John Rabe

2009
2h 14m

IMDb RATING

7.2/10

6.8K

YOUR RATING

A true-story account of a German businessman who saved more than 200,000 Chinese during the Nanjing massacre in 1937-38.

Play trailer2:08

1 Video

99+ Photos

Biography Drama History War

A true-story account of a German businessman who saved more than 200,000 Chinese during the Nanjing massacre in 1937-38.A true-story account of a German businessman who saved more than 200,000 Chinese during the Nanjing massacre in 1937-38.A true-story account of a German businessman who saved more than 200,000 Chinese during the Nanjing massacre in 1937-38.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.2/10

6.8K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 8 wins & 7 nominations

Videos1

Trailer 2:08

Watch John Rabe

Photos115

+ 110

More like this

7.7

City of Life and Death

7.0

The Children of Huang Shi

7.2

7.6

7.5

6.7

7.4

The Man Who Will Come

7.1

6.6

7.0

6.7

6.4

Storyline

Edit

Did you know

Edit

Trivia
Several Japanese actors when approached immediately turned down any suggestion about appearing in the film. The Nanking massacre still touches a raw nerve in Japan today and for some Japanese actors the thought of appearing in a film about it was beyond comprehension.

Goofs
The USS Panay is shown as a passenger ship when she was in fact a U.S. Navy River Gunboat. The movie shows the Panay being attacked within sight of Nanking (now known as Nanjing) but in reality it had moved 28 miles upriver and dropped anchor, along with three Standard Oil tankers. The attack lasted for 2.5 hours until the ship finally sunk. The attack left 3 sailors dead, 43 sailors and 5 civilians wounded.

Quotes
Prince Asaka Yasuhiko: Congratulations, Major. You'll make an excellent commander one day. But I ask myself, why is it that I give orders not to take prisoners, and you arrive with thousands?
Major Ose: Please forgive me.
Japanese Officer: Your Highness.
Prince Asaka Yasuhiko: I didn't ask you to speak!
[Japanese officer steps back and bows]
Prince Asaka Yasuhiko: So, Major. What do you propose?
Major Ose: Your Highness. It would be extremely difficult to execute that many prisoners.
Prince Asaka Yasuhiko: Is that so?
Major Ose: Furthermore, I believe such executions could be considered to be illegal.
Prince Asaka Yasuhiko: Illegal? I am entrusting you personally with resolving this matter once and for all. I want no prisoner alive by tomorrow morning. We will also shell the city center. Nanking must experience the superiority of our troops.

Alternate versions
German TV version features ca. 45 minutes of additional footage.

Soundtracks
Deutschlandlied
Written by Joseph Haydn

User reviews27

Review

Featured review

7/10

German Schindler

John Rabe is a person that actually existed and this is a (bit of a) fictionalized version of what he and the people he were trusted on, had to go through. Now this is the German version of that story. There is another side to that coin. And that other side is called "City of Life and Death" and is made from the Chinese perspective. So I guess the truth is somewhere in-between.

But this fairly good made and has a strong character (actor) in the midst of it all. The story is really touching and involves a lot of bad things happening. But as written above, you will have sides that you will choose, whom you like and whom you don't. What it does have over the Chinese "version", is a main character you can hold onto.

I'd suggest you watch both movies in a double feature to get the whole package.