Observation on the Film John Rabe
By Moteki Hiromichi,
Abstract
Observation on the Film John RabeMoteki Hiromichi
The German-French-Chinese film John Rabe, directed by Florian Gallenberger, made its debut in Germany on April 2009 and its first showing in China took place on April 28.
However, anyone who perceives John Rabe as a non-fictional film or re-enactment of events that transpired in Nanking in late 1937 is operating under a grave misconception. This is exemplified by subtitles that appear at the end of the film: “300,000 Chinese were massacred. Even today, right–wing elements in Japan refuse to recognize this fact.”
As mentioned in detail in the essay, Rabe does not even mention a single massacre in his diary and the documents of the International Committee for the Nanking Safety Zone, of which chairman was Rabe, recorded population increase of 50,000 in two months after Japanese occupation.
Rabe’s Diary and the Documents of the International Committee completely “refuse” to accept the massacre.