Shooting of film about Nanjing massacre begins

Shooting of film about Nanjing massacre begins
www.chinanews.cn 2007-08-04 11:35:57







Chinanews, Nanjing, Aug. 4 – A documentary film “Nanjing” marking the 70th anniversary of Nanjing Massacre made by American filmmakers is currently popular in China, and at the same time, the production of a film called “Purple Mountain” was also started in Pukou Railway Station of Nanjing on Tuesday. The film is to be produced jointly by Hollywood Entertainment Company Viridian and Jiangsu Cultural Industry Group.

The film is directed by Simon West, who said during a news conference that he hoped the film could surpass the epic “Schindler's List”. The film will be finished by the end of this year, and will be shown to the public in 2008.

Chang Zhiqiang, an old man who survived the massacre, was invited to attend the ceremony marking the kickoff of the film shooting. Prevue of the film was shot on that day, demonstrating the dreadful scene in the cold winter of Nanjing after the Japanese troops occupied the city 70 years ago: Chinese refugees and western foreigners rush to the railway station, hoping to get a chance to leave the city, where Japanese soldiers could be seen everywhere.

Mr. West said that people in the West knew very little about the massacre, and the “Purple Mountain” was based on true stories. Before shooting the movie, he had read plenty of historical books about the massacre and interviewed some of the survivors. He said it was incumbent upon him to make the massacre into a movie.