Andrea Bocelli, Na Ying - Remembering - 苏州河

[soryang]

6. there is a cold depersonalized aspect to the movie which is unsettling

there was a circus like atmosphere in the crowds of international spectators, night club denizens, reporters, and the like watching the tragedy unfold across the river in the protected international concessions. ultimately, all were moved by the heroism of the defenders whose fate was hopeless in the face of international indifference. It was moving. I wonder if it could have been anything but overdone. How do you portray an event like this?

My father and uncle served in the Western Pacific during WWII.

I haven't been to mainland China, I've been to Taiwan and South Korea. I try to escape the American perspective to ascertain the foreign views on these matters and better understand their historical perspectives. The best two South Korean dramas from this historical point of view are Different Dream, and Nokdu Flower. To me, the Great Pacific War, really began with the first Sino-Japanese War in 1894. Netflix had their own production on this earlier period called Mister Sunshine, but in my opinion, it wasn't that good compared to the South Korean efforts.

The best history book on the far east is James Bradley's The China Mirage because it explains the problem with American political perspectives on Asia, which involve a lot of projection and western cultural illusions.

I follow Cyrus Janssen and other English speaking ex patriots on youtube for their reports on China. He and others have produced multiple short travelogues on Shanghai and other Chinese cities and regions.

I will look for Spielberg's series.