The Flowers of War (2011)
Directed by Zhang Yimou, The Flowers of War (2011) is a Chinese-Hong Kong historical drama that takes place during the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937. With the invasion of Japan, China’s capital city Nanjing falls to the Imperial Japanese Army in December, resulting in the brutal Nanjing massacre. As the Chinese army is overtaken, a group of desperate schoolgirls seeks refuge at a Western-run Roman Catholic cathedral. In their midst is John Miller, an American mortician on a mission to bury the head priest. He befriends George, an orphan boy who was raised by the deceased priest and taught English. Soon after, a group of flamboyant prostitutes arrives at the cathedral and hides in the cellar to escape from harm.
In order to protect everyone and fix their escape vehicle – a damaged truck – Miller pretends to be a priest. After a hostile attack on the cathedral by rogue Japanese troops, resulting in their demise at the hands of a lone Chinese Major, Colonel Hasegawa makes a promise to safeguard the convent. He arranges for guards to be stationed outside the gate and makes a request for the schoolgirls to perform a chorale for him. A few days later, he presents Miller with an official invitation for the girls to sing at the Japanese Army’s victory celebration. Concerned for the safety of the innocent schoolgirls, Miller declines. However, Hasegawa insists that it is a direct order and that the soldiers will collect the girls the following day. As they depart, they take note of all 13 schoolgirls present.
Date of download: 2015-11-11T17:22:34+00:00
Cast:  Christian BaleJohn Miller  Ni NiYu Mo  Xinyi ZhangShu  Tong DaweiMajor Li  Atsuro WatabeColonel Hasegawa  Shigeo KobayashiLt. Kato  Cao KefanMr. Meng |
Directed by Zhang Yimou, The Flowers of War (2011) is a Chinese-Hong Kong historical drama that takes place during the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937. With the invasion of Japan, China’s capital city Nanjing falls to the Imperial Japanese Army in December, resulting in the brutal Nanjing massacre. As the Chinese army is overtaken, a group of desperate schoolgirls seeks refuge at a Western-run Roman Catholic cathedral. In their midst is John Miller, an American mortician on a mission to bury the head priest. He befriends George, an orphan boy who was raised by the deceased priest and taught English. Soon after, a group of flamboyant prostitutes arrives at the cathedral and hides in the cellar to escape from harm.
In order to protect everyone and fix their escape vehicle – a damaged truck – Miller pretends to be a priest. After a hostile attack on the cathedral by rogue Japanese troops, resulting in their demise at the hands of a lone Chinese Major, Colonel Hasegawa makes a promise to safeguard the convent. He arranges for guards to be stationed outside the gate and makes a request for the schoolgirls to perform a chorale for him. A few days later, he presents Miller with an official invitation for the girls to sing at the Japanese Army’s victory celebration. Concerned for the safety of the innocent schoolgirls, Miller declines. However, Hasegawa insists that it is a direct order and that the soldiers will collect the girls the following day. As they depart, they take note of all 13 schoolgirls present.
