The Battle of China (1944) User Reviews

"In order to conquer the world, we must first conquer China".

[classicsoncall · 8/10 · 24 May 2009]

The sixth installment in the "Why We Fight" series explores China's history, and Japan's four step plan to bring China and the U.S. under Imperial domination. The first step was the largely unopposed invasion and conquest of Manchuria in 1931, to be followed by the conquest of China proper for manpower. With an initial attack on Shanghai in 1932 largely ineffective, Japan waited another year before taking over another Chinese province, while attempting to stretch it's reach further westward as the Chinese retreated. China's strategy was to trade space for time in an effort to build their military supplies. However Japan hadn't counted on the fierce opposition of Chinese guerrilla bands who continuously harassed the enemy.

Bogged down by an inability to complete the second phase of their strategy, Japan embarked on the third and fourth parts of their plan. By the time this film was produced, Japan was in the midst of that struggle, with mentions of campaigns in the Pacific and the attack on Pearl Harbor setting the stage for the seventh and final chapter of this documentary series. I found that to be rather interesting, as the series now more closely resembled a work in progress as opposed to the history of the conflict already presented in the first five chapters. Interesting too because brand new American fighting men seeing these films for the first time might still have harbored doubts about the war's outcome, even if their country was now firmly behind the war effort.

As in all the prior chapters, the atrocities of the Axis enemy, this time Japan, were well documented and horrifyingly portrayed. The fall of Nanking for example, resulted in the deaths of forty thousand victims, most of them non-combat men, women and children on whom the Japanese took out their rage and hostility. Unlike watching a war movie, the unimaginable terror that humans are capable of inflicting on each other is on display here in all it's unflinching reality.

Textbook documentary (propoganda)

[drystyx · 7/10 · 14 July 2011]

This is direct text book documentary propaganda. You could base a documentary class around this.

It is Capra's World War II documentary about China's turmoil with Japan.

Obviously, we were at war with Japan, and allied with China.

Even today, it could fool some people, but most people have seen just how horrific those "marches" were.

Back to back with Russia, China is shown in the film to strategically move everything Westward, away from Japan. Back to back with Russia, they could use industry, relatively safe with their ally, against Japan, because Russia had to do the same with Germany.

The mass migration, the mass deployments, the mass use of labor, all are shown in true propaganda form as being strategic and heroic. Incredibly, these same images are used today to show immense brutality and inhumanity, as we value human life much more today.

In the forties, patriotism and Nationalism were prize feelings, for better or worse.

Graphic, but very motivating.

[planet groovy · 8/10 · 8 January 2001]

This, like the other films in the series, is a propaganda film. That being said, it is a very good documentary. This is due to three reasons. 1)Capra was a very good director 2)It is truthful - the information is not skewed by the film's agenda and 3)the battle footage speaks for itself. The narration is a bit overdramatic, but that is typical I think of movies in this era. I enjoyed this and will definitely watch the other films in the series.

Great Propaganda

[skorzeny · 26 November 1999]

This is a classic bit of American Propaganda from WWII. This was part of a whole series of "Informational Films" produced by the War Department to arouse the American People to greater efforts in their war against tyranny. This installment chronicles the history of the war between Japan and China that later became part of the world-wide conflict known as the Second World War.

Every little Chinese victory is exaggerated. So is every Japanese atrocity, especially the bombing of Chinese cities. China's leadership is portrayed as noble and enlightened. Japan's leadership is seen as a bunch of fanatical warlords bent on world conquest. Japan's invasion of China is described as "Phase Two" of a four-part plan to conquer the world, ending with "Phase Four", an attack "Eastward to crush the United States".

In reality, China won precisely zero real victories in that war. China's leader Chiang Kai-Shek was a dictatorial warlord who cared more about ensuring his own luxury and power base than about defeating the Japanese, who he was content to leave to the Americans to deal with. Japan's bombing of Chinese cities was little different from what the US was then doing to Germany, and would soon do to Japan. Japan wasn't out to conquer the world, just grab a colonial empire like they had seen the British, French, Russians, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, and Americans do for the last two centuries. Japan's ultimate aim was simply to get strong enough to avoid becoming a colony of some Western Empire themselves, and China was the only un-colonized area left. Japan never even dreamed of conquering or even invading the US, they simply wanted to weaken the US enough that we wouldn't be able to interfere, then negotiate a peace and return the outlying US possessions (like the Philippines) that they had already seized in exchange for a free hand in China and Indonesia.

On the other hand, Japan's atrocities in China (like the Rape of Nanking, which gets about 30 seconds of screen time in this film) WERE awful, and Japan's military leadership WAS a bunch of militaristic warlords.

By today's enlightened standards, this film is rather racist at times, consists of outright lies in others, and twists the truth to fit a predetermined conclusion the rest of the time. But one must put this film in its proper perspective. This was made at the height of WWII, when even Americans who knew something about Japan knew darn little about Japan. A famous anthropologist the US Military hired as an expert on Japan confidently informed the US government that Japanese pilots were unable to fly well due to universally bad eyesight. The Japanese knew us a lot better than we knew them, and only a few of them had any clue that we would be as outraged by Pearl Harbor as we turned out to be.

We were engaged in a great war to defeat Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan, two fundamentally racist regimes. The fact that we had to resort to racist propaganda ourselves in order to defeat them is sad and regrettable, but understandable.

China before the Communists took over

[chinaskee · 7/10 · 24 June 2001]

This is a well-edited account of a time in US history when the Chinese were our military allies.The "maps and diagrams" by the War Dept.,along with some tight editing,make this essential viewing for all students of history.

An excellent history of China and its relationship with the U.S. during the early 20th Century.

[dimplet · 10/10 · 16 December 2012]

This is not a propaganda film; it is an un-propaganda film, as in the "un-cola." If you want to see what propaganda looks like, just turn on Fox "News." "Why We Fight" is pretty straightforward about it's purpose: It is an explanation of how America and its allies got into World War II, and why we need to win it. But the Battle of China is more than that; it is a history of China, a portrait of its people, a description of its geography, as well as a detailed account of the actions of Japan, China and the Allies in the war, up to that point.

It is mostly a statement of facts,aside from the occasional remark about the war as being one of civilization vs. barbarism, or something like that, which is a fairly objective assessment of Imperial Japan and Nazi Germany, and the behavior of their soldiers. As with his populist movies, Capra builds up feeling through his presentation of people and events, rather than hitting you over the head with moralizing.

Most of all, the movie is factual and accurate, as far as it can be, given that the war was in progress, and we did not have access to information historians now have. We would now say that the film is too kind to Chiang Kai-Shek, who Gen. Stilwell and President Truman had little respect for; but what do you expect in the midst of the war? On the other hand, it is quite sympathetic to the guerrilla fighters, who I assume were affiliated with Mao.

I daresay that most viewers would learn quite a bit about history by watching this, whether they are Americans or Chinese. I don't think the Chinese are aware of the support they received from America, who was their ally even before Pearl Harbor. Our support for China in the 1930s may have played a role in prodding Japan to attack us at Pearl Harbor.

The film is also interesting because of the historical footage showing China, its people, cities and farmers, before the war. You look at it and get a sense of its diversity of people, and that it was making a deliberate, well thought out effort toward modernization early in the 20th century. If the war and Maoist Communism hadn't intervened, China would have modernized, perhaps earlier. And in the portrait of China of earlier times, you get a sense of the character still alive in China today, of a reasonable, hard-working, progressive people.

To fully appreciate the style of this film, one must be familiar with Frank Capra's feature films, such as Meet John Doe, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and It's a Wonderful Life. Capra has always had a great love of the little people, the average Joe, and you see that respect in his portrayal of the Chinese people. He also has great admiration for American values, and you get the sense of the compatibility of Chinese values, not, perhaps coincidentally, because of the purpose of this film. But you see that respect for China also in a film he made 12 years before, The Bitter Tea of General Yen, so I believe it is sincere.

Why We Fight was made to be shown to the American and allied military, as well as in movie theaters back home, and in Britain.It was the idea of the great but modest General George Marshall. If I were a soldier watching this during World War II, I would come away knowing a lot more about China. I would also understand the strategy and battles to that point, and be in a better position to grasp any future orders.

The remarkable thing about World War II is how much it resists efforts to encapsulate it in one hour packages or series. There is always more to the story. In China's case, there was the role its people played in helping the downed fliers of Jimmy Doolittle's raid over Tokyo in 1942, who had to land or crash their planes in China because it was impossible to return to their aircraft carriers.

This film is still relevant today because of the limited and somewhat distorted view China and the U.S. have of each other and the history of their relationship.

Good on different levels

[jeffchan · 10/10 · 31 January 2005]

Part 6 in a series of 7 films created as a briefing for soldiers but also released for public viewing, these films by Frank Capra for the War Department are simultaneously good propaganda and good history, well told. Footage is from the field, and the historical facts behind the narration are largely accurate and informative, if "embellished". The embellishment is what makes it propaganda, yet it does not diminish the facts presented. I'm very impressed that an informed and largely accurate reading of history could be presented in a way that makes an emotional and moral point about the justness of fighting fascism, deliberate mass murder of civilians and tyranny. (And no, that fight does not justify later bombings of Dresden or Hiroshima and Nagasaki.)

Effective and well done, this is influential film-making during a time of chaos, confusion and disarray. In hindsight we can see that things turned out well for our side, yet at the time these films were made victory against world fascism was definitely not a certainty. These films helped to lay a moral foundation for the open-ended challenges faced then. They also provided a historical context and education about world events leading up to American involvement in the war that most soldiers probably did not possess. Pearl Harbor was correctly presented as a midpoint in Japan's war of aggression, not the beginning of it. This film was a "morning wake up" historical briefing for the sleeping giant's fighters.

If fighting is sure to result in victory, then you must fight.

[nickenchuggets · 10/10 · 12 July 2021]

Lots of people, even ones that like to watch things about world war 2, tend to forget china was involved in it. Having seen all but one of Frank Capra's excellent "Why We Fight" films, there was little doubt in my mind that this one was going to be incredible once again. Up until this point, I have watched all the installments in the series (Battle of Russia, Battle of Britain, etc.) but I have been putting off Battle of China for quite a while. In a book I own on Capra's service in the military during the war, it says how this one was probably his least favorite, since it feels stereotypically asian and features an overabundance of gongs. After seeing it, I can say this isn't really true. The documentary is very well made for the most part, and even features some non-military history to put China's position in world politics at the time in perspective. In the film, the narrator says how China is one of the oldest civilizations on planet earth, at over 4000 years of age. By 1940, the USA had only existed for about 160 years. The documentary also (incorrectly) says how in all its centuries of existence, china has never waged a war of aggression against another country, which is just flat out wrong. To this end, it can probably be considered propaganda to make americans want to side with china rather than japan, with whom both nations were involved in a long and bloody war. It goes over how many centuries had gone by and china still couldn't seem to become one unified country, but the looming threat of japanese imperialism made everyone put aside their differences for once and come together to fight them. Japan attacked and destroyed many chinese cities, including Shanghai, china's largest city at the time and a hub for sea trade. The japanese even attacked an american ship that was there, even though world war 2 didn't start yet and american flags clearly adorned the vessel. Many americans were killed, but the japanese government later apologized. Chinese nationalist forces under Chiang Kai Shek later hit back at the japanese in Shanghai, which is where they least expected it. Once china's capital (Nanking) fell to japan, what followed was a bloodbath. The japanese committed some of the worst atrocities against civilians in recorded history, but this didn't break the chinese. Countless people took everything they could carry and set out of western china to establish a new capital at Chongqing. It was no easy task, but no matter how many times japanese planes attacked this new target, the chinese defenders refused to crack. The film also goes over how china is so much bigger than japan (over 20 times bigger), has a much higher population, and yet was able to be invaded by them because japan had a rigid and authoritarian style of military government. Not many people mention this, but the chinese also received american support before america was actually involved in world war 2. P-40 Warhawk fighter planes were shipped to china and flown by pilots from the US, but because america and japan weren't fighting at the time, they had to sign up as chinese pilots. These p-40s bore a distinctive shark's mouth painted on their noses, which led to this squadron of planes being nicknamed "The Flying Tigers." With their support, the outmoded chinese air force finally started to hit back at the japanese. This film has a lot of things in common with Capra's other works related to world war 2, such as the high quality combat footage, footage of china before fighting began, and good narration. There are some things to complain about, most of them not really detrimental. For one thing, Chiang Kai Shek was not well liked by later american presidents, but the film tends to glorify him because he held china together in the face of overwhelming japanese firepower. Further, a song that is often played in this documentary is the same song that would later be adopted as communist china's anthem once Mao Zedong defeated Chiang's army in 1949. It's just ironic how the film managed to predict what song Mao would choose for china's new anthem. In spite of some problems and historical inaccuracies, Battle of China is yet another excellent addition to Capra's Why We Fight series, and for me personally, it is worth seeing because events in china during world war 2 are often ignored. Most people in america think of the attack at Pearl Harbor as the start of japanese aggression, but this film shows how they were brutalizing other asian countries in the 1930s.

Good

[Cosmoeticadotcom · 8/10 · 24 September 2008]

There has been a political documentary, of recent vintage, called Why We Fight, which tries to examine the infamous Military Industrial Complex and its grip on this nation. It is considered both polemical and incisive in making its case against both that complex and the war fiasco we are currently involved in in Iraq. Yet, a far more famous series of films, with the same name, was made during World War Two, by Hollywood director Frank Capra. Although considered documentaries, and having won Oscars in that category, this series of seven films is really and truly mere agitprop, more in the vein of Leni Reifenstal's Triumph Of The Will, scenes of which Capra recycles for his own purposes. That said, that fact does not mean it does not have vital information that subsequent generations of World War Two documentaries (such as the BBC's lauded The World At War) lacked, nor does that mean that its value as a primary source is any the less valuable. They are skillfully made, and after recently purchasing some used DVDs at a discount store, I found myself with the opportunity to select a free DVD with my purchase. I chose Goodtimes DVD's four DVD collection of the series.

Rarely has something free been so worth invaluable. While there are no extras on the DVDs, and the sound quality of the prints varies, these films provide insight into the minds of Americans two thirds of a century ago, when racism was overt (as in many of the classic Warner Brothers pro-war cartoons of the era), and there was nothing wrong with blatant distortion of facts. The seven films, produced between 1942 and 1945, are Prelude To War, The Nazis Strike, Divide And Conquer, The Battle Of Britain, The Battle Of Russia, The Battle Of China, and War Comes To America.

Overall, the film series is well worth watching, not only for the obvious reasons, but for the subtle things it reveals, such as the use of the plural for terms like X millions when referring to dollars, rather than the modern singular, or the most overused graphic in the whole series- a Japanese sword piercing the center of Manchuria. Yet, it also shows the complexities of trying to apply past standards to current wars. The lesson of World War One (avoid foreign entanglements) was not applicable to World War Two, whose own lesson (act early against dictatorships) has not been applicable in the three major wars America has fought since: Korea, Vietnam, nor Iraq. The fact that much of this series teeters on the uncertainties of the times it was made in only underscores its historic value in today's information-clogged times. It may not help you sort out the truth from the lies and propaganda of today, but at least you'll realize you are not the first to be in such a tenuous position, nor will you be the last.

WW2 Capra

[Michael_Elliott · 26 February 2008]

Battle of China, The (1944)

*** (out of 4)

WW2 documentary from Frank Capra tells the history of China and their wars as well as how they got involved in WW2 and what they had to do to defend themselves. As with Capra's other WW2 docs, this one here contains some great battle footage, which is pretty remarkable to see. I also find it incredibly interesting at how Capra set these films up so that the viewer gets to know every little detail of how the war was fought. Sensitive viewers might want to stay clear because this is a pretty damn violent film that shows several people being executed by the Nazis and there's also some graphic footage of some babies that were executed.

a narrative simulated war film

[oscar-35 · 20 September 2012]

*Spoiler/plot- 1944, A documentary film of the work and challenges of getting supplies to China and helping to keep the Natzi regime from connecting up through the Middle East with the Imperial Japanese.

*Special Stars- Director: Frank Capra

*Theme- World domination was the goal for the Axis powers.

*Trivia/location/goofs- The 6th film of Frank Capra of 'Why We Fight' series.

*Emotion- An enjoyable and educational documentary made up of live action combat or newsreel footage. But it is extremely educational and does what a narrative simulated war film can do.