The civilian perspective was fundamental to the creation and storytelling of "Dead to Rights", a film based on the harrowing events of the Nanjing Massacre during Japan's invasion of China, said the film's screenwriter Zhang Ke.
The movie has taken China's summer box office by storm, grossing over 1.8 billion yuan (about 251 million U.S. dollars) in 13 days since its premiere on July 25, according to data from online ticketing platforms.
In an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN), Zhang discussed the film's extraordinary significance in the current international environment.
"This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. In the current international environment, our creation team believes there is a voice that is diminishing the narrative of our victory in World War II, especially the significant contributions of the Chinese people in the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression. This aspect has been somewhat overlooked by the Western world. Therefore, we feel it is necessary to produce a film that highlights China's resistance during the war," said Zhang.
Drawing on extensive historical research and archival materials, including the inspiration behind the 1987 film "Massacre in Nanjing", the creation team established a clear methodology from the beginning to create a "civilian epic", according to Zhang.
"The inspiration and reference for us to create this film stem from historical events and numerous archival materials, including the prototype of an old film 'Massacre in Nanjing'. In the initial stages of creation, we determined our basic creation methodology. The first is doing it from a civilian perspective. It will naturally bring our audience closer, fostering empathy with the characters in our film. Secondly, in terms of plot development, we adhere to the creation principles of a genre film, ensuring a highly intense narrative with frequent twists and turns that keeps viewers captivated and on edge," said Zhang.
"Thirdly, regarding emotional engagement, we strive to employ various techniques to evoke genuine empathy from the audience. These three distinctive dimensions have together shaped our creation methodology, giving the film 'Dead to Rights' a strong quality of a 'civilian epic,'" said the screenwriter.
Civilian perspective key to creation of 'Dead to Rights': screenwriter
