Documentary backdrop image for Nanking (2007)

Documentary backdrop image for Nanking (2007)

200788 minRdocumentary

7.1/ 10(53 ratings)• TMDB

Nanking

200788 minRdocumentary

7.1/ 10(53 ratings)• TMDB

Over 200,000 Chinese were murdered and tens of thousands raped during the Japanese army's invasion of Nanking in 1937.

“The true story of how a few brave souls saved the lives of thousands.”

Genres

Directors

Bill Guttentag,

Synopsis

Over 200,000 Chinese were murdered and tens of thousands raped during the Japanese army's invasion of Nanking in 1937.

People

Bill Guttentag

Bill Guttentagdirector

Dan Sturmandirector

Elisabeth Bentleywriter

Bill Guttentag

Bill Guttentagwriter

Dan Sturmanwriter

Synopsis

John Rabe and Minnie Vautrin worked together in Nanking during the Japanese invasion in 1937. As violence erupted, they and other Western expatriates established a safety zone. Their efforts saved 250,000 lives amid the chaos, where over 200,000 Chinese were killed and tens of thousands were raped. The documentary uses archival footage and personal testimonies to recount these events, focusing on the actions of individuals in a time of extreme brutality.

Awards & Festivals

Comments

What are people saying?

Play More Like This

Why We Fight: The Battle of China (2015)

Why We Fight: The Battle of China

2015•1h3m•★6.7TMDB

Japanese aggression during World War II is examined through historical footage of battles, atrocities, and key figures like Chiang Kai-shek and Emperor Hirohito.

Why We Fight: The Battle of China

Battle of Dunkirk: Operation Dynamo: The Miracle of the Dunkirk Evacuation During World War 2 (2023)

Battle of Dunkirk: Operation Dynamo: The Miracle of the Dunkirk Evacuation During World War 2

Over 330,000 Allied soldiers were evacuated from Dunkirk, France, between late May and early June 1940 during Operation Dynamo.

Battle of Dunkirk: Operation Dynamo: The Miracle of the Dunkirk Evacuation During World War 2

An Extraordinary Measure - Inside Japan's War: Part 4 (2022)

An Extraordinary Measure - Inside Japan's War: Part 4

In August 1945, Japan confronts the aftermath of atomic bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, culminating in Emperor Hirohito's historic surrender broadcast.

An Extraordinary Measure - Inside Japan's War: Part 4

The Blitz (2023)

The Blitz

Over 40,000 civilians were killed during the German air raids on Britain, with London suffering the most destruction and loss.

Rising Sun - Inside Japan's War: Part 1 (2022)

Rising Sun - Inside Japan's War: Part 1

Japan's invasion of Manchuria in 1931 and the attack on Pearl Harbor illustrate the nation's wartime motivations and the societal impact of World War II.

Rising Sun - Inside Japan's War: Part 1

The Fall of Singapore (2024)

The Fall of Singapore

80,000 Britons were taken prisoner in Singapore following its fall to Japanese forces in February 1942, marking a significant shift in World War II.

The Fall of Singapore

China's Struggle To Survive During World War II (2018)

China's Struggle To Survive During World War II

More than 14 million lives were lost during China's eight-year struggle against Japanese invasion in World War II.

China's Struggle To Survive During World War II

How the Nazis concealed their atrocities (2024)

How the Nazis concealed their atrocities

A total of 136,000 people perished during the German occupation of Lviv, where the Nazis attempted to conceal their mass murders.

How the Nazis concealed their atrocities

Caen Inferno - The Fierce Struggle for Normandy's Heart (2024)

Caen Inferno - The Fierce Struggle for Normandy's Heart

More than 14 days of intense fighting took place as Allied forces struggled to capture the French city of Caen during World War II.

Caen Inferno - The Fierce Struggle for Normandy's Heart

WW2: The Battles Won & Lost That Decided The Outcome Of The Greatest Conflict In History (2020)

WW2: The Battles Won & Lost That Decided The Outcome Of The Greatest Conflict In History

In July 1942, a small force of Australian and New Guinea soldiers trekked overland to Buna, aiming to secure a vital airfield for future operations.

WW2: The Battles Won & Lost That Decided The Outcome Of The Greatest Conflict In History

Henry V - Agincourt & The Hundred Years War (2022)

Henry V - Agincourt & The Hundred Years War

The Battle of Agincourt on October 25, 1415, saw King Henry V lead a smaller English force to a decisive victory against a larger French army.

Henry V - Agincourt & The Hundred Years War

D-Day: The Storm That Crushed Hitler (2025)

D-Day: The Storm That Crushed Hitler

The Allied invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944, shifts the tide of World War II dramatically.

D-Day: The Storm That Crushed Hitler

Explore Nanking

Trailer Cast & Crew Awards Topics FAQ Stream

Where else to watch

The Rape of Nanking (2007)

The Rape of Nanking

2007•1h43m•★6.4TMDB

Nearly 300,000 Chinese civilians faced mass rapes, torture, and murder during the Nanking Massacre by Japanese forces in December 1937.

The Rape of Nanking

The Emperor's Naked Army Marches On (1987)

The Emperor's Naked Army Marches On

1987•2h2m•★7.6TMDB

A captain allegedly executed two privates in New Guinea during World War II, as a veteran investigates their mysterious deaths and wartime cannibalism.

The Emperor's Naked Army Marches On

Harbor from the Holocaust (2020)

Harbor from the Holocaust

2020•56m•★9.0TMDB

Nearly 20,000 Jewish refugees found sanctuary in Shanghai, China, from 1937 to 1945 during World War II amid the challenges of occupation and civil war.

Harbor from the Holocaust

Scars Of Nanking (2017)

Scars Of Nanking

2017•44m•★6.0TMDB

Approximately 250,000 Chinese civilians faced violence in Nanking during the 1937 invasion by Imperial Japanese forces, as American missionaries sought to protect them.

Scars Of Nanking

Shanghai 1937: Where World War II Began (2018)

Shanghai 1937: Where World War II Began

2018•57m•★7.0TMDB

The three-month Battle of Shanghai in 1937 involved fierce combat between Chinese Nationalist forces and the Imperial Japanese Army, shaping China's future.

Shanghai 1937: Where World War II Began

Paper City (2021)

Paper City

2021•1h20m•★8.0TMDB

Over 100,000 people died during the US air raid on eastern Tokyo on 10 March 1945, which destroyed a quarter of the city.

Britain's Greatest Codebreaker (2012)

Britain's Greatest Codebreaker

2012•1h24m•★5.9TMDB

A post-mortem examination revealed that Alan Turing died from cyanide poisoning on 8 June 1954, with a half-eaten apple found beside his bed.

Britain's Greatest Codebreaker

Browse more like this

An Extraordinary Measure - Inside Japan's War: Part 4 (2022)

An Extraordinary Measure - Inside Japan's War: Part 4

In August 1945, Japan confronts the aftermath of atomic bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, culminating in Emperor Hirohito's historic surrender broadcast.

An Extraordinary Measure - Inside Japan's War: Part 4

No digital watch option in your country

Rising Sun - Inside Japan's War: Part 1 (2022)

Rising Sun - Inside Japan's War: Part 1

Japan's invasion of Manchuria in 1931 and the attack on Pearl Harbor illustrate the nation's wartime motivations and the societal impact of World War II.

Rising Sun - Inside Japan's War: Part 1

No digital watch option in your country

China's Struggle To Survive During World War II (2018)

China's Struggle To Survive During World War II

More than 14 million lives were lost during China's eight-year struggle against Japanese invasion in World War II.

China's Struggle To Survive During World War II

No digital watch option in your country

How the Nazis concealed their atrocities (2024)

How the Nazis concealed their atrocities

A total of 136,000 people perished during the German occupation of Lviv, where the Nazis attempted to conceal their mass murders.

How the Nazis concealed their atrocities

No digital watch option in your country

Caen Inferno - The Fierce Struggle for Normandy's Heart (2024)

Caen Inferno - The Fierce Struggle for Normandy's Heart

More than 14 days of intense fighting took place as Allied forces struggled to capture the French city of Caen during World War II.

Caen Inferno - The Fierce Struggle for Normandy's Heart

No digital watch option in your country

In The Name of the Emperor (1998)

In The Name of the Emperor

1998•50m•★9.5TMDB

Over 300,000 Chinese civilians were massacred by Japanese soldiers during a six-week invasion of Nanjing in 1937, under Emperor Hirohito's orders.

In The Name of the Emperor

The Japanese Settlers to the Manchuria and Inner Mongolia of Mainland China (2009)

The Japanese Settlers to the Manchuria and Inner Mongolia of Mainland China

2009•2h•★6.7TMDB

Manchukuo, a Japanese puppet state in Northeast China, existed from 1932 to 1945 and impacted millions of lives during its tumultuous history.

The Japanese Settlers to the Manchuria and Inner Mongolia of Mainland China

Special Action 1005 (2022)

Special Action 1005

2022•53m•★8.0TMDB

Tens of thousands of individuals were executed on the Eastern Front between 1942 and 1944 as Nazis sought to conceal their crimes.

Special Action 1005

Unit 731: Nightmare in Manchuria (1998)

Unit 731: Nightmare in Manchuria

1998•44m•★6.3TMDB

Scientists at Unit 731 conducted live dissections and infected villages with deadly diseases like the bubonic plague during World War II.

Unit 731: Nightmare in Manchuria

Could Hitler Have Been Stopped? The Politics of Appeasement (2022)

Could Hitler Have Been Stopped? The Politics of Appeasement

2022•1h30m•★7.0TMDB

The Munich Agreement of 1938 marked a moment when European powers tolerated Hitler's expansionist ambitions, contributing to the outbreak of World War II.

Could Hitler Have Been Stopped? The Politics of Appeasement

Browse more by Bill Guttentag

View all films →

Soundtrack for a Revolution (2009)

Soundtrack for a Revolution

2009

5 American Handguns - 5 American Kids (2011)

5 American Handguns - 5 American Kids

2011

Regional at Best: The Web Series (2011)

Regional at Best: The Web Series

2011

Only the Dead (2015)

Only the Dead

2015

Death on the Job (1991)

Death on the Job

1991

You Don't Have to Die (1988)

You Don't Have to Die

1988

Blues Highway (1994)

Blues Highway

1994

Twin Towers (2003)

Twin Towers

2003

Is this your film?

If you made this film or hold the rights to it, we'd like to talk. We can license it and pay you a share of what it earns.

License it with us →