby TrueHD 7.1 track Mega Star's Blu-ray release of City of Life and Death boasts. Though there are no specific technical issues with the Mandarin Dolby Digital 5.1 track, there are certain scenes that simply aren't as effective with it. For example, the machine gun fire during the mass execution sounds flat. The ritual dance at the end of the film (and specifically the sound produced by the giant Japanese drums) is also not as impressive as it is on the Mega Star disc. This being said, the dialog is crisp, clean, stable, and easy to follow. I also did not detect any disturbing pops, cracks, hissings, or dropouts to report in this review.

City of Life and Death Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Most unfortunately, there are absolutely no supplemental features to be found on this Blu-ray disc whatsoever.

City of Life and Death Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Lu Chuan's City of Life and Death is an incredibly powerful film. It was the best Asian film I saw in 2009. If you have not yet seen it, I strongly suggest that you do so as soon as possible. Now, I don't have a problem with the fact that there are absolutely no supplemental features on High Fliers' Blu-ray release, but the lack of a loseless audio track is very disappointing. Therefore, the best all-around English-friendly Blu-ray release of City of Life and Death remains the one Mega Star produced in Hong Kong. RENT IT.