Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.5

City of Life and Death Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov December 4, 2009

Winner of the coveted Golden Seashell award at this year's San Sebastian Film Festival, Chinese director Lu Chuan's powerful "City of Life and Death" (2009) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Hong Kong-based distributors Mega Star. The disc contains nearly two hours of behind the scenes footage with comments by the cast and crew, but, unfortunately, none of it is subtitled in English. The main feature is English-friendly. Region-Free.

Hideo Nakaizumi as Kadokawa

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 exterminating 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 MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Lu Chuan's City of Life and Death arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Hong Kong-based distributors Mega Star.

Filmed in glorious B&W, City of Life and Death looks impressive on Blu-ray. Cinematographer Cao Yu has given the film a sense of authenticity that is impossible not to admire - from the massive attack of Nanking seen early into the film (great panoramic vistas) to the eventual destruction of the city by the Japanese Army, the visuals are indeed overwhelming.

Mega Star's high-definition treatment of the film is pleasing; contrast levels are consistent and clarity very impressive. Fine object detail is also good. Healthy film grain is easy to spot as well. During a few scenes - after the Chinese soldiers are executed - I noticed a bit of mild noise reduction, specifically during selected close-ups, but I don't believe most of you would be irritated by it. Mild edge-enhancement also pops up here and there, but, again, it is not a serious issue of concern. On the other hand, the color-scheme is fantastic - blacks, grays and whites are rich and well saturated. Finally, the actual transfer looks healthy; there are no disturbing debris, cuts, scratches, or dirt to report in this review. I did not spot any stability issues either. (Note: Even though this Blu-ray disc is marketed as being Region-A, it is in fact Region-Free. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location).

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

There are four audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: Mandarin Dolby TrueHD 7.1, Cantonese Dolby TrueHD 7.1, Mandarin Dolby Digital 5.1 and Cantonese Dolby Digital 5.1. I opted for the Mandarin Dolby TrueHD 7.1 track and later on did a few random comparisons with the Mandarin Dolby Digital 5.1 track for the purpose of this review.

The Mandarin Dolby TrueHD 7.1 track delivers everything one would expect it to with a film like City of Life and Death - the bass is thunderous, the surround activity fantastic and high frequencies not tampered with. The battle scenes, in particular, are very effective. The dialog is crisp, clear and very easy to follow. Even during some of the most disturbing scenes, where chaos reigns, it is incredibly easy to hear everything that is being said. Additionally, there are technical issues to report - the Mandarin Dolby TrueHD 7.1 track is free of pops, cracks clicks, etc.

The Mandarin Dolby Digital 5.1 track is, as expected, inferior. I tested a number of different scenes with it - the attack of Nanking, the mass execution, and the Japanese official celebration at the end of the film - and all of them sounded disappointingly flat.

For the record, Mega Star have provided optional English, Traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese subtitles for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

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

Behind the scenes - this featurette has been broken into four parts: Cast - Xiao Jiang (12 min, 1080p); Cast - Miss Jiang (18 min, 1080p); Cast - Tang Family (39 min, 1080p); and Scene - Yijiang Gate (41 min, 1080p). There is an abundance of raw footage from the film here as well as plenty of comments from the cast and crew. Unfortunately, optional English subtitles are not provided.

Trailer - in Mandarin, with optional English subtitles. (2 min, 1080p).

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

What a powerful film! Though there are still a couple of weeks left, I would say that Lu Chuan's City of Life and Death is the best Asian film to be released in 2009. The Blu-ray disc herein reviewed, courtesy of Hong Kong-based distributors Mega Star, looks and sounds great. Also, it is English-friendly and Region-Free. Indeed, City of Life and Death gets our HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION!