一九四二 (Back To 1942) is an 2012 film out of Zhong Guo. The movie stars Zhang Guoli. The supporting cast include Chen Daoming, Li Xuejian, Zhang Han-Yu, Zhang Mo, Wang Ziwen, Xu Fan, Tim Robbins, and Adrien Brody. There were many more, but the ensemble cast is too numerous to name. The movie is based on a book recollecting the famine of Henan in 1942.
Zhang plays Fan, a wealthy business man in the Henan countryside. When the famine hits, that part of Henan becomes a lawless arena of who can get the most grain. Fan's family decides to head towards the Xianxi border to "wait out" the times. Along the way, he starts to lose his fortune, grain, and family. All the while, the government is helpless to help. Brody plays Theodore H. White, a journalist for Life magazine. Seeing the famine first hand, he summits an article of the true face of the family, gov't neglect. Along the way, the refugees get no breaks from their countrymen and the Japanese bombers.
This movie was very hard to watch. I don't like to see so much suffering. Yet, someone had to make a film about it. Which is good for historical purposes, but it may not be the most entertaining in value. I didn't feel very good when watching the movie. I was sad for the victims, that history could play out in a similar way, and hatred for those in power that didn't do more. The corruption that played out in the film seems to reflect even the human nature of today. When you're in a position of power, how will it be used? The movie portrays the corruption as part of life.
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