john rabe ( released in the united kingdom as city of war : the story of john rabe ) is a 2009 german-chinese-french biopictorial film directed by florian gallenberger and starring ulrich tukur , daniel brühl and steve buscemi .

it focuses upon the experiences of john rabe , a german businessman who used his nazi party membership to create a protective international safety zone in nanking , china , helping to save over 200,000 chinese from the nanking massacre in late 1937 and early 1938 .

the massacre and its associated atrocities were committed subsequent to the battle of nanking by the invading imperial japanese army after they defeated the chinese nationalist forces defending the city during the second sino-japanese war .

based upon john rabe 's published wartime diaries , shooting for the film commenced in 2007 , and it premiered at the 59th berlin international film festival on 7 february 2009 .

upon the film 's release it did not receive theatrical distribution in japan and was the subject of vociferous refutations by japanese ultranationalists who denied the events ever took place .

john rabe ( film )

john rabe ( film ) <EOT> john rabe is the clear favourite for this year ' s german film awards after picking up seven nominations including best film , and best director for florian gallenberger .

ulrich tukur ( centre ) in city of war : the story of john rabe .

actor ulrich tukur and director florian gallenberger attend the ' john rabe ' . . .

a gray zone : john rabe ( ulrich tukur , second from left ) surveys the damage wrought by invading japanese troops in a scene from florian gallenberger ' s john rabe .

do you agree with the idea to make a film about john rabe ? please include your full name and country with any reply .

actor steve buscemi attends the ' john rabe ' photocall during the 59th berlin . . .

actress anne consigny attends the ' john rabe ' photocall during the 59th berlin . . .

john rabe is expected to be widely viewed in china after it premieres at the shanghai film festival in june . but it is unclear whether the film will be released in japanese cinemas .

letter from john rabe , chair of safety zone , to mr . hidaka of the japanese embassy

actors ulrich tukur and dagmar manzel attends the ' john rabe ' photocall during the . . .

actors steve buscemi and anne consigny attends the ' john rabe ' photocall during the . . .

florian gallenberger , whose film “john rabe” is based on a true story of the courage of a siemens executive during the 1937 nanjing massacre , told reuters his film could also , belatedly , shed light on rabe’s long - overlooked heroism .

was born in munich in 1972 . he studied at the renowned university of television and film in munich . with his thesis film quiero ser ( 2000 ) gallenberger received the honorary foreign film award at the student academy awards® and an academy award® for best live action short film . his debut feature shadows of time ( 2004 ) won the bavarian film award for best new director . his second feature , john rabe ( 2009 ) premiered at the berlin international film festival and received two bavarian film awards and four german film awards , including best film . his third feature film , colonia ( 2015 ) received the bavarian film award for best film and was nominated for five german film awards . gallenberger is also a professor at the university of television and film in munich .

drawn from rabe ' s diaries , the film is rich in telling and ironic details .

the film ' s director florian gallenberger says it was by staying true to the events as described by rabe that the film achieved neutrality .

a gray zone : john rabe ( ulrich tukur , second from left ) surveys the damage wrought by invading japanese troops in a scene from florian gallenberger ' s john rabe . strand releasing hide caption

the director and major cast members of " john rabe " will travel to china for the film ' s asia premiere in beijing on april 28 .

pose with guests as they attend the ' john rabe ' photocall during the 59th berlin international film festival at the grand hyatt hotel on . . .

“i have to admit to my great shame that before starting this project i didn’t know anything about john rabe either , ” gallenberger said after his film’s well - received world premiere at the berlin film festival .

looking for movie tickets ? enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing john rabe near you .

“it’s taken more than 70 years for john rabe to get the recognition he deserves , ” he said .

" john rabe " has garnered seven nominations for the german film awards , dubbed the german oscars , in categories such as best film , best director , best actor , best cinematography which will disclose on friday .

the film premiered at the 2016 telluride film festival . the frame host john horn spoke with monro then about why he chose to focus on this part of lewis’ career .

letter from john rabe to shanghai nanking relief association , attn : rev . p . f . price , chairman

berlin - - " john rabe , " florian gallenberger ' s true story of " china ' s oskar schindler , " was the big winner of the 2009 german film awards , winning four lolas , including best film .

actor steve buscemi attends the ' john rabe ' photocall during the 59th berlin international film festival at the grand hyatt hotel on february 6 , 2009 in berlin , germany .

actress anne consigny attends the ' john rabe ' photocall during the 59th berlin international film festival at the grand hyatt hotel on february 6 , 2009 in berlin , germany .

on christmas eve in 1937 , german businessman john rabe visited the mortuary in china ' s then capital , nanjing .

letter from john rabe , chair of safety zone , to mr . tokuyasu fukuda , an attaché to the japanese embassy

the two competing projects opened last year in china , and the 700 - print release of " john rabe " was the largest opening of a german film outside of germany .

actor steve buscemi and director florian gallenberger attend the john rabe photocall during the 59th berlin international film festival at the grand hyatt hotel on february 6 , 2009 in berlin , germany .

shelter under the swastika : the john rabe story in 1937 , john rabe - - a native of germany and a member of the nazi party - - helped to save the lives of thousands of chinese civilians during the rape of nanking . now he ' s the subject of an eponymous movie . reporter pat dowell sits down with john rabe director florian gallenberger and co - star steve buscemi to discuss the making of the film , rabe ' s legacy and history ' s gray areas .

actors ulrich tukur and dagmar manzel attends the ' john rabe ' photocall during the 59th berlin international film festival at the grand hyatt hotel on february 6 , 2009 in berlin , germany .

actors steve buscemi and anne consigny attends the ' john rabe ' photocall during the 59th berlin international film festival at the grand hyatt hotel on february 6 , 2009 in berlin , germany .

the film ' s producers hope that the involvement of japanese star teruyuki kagawa will prevent the film from being silenced there .

actor ulrich tukur and director florian gallenberger attend the ' john rabe ' photocall during the 59th berlin international film festival at the grand hyatt hotel on february 6 , 2009 in berlin , germany .

the film ' s nominations include best film , best director for florian gallenberger and a best actor mention for star ulrich tukur .

watch the trailer in high definition on apple . john rabe will hit theaters in new york city and los angeles on may 21st .

john rabe wanders farther from plausibility as it continues , introducing a japanese officer who warns of an imminent raid on the safety zone , and ultimately contriving a triumphant send - off for rabe .

the diaries of this unlikely and unsung hero only became public knowledge in the late 1990s , when they were published in germany . they have now been made into a film , simply titled john rabe .

it ' s worth seeing this feature about the heroic figure of john rabe , even though the movie leaves much to be desired dramatically .

john rabe was a german businessman who is best known for his efforts to stop the atrocities of the japanese army during the nanking massacre .

gallenberger ' s film , " john rabe , " which stars ulrich tukur , steve buscemi and daniel brühl , was filmed entirely in china and has an epic , old - fashioned sweep . and although it can ' t match rabe ' s true heroism , the story behind the making of the film is the stuff of intrigue as well .

strand releasing has released the official us trailer for florian gallenberger ‘s historical drama john rabe . the film tells the true - story of a german businessman who saved more than 200 , 000 chinese during the 1937 nanjing massacre . german actor ulrich tukur ( the white ribbon ) stars as john rabe , alongside daniel brühl ( inglourious basterds ) , steve buscemi , anne consigny , jingchu zhang , and teruyuki kagawa . the film won the outstanding feature film , best costume design , best production design and best performance by an actor in a leading role at the german film awards .

from oscar winner caroline link , took the runner - up silver best film lola as well as the film music nod for composer niki reiser .

german - chinese co - production plans john rabe movie | culture | arts , music and lifestyle reporting from germany | dw | 27 . 09 . 2007

a wonderful movie full of suspense . during world war 11 , when evil was rampant , diplomat john rabe saved many chinese people from being killed by the japanese invasion . the acting was wonderful . i really emotionally got involved with this movie . " john rabe " shows that one humane person can make a difference .

movie review - ' john rabe ' - in a grim nanking , false notes of hope during the second sino - japanese war , german businessman john rabe ( ulrich tukur ) leads a committee of foreigners who help save chinese citizens from japanese war crimes . florian gallenberger ' s film delivers an artful look at the nanking massacre , but disappoints when it comes to fleshing out the lives of its samaritans .

controversially , the film speculates on his involvement in the decision - making process .

if you haven ' t heard of john rabe , you ' re not alone . the director who made a film about " the oskar schindler of china " hadn ' t heard of him either . florian gallenberger first knew of rabe when a producer who had the rights to his story approached him with the project .

a serious , large - budget treatment of rabe ' s exploits and a moving , terrific film about trying to maintain one ' s decency amidst horrors .

ulrich tukur ( center , bald with gray coat and glasses ) stars as the title character , " john rabe , " a german / chinese co - production directed by florian gallenberger . the film also stars steve buscemi ( behind . . . more

( 3r ) and dagmar manzel ( 2r ) pose with director florian gallenberger ( r ) as they attend the ' john rabe ' photocall during the 59th berlin international film festival at the grand hyatt hotel on february 6 , 2009 in . . .

coming to light nearly 60 years after the event , he says that john rabe ' s diaries are a powerful new document detailing what happened day - by - day .

steve buscemi , ulrich tukur , dagmar manzel , director florian gallenberger and anne consigny pose with guests as they attend the ' john rabe ' photocall during the 59th berlin international film festival at the grand hyatt hotel on february 6 , 2009 in berlin , germany .

from the outset of “john rabe” you are uncomfortably aware of watching a wartime melodrama that , despite its honorable intentions , will throw in any emotional ploy to keep you engaged .

in addition to john rabe , best film nominations were bestowed on uli edel ' s the baader meinhof complex , ozgur yildirim ' s chiko , christian petzold ' s jerichow , andreas dresen ' s cloud 9 and caroline link ' s a year ago in winter .

berlin - - " john rabe , " a historic biopic about the german businessman who saved 200 , 000 chinese civilians from the nanking massacre , is the front - runner for this year ' s german film awards - - or lolas - - with seven nominations .

the moviegoer is a regular column on new and noteworthy films , actors and directors by john anderson .

in december 1937 , he set up the nanjing international safety zone committee with a group of foreign friends , which saved hundreds of thousands of local residents in one month during the notorious massacre . rabe sheltered thousands of chinese refugees in his own house over the course of the massacre and protected them from being killed . the announcement of the film comes just weeks after the john rabe house development fund was set up in nanjing as part of the 3 - year - long " germany and china - - moving ahead together " campaign . the charitable fund will seek to generate revenue to support the john rabe and international safety zone memorial hall , and john rabe international research and exchange center for peace and reconciliation .

actors steve buscemi ( 3r ) and dagmar manzel ( 2r ) pose with director florian gallenberger ( r ) as they attend the ' john rabe ' photocall during the 59th berlin international film festival at the grand hyatt hotel on february 6 , 2009 in berlin , germany .

gallenberger , whose film cost about 18 million euros ( $ 23 million ) to make , said there have been other films made about rabe in china . but because rabe’s story was misused for propaganda purposes , the world never really took notice before .

david denby has been a staff writer and film critic at the new yorker since 1998 .

the battle of wills between lavrentiy beria and nikita khrushchev propels the film’s most pointed satire .

john rabe : starts next friday at the presidio theatre , 2340 chestnut st . , s . f . ( 415 ) 776 - 2388 . urltoken ; and the rialto cinemas elmwood ,

rg 8 : box 141 folder 15 : mills , w . plumer - correspondence to family march 9 - 20 , 1938 letter of h . maxcy smith incl . talk by john rabe

prior to watching this file , i have read john rabe ' s diary as well as iris chang ' s the rape of nanking . i have also watched many documentaries and movies made about the subject from china as well as from the us . i found this film to be one of better film on this subject than most of the other ones in existence today . the film is based primarily on the actual diary of john rabe . certain details were filled - in by the excellent and exhaustive work of iris chang ' s the rape of nanking . the importance of john rabe ' s diary as opposed to the other accounts of what happened during the massacred is the fact that john rabe was a german nazi party member that was working for siemen in china . germany was an allied of japan at the time and there would have been no reason for john rabe to have lied about atrocities committed by the japanese if it did not actually happened . also since john was mainly writing this as a personal diary for himself , there does not seem to be any reason for him to have exaggerated his description of the event . as a result , his diary is probably the credible historical account of the what actually happened in nanking . i found some the chinese version of the film on the subject seemed a little removed from the complex character interactions between most of these reluctant heroes of war . as a result , those movies does not seem quite as genuine and touching as this film . most the events from this film seems very accurate or at least true to the overall sense of john rabe ' s diary . obviously some of the atrocities had to be consolidated to be able to fit those events into a slightly over two hour film . but one of the most puzzling inaccuracy of the film was the fictional character valérie dupres at the international girls college . why was it necessary for the film to use a fictional character ' s name instead of the actual courageous heroine minnie vaultrin from the ginling girls college . she had done so much during the massacred that it seems unfair to not use her real name in the film . this is my primary reason for not giving this film a perfect 10 . if anyone can provide an explanation as to why minnie vaultrin name was not used in this film , i really would appreciate it .

wilson , as portrayed in the film , is skeptical about rabe ' s sincerity but grows to respect him . in his letters , wilson marveled that such a good man as rabe could remain a supporter of adolf hitler . rabe wrote to hitler , convinced that he would intervene to help the chinese civilians . he never received a reply .

one of the main virtues of john rabe is to demonstrate that , however much we know about the worst of all wars , it still has little - known corners that can amaze us .

rabe ' s home in downtown nanjing , meanwhile , has been restored and turned into a museum called the john rabe memorial hall , which commemorates the work of the international safety zone committee that he headed . it opened in 2006 and also houses a research center for peace .

rabe was an electrical equipment executive in nanjing , then the national capital of china .

from papers of minnie vautrin , in record groups no . 8 and 11 , and film ms62

chang ' s book and the rabe diaries , which were both published in the late 1990s , have sparked a resurgence of interest in the massacre - - and in rabe .

the story of john rabe , a german businessman who saved 200 , 000 chinese civilians from the nanking massacre of 1937 , also won lolas for star ulrich tukur , art direction , and costume design .

an impressive film , with a careful and emotive story . . . [ full review in spanish ]

however , despite being the most commercially successful of the best film nominees , went home empty handed .

“they wanted to screen the film , ” gallenberger says , “which i thought was right on . ”

berlin - - germans don ' t have many feel - good movie stories about world war ii , so the world premiere of " john rabe " at the berlinale is certainly cause for local celebration . even though he was a member of the nazi party , john rabe was , as the german title of his published diaries suggests , " the good german of nanking . " the middle - aged , balding rabe is his country ' s oskar schindler , a man who could not abandon his conscience .

a good german : industrialist john rabe ( ulrich tukur , center left , with steve buscemi , anne consigny and daniel bruhl ) helps shelter chinese civilians from japanese invaders in 1930s nanking . strand releasing hide caption

john rabe , a german businessman saved thousands of chinese from japanese soldiers during wwii . dw - world . de spoke with erwin wickert , the editor of his diaries . ( 11 . 11 . 2006 )

official plot synopsis : based on a true story , john rabe tells the story of a german businessman who rescued more than 200 , 000 civilians during the so—called “nanking massacre” in china . drawing from john rabe’s 1937 diaries as source material , academy award ® winner florian gallenberger has crafted a portrait of a man revered as a saint in china to this day and yet never rewarded for his courage during his lifetime .

a daily chronicle of creativity in film , tv , music , arts and entertainment produced by southern california public radio . host john horn leads the conversation , accompanied by the nation ' s most plugged - in cultural journalists .

german film director florian gallenberger is seen in san francisco , calif . on tuesday june 22 , 2010 .

production : a majestic filmverleih release of a hofmann & voges entertainment , eos entertainment , majestic filmproduktion production , in association with zdf , pampa prod . , huayi brothers , lunaris film & fernsehproduktion . ( international sales : beta cinema , oberhaching , germany . ) produced by mischa hofmann , benjamin herrmann , jan mojto . executive producer , caroline von senden . co - producers , nicolas traube , wang zhongjun , wang zhonglei . directed , written by florian gallenberger , inspired by john rabe’s diaries published as “john rabe : der gute deutsche von nanjing . ”

john rabe is a movie starring ulrich tukur , daniel brühl , and steve buscemi . a true - story account of a german businessman who saved more than 200 , 000 chinese during the nanjing massacre in 1937 - 38 .

the german actor ulrich tukur , now appearing as the reluctantly heroic title character of the historical drama “john rabe , ” has a 1930s fixation . “he wears clothes from the ’30s , ” says his director , florian gallenberger . “he has that aesthetic , the slightly too - short trousers , the cuts of his suits ; he loves the music of the ’30s . he fits the time . and he really looks like the real john rabe . ”

there are intense scenes of crossfire in the film , but the way lu focuses on humanity is more breathtaking .

christina choe’s brand of art - film hopelessness is vain , deriving from a fetishizing of “keeping it real . ”

with : ulrich tukur ( john rabe ) , daniel brühl ( dr . georg rosen ) , anne consigny ( valérie duprès ) , dagmar manzel ( dora rabe ) , zhang jingchu ( langshu ) , teruyuki kagawa ( prince asaka yasuhiko ) , mathias herrmann ( werner fliess ) and steve buscemi ( dr . robert wilson ) .

opens 5 / 21 at quad cinema in nyc and 6 / 4 at laemmle theatres in los angeles based on a true story , john rabe tells the story of a german businessman who rescued more than 200 , 000 civilians during the so - called nanking massacre in china . drawing from john rabes 1937 diaries as source material , academy award ® winner florian gallenberger has crafted a portrait of a man revered as a saint in china to this day and yet never rewarded for his courage during his lifetime . an official selection at the berlin film festival . winner of 4 golden lolas , germany ' s top film prize , for best film , best actor , best costume and best production design .

mr kirby says that rabe had " no anti - japanese axe to grind " at the outset .

rabe , born in hamburg in 1882 , was a business representative for siemens in nanking from 1931 .

the scene was suggested by historical photos that showed the real rabe using the nazi flag to construct makeshift shelters for the more than 600 chinese refugees who camped out at his house and in his garden after the japanese army took over nanjing . this paradoxical image - - the swastika as refuge - - fascinates john rabe director florian gallenberger .

gallenberger , it turns out , was a perfect choice to direct " john rabe . " like its hero , he ' s a man who seems most at home in foreign lands . the 38 - year - old munich native got his start directing a short film in mexico , " quiero ser ( i want to be . . . ) , " which won an academy award . his next film was set in india , where he spent two years .

following in the hollywood footsteps of world war ii nazi - turned - hero oskar schindler , fellow third reich follower john rabe is to be the subject of a new $ 20 million ( 14 . 2 million euro ) tinseltown blockbuster .

legal document by chairman of board of university of nanking , john w decker , giving bates power of attorney for u . of nanking

ulrich tukur ( center , bald with gray coat and glasses ) stars as the title character , " john rabe , " a german / chinese co - production directed by florian gallenberger . the film also stars steve buscemi ( behind tukur ) , anne consigny ( behind buscemi ) and danielbruhl ( in black coat and mustache , next to buscemi ) . less

berlin — florian gallenberger’s wwii drama “john rabe , ” the true story of a german industrialist who saved 200 , 000 chinese during the japanese invasion of nanjing , leads the pack among this year’s nominees for the german film awards , also known as the lolas . pic , which was filmed on location in nanjing and shanghai , garnered seven nominations , [ … ]

he says rabe ' s courage was fuelled by his sense of morality , rather than any political conviction .

john rabe was an ordinary german businessman in china when the japanese invaded nanking in 1937 . nearly 70 years later , a memorial was dedicated to the " good german " who saved thousands of chinese lives . ( 08 . 11 . 2006 )

hundreds of thousands in the city sought shelter in a safety zone set up by foreign businessmen , doctors and educators - - and it ' s the story of that effort to shelter civilians that ' s at the center of the cinematic drama john rabe .

the tomatometer score — based on the opinions of hundreds of film and television critics — is a trusted measurement of critical recommendation for millions of fans . it represents the percentage of professional critic reviews that are positive for a given film or television show .

“it’s an extremely controversial subject in japan and there are fears there could be severe repercussions . i hope the film won’t be silenced in japan . i’d very much hope this film could help get an opening - up of discussion going in japan . ”

john rabe was a real german businessman who lived in nanking , now called nanjing ; for decades , he managed the operations of the siemens company there . a member of the nazi party , rabe had never been to hitler ' s germany or seen firsthand what was going on there ; even so , he didn ' t believe the mounting criticisms he heard about hitler . germany and japan were allies , and in the film , when japanese planes first bomb the city , rabe and his workers unfurl a giant nazi flag like a canopy over their heads , in hopes the japanese pilots will spare them .

based on a true story , " john rabe " is an epic world war ii saga , telling of horror and mass murder on the other side of the globe . it is december 1937 and we are made witness to the rape of nanking in which approximately 300 , 000 chinese citizens were brutally massacred by the japanese with a wink and a nod from the nazis . we witness this horror through the eyes of john rabe , the manager of the siemens plant in nanking . integrating multiple languages and real news footage , this is a masterfully crafted film , deserving of high praise . while difficult to watch , it is worthy of your attention .

it is a tale of a true hero , even if in its minor details it ' s less than entirely true . for a movie with ambitions as big as " john rabe , " that doesn ' t just make it good . that makes it epic .

there are many powerful moments , including a mass beheading , before the film turns into a sappy , frank capra - esque affair .

like shindler ' s list , this is a difficult film to watch due to the accuracy with which the japanese atrocities are portrayed .

with its solid performances and sweeping set pieces in which japanese planes swoop through the streets like mad , fire - spitting bats , “john rabe , ” has its visceral moments . but it is also burdened by manipulative clichés of a screenplay in which exposition outweighs character development . inspired by rabe’s diaries , from which short excerpts are read , it tells the story almost exclusively from a western point of view .

the film also picked up nominations for best lead actor for ulrich tukur , best supporting actor steve buscemi and best cinematography for juergen juerges .

" …a straightforward narrative and handsomely designed , big - scale production . drawn from rabe ' s diaries , the film is rich in telling and ironic details . a formidable actor who came to international attention in the 2005 best foreign film oscar winner " the lives of others " as a staunch stasi official , tukur has a quietly galvanic presence — and even resembles the actual rabe , who died in poverty in berlin in 1950 , his humanitarianism not honored in germany until 2003 . ” ( kevin thomas – los angeles times )

rabe had worked in china for siemens for 30 years and was about to return to the headquarters in berlin when the invasion began . as germany and japan were allies , rabe used his nazi party membership and did all he could to protect the civilians .

the german director florian gallenberger has made rabe the central figure in an old - fashioned historical epic that covers much of the same territory as the 2007 documentary “nanking , ” in which rabe ( pronounced rah - bay ) is mentioned . because its hero was a “good nazi” who courageously acted on his humanitarian impulses , “john rabe” has a lot in common with “schindler’s list . ” but despite its gruesome scenes of hundreds of chinese prisoners of war being lined up and executed and its ostentatious shots of severed heads , the movie is less than indelible .

in theaters : may 21st , 2010 genre : drama , foreign based on a true story , john rabe tells the story of a german businessman who rescued more than 200 , 000 civilians during the so—called nanking massacre in china . drawing from john rabes 1937 diaries as source material , academy award ® winner florian gallenberger has crafted a portrait of a man revered as a saint in china to this day and yet never rewarded for his courage during his lifetime .

the film will open nationwide on april 29 , building on momentum from its successful test screenings in major cities like beijing , shanghai and guangzhou .

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some films are all about fun , and escapism , and some - not so much . such is the case with john rabe , which has just started shooting in shanghai , a story based around the horrific nanjing massacre in 1937 when japanese forces invaded and pillaged the chinese city of nanjing , leaving between 150 , 000 and 300 , 000 people dead . but despite its sombre premise , the film has attracted a rather impressive international cast .

a historical horror story from the 1930s , john rabe could have been made in that decade . the movie , named for a german industrialist who helped save perhaps 250 , 000 chinese civilians from rampaging japanese troops , melds stark reality and sentimental fiction in a style that lost its edge decades ago .

the german actor ulrich tukur brings an understated intensity and psychological depth to the title role of “john rabe , ” a sweeping historical film that exalts a largely unsung real - life hero who risked his life to do the right thing . rabe , a nazi german industrialist stationed in china , is credited with saving the lives of more than 200 , 000 chinese during the infamous 1937 massacre in nanking ( now nanjing ) in the second sino - japanese war . in a matter of weeks , the japanese slaughtered at least 200 , 000 civilians and prisoners of war and committed mass rape .

teruyuki kagawa says : " when faced with this film , many people will be shocked [ to learn ] the japanese carried out such cruel acts .

not that it will matter to most audiences . who the heck is john rabe ? “i hadn’t heard of this guy , ” gallenberger admits . but it’s not the same in china : credited with having saved 250 , 000 people during the so - called rape of nanking , rabe is revered there , even though the entire incident — in which invading japanese troops in 1937 committed wholesale atrocities — has long been problematic on a multinational level .

letter from lewis smythe to dr . g rosen , german embassy , mr . e . w . jeffery , british embassy and mr . john m . allison , american embassy

" the ballad of narayama " is a japanese film of great beauty and elegant artifice , telling a story of startling cruelty . what a space it opens…

as sharply as it delineates an america of spotty , informal economies , the film avoids articulating most of the people who live and work in these spaces .

for the most part , though , the film’s story is one of heroism in the face of potentially deadly circumstances . in itself , this is not necessarily an objectionable premise for a film and my point is not to suggest that rabe and his compatriots weren’t heroic , but when the film ends with the chinese people cheering that man’s final advance , while his colleagues toast him with a round of “for he’s a jolly good fellow , ” it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that as many chinese lost their lives in nanking as were saved , while rabe was free to sail comfortably home—even if his future remained uncertain and his heroism wasn’t always recognized . there are , as always , a nearly infinite number of possible lines of inquiry to pursue when crafting a film about a historical event and rabe as a real - life figure certainly deserves his recognition . but a movie that sentimentalizes that figure’s heroism while presenting the chinese as ciphers defined only through their victimhood is probably not the strategy likely to yield the most salutary cinematic results .

written and directed by florian gallenberger , based on the diaries of john rabe ; director of photography , jürgen jürges ; edited by hansjörg weissbrich ; music by laurent petitgirard and annette focks ; production designer , tu juhua ; costumes by lisy christl ; produced by mischa hofmann , jan mojto and benjamin herrmann ; released by strand releasing . at the quad cinema , 34 west 13th street , greenwich village . running time : 2 hours 10 minutes . this film is not rated .

after 28 years building and managing a vast siemens plant in nanking , john rabe is ordered by the new nazi regime to close it down . before he can pack , the japanese army , lead unofficially by a bloodthirsty imperial uncle , lays siege to the city . rabe accepts , as prominent representative of japans ' major european ally , to head the western ex - pats society ' s plan to start and run an international zone , like worked in shangai . rabe however wants it to save his workers and their close ones , over 200 , 000 , and sacrifices all his personal interests .

buscemi came to the project close to the start of shooting in october 2007 . gallenberger had already been working on the film for nearly three years , trying to negotiate his way through various chinese ministries to get permits to shoot his film in china . gallenberger couldn ' t imagine shooting anywhere else , he says .

moody and diabetic , rabe initially clashes with robert wilson ( steve buscemi ) , a cynical american doctor on the committee who despises rabe’s nazi associations . but by the end of a drunken evening together , they are both singing the “colonel bogey march” with scabrous anti - hitler lyrics .

" in 1937 , japanese army has just captured the capital of the china , nanjing . what followed was known as the nanking massacre , or the rape of nanking , a period of several weeks wherein tens of thousands of chinese were killed . the film tells the story of several figures , both historical and fictional , including a chinese soldier , a schoolteacher , a japanese soldier , a foreign missionary , and john rabe , a nazi businessman who would ultimately save thousands of chinese civilians

reviewed online , chicago , jan . 20 , 2015 . ( in 2015 tribeca film festival . ) mpaa rating : r . running time : 93 min .

he stumbled across a white - haired man in his 80s who turned out to have been sheltered in rabe ' s house during the massacre .

" john rabe " is a very glossy and well done film about the actions of rabe and a few other foreigners in saving as many of the residents of nanking as they could during the japanese invasion . the airplane attacks and look of the film were absolutely great - - and the film is well worth seeing . i am very familiar with the story of john rabe and used to teach my world history students about him and the japanese destruction of nanking ( i have since retired ) . much of what i ' d learned were from the book " the rape of nanking " as well as several well made documentaries . so , i am not the typical person watching the story for the first time - - i am a bit tougher to please . because of this , i am much more critical that average and to me , the story was flawed because it actually seemed very sanitized . in other words , while the film did show some of the japanese atrocities , it didn ' t do much - - probably because it would nauseate most viewers . but , by doing so , it minimized the evil that was perpetrated here - - making the japanese troops seem almost normal . it ' s rare , but i would have included much more blood and talked much more about the rapes and murder of children . evil must not be minimized and here it just didn ' t seem as sadistic and wrong as the rape of nanking was .

china was in flames when a german businessman became a reluctant hero . when the imperial japanese army invaded china in 1937 and attacked the civilian population of the capital nanking with unprecedented inhumanity , john rabe took action . along with a few other members of the foreign community including doctors and missionaries who remained in the city , he created a safety zone in which a quarter of a million civilians survived what was later to go down in history as the " nanking massacre " . john rabe had become long forgotten by the time his diaries were rediscovered ten years ago . they now form the basis for florian gallenberger ' s fascinating account of what john rabe , then head of siemens china co . , did in those turbulent times . to this day he is still revered in china , but he has never been commended , much less rewarded , for his courage and decency in his own country . upon his return to germany in 1938 , he was arrested by the gestapo for collaborating with the chinese . he died in poverty soon after world war ii . the new york times recently referred to rabe as " the schindler of china " .

the film john rabe is movie about two things , both interesting , both unknown , and both controversial : the " good " nazi , and the rape of nanking . there have only been a few films about " good " nazis that i know of , although i ' m sure there are others i ' m missing , this film , seven years in tibet , and the 49th parallel . this alone makes this film interesting . but john rabe ( the film ) is also about the rape of nanking , the atrocities committed by the japanese military to the chinese people in the city of nanking . this also would be enough to make this movie interesting . so we have a movie with two interesting topics , but ultimately fails as a compelling work . why ? the director pulled far too many punches in regards to the violence of nanking . maybe i ' m a little hardened by watching films , but there was nothing about this movie that jumped out at me and drove home the lawlessness and violence of the japanese occupation of nanking . there is no way to show this and be discreet . the middle of the film was crying for a lurid montage of gang rapes , flies on corpses , and the worst depravities you can think of . john rabe ' s own diaries describe many of these , you wouldn ' t have even had to think up any of your own and you could have had his character narrated the whole thing . the film fails in depicting the rape of nanking , but it also fails in depicting the good nazi too . the movie needed a moment , several years later , with john rabe confronting the nazi atrocities in wwii and comparing them with the japanese atrocities in nanking . we need to see him understand what his own people have done and what his membership in the nazi party truly means as a stain on his character . we needed to see him understand that and tear up his membership card or something . we , however , do not and the movie is much the poorer because of it . despite this , the movie is still beautifully shot , with good production value , limited but effective cgi , and wonderfully acted . the movie is ultimately frustratingly incomplete and is not the best that could have been done with the material , but it was enjoyable while it lasted .

production : hofmann & voges entertainment / eos entertainment / majestic filmsproduktion in association with zdf / pampa prods . / huayi brothers media corp . / lunaris film und fernsehproduktion

the chinese authorities eventually approved gallenberger ' s project , although they pushed ahead with their own film on the nanking massacre , " city of life and death . "

rabe returned to nanjing , in a way . his remains were not preserved at his burial site in berlin , and all that remained was his tombstone . in 1997 , it was removed to china and given a place of honor in the nanjing massacre memorial hall , where gallenberger saw it as he researched his film .

bruhl ' s character feels like it was slipped in to deliver a german - jewish viewpoint , which leaves him less involved in the developing storyline . the same goes for dagmar manzel as rabe ' s loyal wife , a character designed to up the fictional ante - - as if the film really needed more emotionalism .

when gallenberger ' s film opened in china , it was the biggest release ever for a german film outside germany , he says . but the film has not been seen in japan , where the facts of the nanjing massacre - - including the number of victims , the size of the area in which killings are counted , even the number of days to be included by those measuring the massacre - - are still hotly debated among academics , politicians and political activists . gallenberger says he has been told that his film is banned in japan , but he thinks it ' s just that " no distributor really has the guts to take it " because of the potential protests .

now with historical distance , the 37 - year - old director hopes the film will trigger a new dialogue and help japan also come to terms with its own past .

florian gallenberger’s “john rabe , ” an award - winner in germany , is not a great film , but it tells an affecting story of the second world war , and one virtually unknown in america . gallenberger’s hero , john rabe ( ulrich tukur ) , was a german businessman and nazi party member who ran the siemens plant in nanking , china . in december , 1937 , as the imperial japanese army approached the city , rabe , trading on his party membership and on the german - japanese alliance , and aided by a few other foreigners , including the american doctor robert wilson ( steve buscemi ) , set up , with the imperial army’s grudging permission , a three - and - a - half - square - mile safety zone within the city . ( before the invasion , some of rabe’s workers had literally hidden from an air raid under an enormous nazi flag spread out flat on the ground . ) during the “rape of nanking , ” beginning in mid - december and continuing for six weeks , at least two hundred thousand chinese sheltered inside the zone , while the japanese occupiers murdered as many as three hundred thousand people in the city , many of them civilians .

rabe even wrote to adolf hitler asking for his intervention in the violence , as he believed the nazi leader would not have condoned japan ' s actions .

this is an excellent film about one of the main persons who sought to prevent parts of the nanking massacre , perpetrated by japanese in late 1930 ' s and which is denied to this day by the japanese . they claim that the whole series of horrible events is a propaganda fiction set forth by the chinese government . one odd element in the film is that the persons who set up the " security / safety zone " were shown wearing armbands with a simple cross or x on a white background , when the reality is that john rabe was a nazi and invoked the protection of hitler and the arm bands worn carried the swastika . censorship or revisionism does not hurt the story of these evil events at all . definitely a " must see " along with the film , city of life and death : the nanking massacre , released in 2009 . joseph mcgrory , philadelphia , usa

john rabe ends with its title character ' s exit from nanjing in early 1938 . the industrialist returned to germany , where he was arrested by the gestapo and forbidden to speak of the massacre . he died in 1950 , lost to history until his china diaries were rediscovered by the late iris chang , doing research in the mid - 1990s for her book the rape of nanking . ( gallenberger wrote the character of a young nanjing student photographer into his film as a tribute to chang ' s fervent desire to document the massacre . )

based on actual events , john rabe tells the story of a german businessman who rescued more than 200 , 000 chinese during the nanking massacre in china by courageously negotiating a safety zone to protect innocent civilians from the japanese army . drawing from john rabe s 1937 diaries as source material , academy award® winner florian gallenberger has crafted a portrait of a man revered as a saint in china to this day and yet never rewarded for his courage during his lifetime . ulrich tukur ( the white ribbon , the lives of others ) heads an all - star cast including daniel bruhl ( inglorious basterds ) , anne consigny ( the diving bell and the butterfuly ) and golden globe nominee® steve buscemi ( ghost world , the big lebowski ) .

after living in china for 30 years , rabe had a naive image of germany ' s national socialism as a humanistic workers ' movement , says mr gallenberger .

rabe , a german businessman and nazi , was part of a group of expatriates who set up a safety zone for chinese refugees in the japanese city of nanking during the slaughter of at least 150 , 000 chinese civilians and the rape of tens of thousands of women . filming of rabe ' s story is expected to begin in the next few weeks and will be directed by german florian gallenberger , a student of director wim wenders and the winner of the best live action short film oscar in 2001 . the film will be a chinese - german co - production between huayi brothers and hofmann and voges entertainment . there is no news at present as to who will play rabe in the screen adaptation of the german ' s extensive diaries , which will be filmed in shanghai and nanjing , the modern name for nanking . hundreds of thousands saved

now we have the first fiction film about this event by one of the leading chinese directors , who contrives to tell it through the experiences of a drunken american mortician named john miller ( christian bale ) . this man finds himself in nanking at the time , misses a chance to escape the city and ends up hiding out in a huge catholic cathedral , which is theoretically neutral ground .

uli edel ' s golden globe and oscar - nominated terrorist drama " the baader meinhof complex " picked up four lola noms , including best film and best actress for johanna wokalek .


pet sematary ( sometimes referred to as stephen king 's pet sematary ) is a 1989 american horror film adaptation of stephen king 's novel of the same name .

directed by mary lambert and written by king , the film features dale midkiff as louis creed , denise crosby as rachel creed , blaze berdahl as ellie creed , miko hughes as gage creed , and fred gwynne as jud crandall .

andrew hubatsek was cast for zelda 's role .

author stephen king has a cameo as a minister .

a sequel , pet sematary two , was released which was met with less financial and critical success .

pet sematary ( film )

pet sematary ( film ) <EOT> filmmaker : what lead to you signing on to direct pet sematary two ? while thematically similar to the first film , tonally pet sematary two is tonally extremely different . was that your intention ?

here are some fun facts about stephen king ‘s “pet sematary” that we uncovered .

3 . the 1988 writers guild of america strike helped “pet sematary” get made .

due for resurrection … stephen king ' s pet sematary ( a still from the 1985 film ) . photograph : ronald grant archive

oh , there is also the matter of pet sematary : an old ground where pet owners bury their faithful dead pets .

a sequel , pet sematary two , was met with less financial and critical success .

the film was shot on location in the same rural maine area that stephen king set the novel " pet sematary . " see more »

a sequel , pet sematary two , was released which was met with less financial and critical success .

we’d love your help . let us know what’s wrong with this preview of pet sematary by stephen king .

we first heard last year that unearthed & untold : the path to pet sematary , an indie documentary about both the film and the book pet sematary by stephen king , was acquired by terror films . we now have a trailer to show us what’s in store in the documentary !

unearthed & untold : the path to pet sematary is an independent documentary taking an extensive look at the making of pet sematary , the origins of the story , the stories of cast and crew , memories of the maine locals who helped make the film , and the legacy the film has established among horror fans and scholars of stephen king’s work .

one of the many film adaptations of stephen king’s work , the 1989 film “pet sematary” focuses on a father who loses his two - year - old child , and then attempts to bring him back to life by burying him in an old pet cemetery that was formerly native american sacred ground .

word of god via twitter confirms that ellie is alive and well but still has nightmares about the pet sematary .

pet sematary scared me not the way other horror novels or movies scare people . pet semetery is not about jump scares or other worldly creatures instilling terror upon our sad species

as a metaphor for the terrible decisions people make and never learn , pet sematary maintains a building sense of dread .

haunted house historian : jud crandall , who relates the history of the pet sematary and the burying ground to louis .

* official site * an all - encompassing documentary about stephen king ' s pet sematary . see the trailer here :

archives ! the / film main page has a lot of stories . looking for back archives of / film la ? head to urltoken !

pet sematary is an outstanding story because despite its obviously fantastical premise , the characters and their actions are grounded in realism .

our journey through the screen adaptations of stephen king ' s writing brings us to a trip to the pet sematary . . .

“we’re huge fans of pet sematary , ” muschietti told the toronto sun during a recent set visit . “if we can get our hands on that and do the pet sematary we want to do , that will be something . one day , maybe . ”

speaking in a recent interview with entertainment weekly , muschietti revealed that he has a “dream” to direct a remake of king’s 1983 horror novel pet sematary , which was originally made into a film in 1989 .

musicality : elliot goldenthal’s choral theme is the exact blend of innocence and macabre that the film needs and much of the score feels like a child’s music box gone horribly wrong . it’s a big factor in pet sematary ’s unsettling atmosphere and it wouldn’t be the same film without it .

pet sematary marks the first time stephen king has adapted his own book for the screen , and the result is undead schlock dulled by a slasher - film mentality - squandering its chilling and fertile source material .

pet sematary marks the first time stephen king has adapted his own book for the screen , and the result is undead schlock dulled by a slasher - film mentality – squandering its chilling and fertile source material .

a sequel , pet sematary two , was released in 1992 to poor reviews and a disappointing box office . although it references the events of the first film , the sequel focused on all - new characters . pet sematary has acquired a cult following in recent years , and members of the cast occasionally appear at horror conventions to discuss it .

this documentary is a detailed look into the making of pet sematary , one of the most enduring cult - horror classics of our generation .

“we’re huge fans of pet sematary , ” muschietti said of he and his sister barbara muschietti , a producer on it . “if we can get our hands on that and do the pet sematary we want to do , that will be something . one day , maybe . ”

pet sematary is a 1983 horror novel by stephen king . it was nominated for a world fantasy award for best novel in 1984 . it was later made into a film popular enough to warrant a sequel in 1992 .

and sets the film ' s themes of how each character deals with death .

each of my reviews come with screenshots and a trailer ( or film clip ) so you can hopefully judge for yourself if the film ' s worth tracking down .

pet sematary was released by paramount pictures on april 21st , 1989 . the film is based upon the novel by acclaimed horror author stephen king . the producers chose the then unknown mary lambert to direct the film with stephen king himself writing the screenplay . lambert had only directed music videos up until that point and was a strange choice to direct a big - budget film adaptation of king’s novel . pitting lambert against the material seemed to pay off because pet sematary was number one at the box office for the first three weeks of its release .

i can’t say enough good things about this documentary . if you’re a fan of the film or of stephen king , or even a fan of filmmaking in general , unearthed & untold : the path to pet sematary is a cut above most of the other documentaries on horror films out there . pet sematary is my favorite stephen king film of his work and it has stood the test of time and become a classic in many fans eyes . this documentary will fuel your fire for knowledge about how the film was made , why the film was made and what challenges the filmmakers had to overcome to make this wonderfully frightening film we’ve all come to love and cherish for years to come . congratulations to filmmakers john campopiano and justin white for detailing and documenting such an important film in horror history – bravo !

urltoken a critical and commercial smash hit upon its initial release in 1989 , there’s no denying the impact that mary lambert’s pet sematary holds for fright fans , many of whom still are haunted by the film’s most disturbing moments . but now , nearly 30 years later , pet sematary is getting the increasingly - common retrospective documentary treatment with john campopiano & justin white’s new film unearthed & untold : the path to pet sematary , which fangoria has exclusively learned has been acquired for worldwide distribution by terror films ! while platforms and dates have yet to be secured for the film’s release , terror films is planning an early 2016 release for the long - in - development documentary , which began production in 2011 .

a documentary , unearthed & untold : the path to pet sematary , premiered in september 2014 , and was released in january 2017 . [ 25 ]

the los angeles times wrote that the film " defied the critics and opened at blockbuster levels " . the film grossed $ 57 million in north america . released in 1989 by paramount home video , pet sematary was a best - selling video . paramount released it on dvd in 2006 and on blu - ray in 2012 .

“my affection for pet sematary will go on until i die , ” muschietti said . “i will always dream about the possibility of making a movie . ”

pet sematary was director mary lambert ' s second feature film . she was better known for her work directing music videos , especially those for madonna including " like a prayer " and " material girl " . through her work in the music industry lambert was friends with the ramones , who were one of stephen king ' s favorite bands . she approached them about recording a song for the film and they agreed to write and perform pet sematary , which is featured in the closing credits . [ 9 ]

filmmaker : when pet sematary was released , it spent three weekends at number one at the north american box office . at the time , it was the most successful film helmed by a female director . did you notice professional doors opening up for you ?

we also get to hear from several behind the scenes crew members such as film composer elliot goldenthal , cinematographer peter stein , special makeup effects artists lance anderson & david anderson , greensman carlene hirsch , and many other crew members . one of my favorite anecdotes was how the ramones came to have their hit song “pet sematary” appear in the final film .

the film rights were sold to george a . romero in 1984 for $ 10 , 000 . king had previously declined several other offers for a film adaptation . romero eventually had to pull out of the production , as he was busy with monkey shines . pet sematary was shot in maine , including mount hope cemetery , at king ' s behest .

pet sematary ii looks like a feature that quickly slipped out of lambert ' s control , and she decided to drive the production into the ground out of spite .

ignoring the fate of other recent stephen king adaptations and defying the laws of probability , director andrés muschietti wants to tackle another king adaptation after it : pet sematary .

the micmac burial ground in the film was constructed upon an actual mountain top . according to director

mary lambert’s adaptation of pet sematary , based on the stephen king novel , has inspired a feature - length documentary over two decades since the film’s release . after the jump , watch the trailer for unearthed & untold : the path to pet sematary . no release details have been revealed and we’re not sure if paramount is involved – which might hinder the distribution of the doc , but we’ll keep you posted ! here’s the official lowdown :

when king first wrote the manuscript for pet sematary he shelved it because friends and family hated it . i ' m glad it didn ' t stay on the shelf !

pet sematary’ s rating earns it a place in the hallowed that was a bit mental hall of fame . click here to see which other films have made the grade .

despite his stories almost always being set in maine , prior to “pet sematary , ” all of stephen king ‘s films were actually shot outside the state . once king began writing the screenplay and the prospect of the film getting made became more and more certain , he insisted that it be shot in maine , not only to remain true to the story itself but also to bring money and exposure to the state . “pet sematary” would set the trend of shooting film adaptations of his stories entirely — or at least partly — in maine .

john campopiano and justin white are the directors of the documentary “unearthed and untold : the path to pet sematary . ” it is available now on itunes , amazon , google play , vudu , microsoft xbox and sony psn . you can also watch the film’s trailer here .

the film ' s score was written by elliot goldenthal . [ 10 ] the film features two songs by the ramones , one of stephen king ' s favourite bands : " sheena is a punk rocker " appears in a scene , and " pet sematary " , a new track written specially for the movie , plays over the credits . [ 11 ] [ 12 ]

the awesome : the imagery , the imagery , the imagery . macabre , horrifying , creepy , startling , and just plain scary ; pet sematary has moments that will sear into your mind . if you haven ' t seen the film , you won ' t believe some of the compositions in this one . claustrophobic , tight and extremely intense , pet sematary has one of the greatest climaxes in horror history . it ' s that great , sending…

back to one podcast : keith poulson on developing as an actor in the ny indie film scene .

the los angeles times wrote that the film " defied the critics and opened at blockbuster levels " . [ 15 ] the film grossed $ 57 million in north america . [ 16 ] released in 1989 by paramount home video , pet sematary was a best - selling video . [ 17 ] paramount released it on dvd in 2006 and on blu - ray in 2012 . [ 18 ]

campopiano and white had this to say about their film : “when we first set out for maine nearly six years ago we thought , at most , we would take some photographs of the filming locations from stephen king’s pet sematary and post them to social media . but upon that very first visit we knew that we had stumbled upon something special — stories , people , and places that had been barely documented for the extensive , global horror fan community . we knew within that first year that we needed to go back to maine and continue to dig , not just to satisfy our own curiosities but also to try and bring an in - depth making of story about pet sematary to others who also share a deep appreciation for the film . terror films has stepped up and showcased a similar love for pet sematary but , more importantly , the belief that the stories , people , and places we’ve documented have significance and ought to be shared with anyone who has an interest in pet sematary , stephen king , the horror genre , or film in general . ”

the two filmmakers have written , produced , shot , edited and directed the upcoming comprehensive documentary , unearthed & untold : the path to pet sematary . this riveting documentary follows the entire inception of pet sematary , revealing stephen king’s inspiration to write the book , the struggle to get the film made and the unlikely success of a low budget film from paramount pictures during the wga strike . the documentary features interviews with the director , mary lambert and the entire cast , key crew , town locals as well as never - before - seen footage from the sets in maine . the film is a detailed look into the making of one of the most enduring cult - horror classics of our generation .

haunting , sorrowful and reverberatingly eerie . above all , pet sematary is a remarkably mature and thought - provoking look at the mysterious nature of death and the complexity of the grieving process .

, decides that whatever is going on in the pet sematary filled up his weirdness levels for the rest of his life and bolts away . by the time he gets to his apartment ,

life ' s too short to spend an hour - and - a - half of it watching hollow cinematic dreck like pet sematary two . there are some neat gory bits , though .

the documentary took filmmakers john campopiano and justin white nearly 5 years to complete , but the film is now finished . the film will include interviews with the director and cast , the origins of the story , never - before - seen footage from the set in maine , and the legacy and cult following the film established .

no stranger to ghouls and ghosts , “28 weeks later” director juan carlos fresnadillo looks ready to return to the horror genre as he’s in talks to helm paramount ’s remake of “pet sematary . ”

perhaps the documentary’s greatest contribution to the film’s legacy is the thorough analysis of pet sematary ’s place in horror film history . after all , this was a time when slashers and maniacs were the faces of the horror genre—what were the risks in presenting audiences with a story featuring such personal tragedy ? this is explored in detail , along with the challenges in working with child actors without traumatizing them with fx gore applications .

rouge angles of satin : yes , the " sematary " instead of " cemetery " is intentional .

old house in maine with his wife , daughter , son , and cat . it was all normal and perfect at first , but the nearby woods became apparent and so was the pet sematary .

i remember in 2006 that a pet sematary re - make was supposed to be released in 2009 . in 2006 , it seemed so far away . ten years later . . . nothin ' .

her distinctive style definitely shines in the film , and it makes “pet sematary” stand out from the other horror movies that came out at that time . oh , and , by the way : lambert , a painter and visual artist in many media , is the older sister of former arkansas sen . blanche lincoln .

trailer for pet sematary ( 1989 ) . taken from an aussie cic vhs video . i don ' t think paramount included this trailer with the dvd releases . notice the amityville theme at the beginning ?

there are two audiobook versions of pet sematary . one version , which is abridged , is read by a full ensemble cast . the other version , which is unabridged , is read by merwin smith .

will be able to do great things with this sequence ! later on , i found out that del toro was actually in talks to make a remake of pet sematary , but the project fell through .

this riveting documentary follows the entire inception of pet sematary , revealing stephen king ' s inspiration to write the book , the struggle to get the film made and the unlikely success of a low budget film from paramount pictures during the wga strike . the documentary features interviews with the director , mary lambert and the entire cast , key crew , town locals as well as never - before - seen footage from the sets in maine . the film is a detailed look into the making of one of the most enduring cult - horror classics of our generation .

john campopiano and justin white are the directors of the documentary “unearthed and untold : the path to pet sematary . ” until may 18 , you can preorder the documentary here , in a deluxe combo pack that includes a blu - ray , dvd and other goodies . in the meantime , you can watch the film’s trailer here .

the cimetière des chiens et autres animaux domestiques is one of the oldest pet cemeteries in the world .

pet sematary marks the first time stephen king has adapted his own book for the screen , and the result is undead schlock dulled by a slasher - film mentality – squandering its chilling and fertile source material . the story hinges on a small family that comes to new england , moving into a vintage americana house alongside a [ … ]

/ film la is my attempt to highlight the coolest film screenings and events happening in los angeles . in today’s edition , we take a sneak peek at disneyland california’s tron : legacy night - time weekend dance party electronica , cinefamily’s japanese gore night , see halo : reach the show hosted by paul scheer featuring nathan fillion and alan tudyk , and your chance to watch the usual suspects with director bryan singer , a double feature of pet sematary / pet sematary ii with director mary lambert . , winnebago man at kevin smith ‘s smodcastle with director ben steinbauer and producer joel heller , or box of moonlight / conviction double feature with star sam rockwell . hit the jump !

it was so very interesting to hear from crew members to see what had to be done to get this film made including building a full house façade over the top of an existing ranch that doubled for jud crandall’s house which was across the street from the creed house . also hearing the head greensman carlene hirsch talk about building the pet cemetery itself and what went into creating the focal point of the film is incredibly wondrous . those are just a couple of examples of what surprised me about the making of the film ; there are several other stories that are just as curious in the film .

muschietti didn’t elaborate on why , if he loves the film so much , he would risk ruining it with a modern big screen adaptation . the potential movie’s best hope , perhaps , is that it will fail , increasing the statistical probability that the pet sematary remake will be the rare stephen king adaptation that isn’t a critical and commercial bomb .

the tomatometer score — based on the opinions of hundreds of film and television critics — is a trusted measurement of critical recommendation for millions of fans . it represents the percentage of professional critic reviews that are positive for a given film or television show .

the original “pet sematary” was based on the stephen king novel and followed a family that moves into a new home next to a cemetery with powers that allow the creatures buried in it to come back from the dead .

there has been intermittent buzz about a possible adaptation of pet sematary , but as of 2017 none has been commissioned . [ 28 ] juan carlos fresnadillo was announced as directing the adaptation in october 2013 . [ 29 ]

by those standards the film was a box office success . it ranked # 4 on the list of stephen king films and was # 21 of the year for 1989 . unfortunately , the film was only a moderate success among critics who mostly panned the film . as time sometimes does with some films , it has grown in popularity over the last 27 years into a cult favorite among horror fans , and rightfully so – which brings us to 2016 and filmmakers john campopiano and justin white who were on a mission to unearth as much material as they possibly could about the making of pet sematary .

creator cameo : stephen king makes a cameo appearance as a minister who officiates at the funeral of missy dandridge in the film .

the viscera film festival offers genre fans a glimpse into horror through the eyes of modern female filmmakers from around the world . urltoken

pet sematary had its most central scenes filmed in the towns of hancock and bangor in king’s home state of maine . the red - roofed , yellow - sided house where most of the film takes place is located at 303 point road in hancock and still looks the same . a “children at play” sign is also posted across the street from it .

it doesn ' t help that several other plot threads run bare through " pet sematary , " actually cluttering things up . the worst is the specter of victor pascow ( brad greenquist ) , a dead one - man greek chorus who looks as if someone threw a pizza at his head - - the kind of cheap effect that dominates " pet sematary " until lambert , king and company go for the jugulars at the end . one of the key lines in both film and book is " sometimes dead is better . " sometimes , though , read is a whole lot better .

the 1989 film adaptation starred dale midkiff as louis , fred gwynne as jud , denise crosby as rachel and miko hughes as gage .

there ' s a big difference between that which is depicted on the printed page and on the big screen , and movies - - so far - - haven ' t gotten much more gruesome or disturbing than " pet sematary . "

i have no hesitation in holding pet sematary up on the same pedestal as the shining . though both are very different king adaptations with wildly different directorial styles , both are massively effective portrayals of king’s work and both are absolutely essential .

if you’ve somehow managed to dodge pet sematary up until now , do yourself a massive favour and put that right . you don’t necessarily have to read the book first : as fantastic as it is , this is probably the most accurate film adaptation of any of his works ( he wrote the screenplay himself ) and as such can be enjoyed independently of its literary ancestor .

in august 2017 , the brother - sister team behind the 2017 adaptation of stephen king ' s it , andrés and barbara muschietti , told the toronto sun that they hoped to adapt pet sematary after the sequel of it . [ 30 ]

i could ramble on and repeat everything i learned from the documentary , but that would spoil all the fun . all i’m going to say is it’s one of the best documentaries i’ve seen on a single horror film , and the next time pet sematary scares the hell out of me , i’ll know just how much blood , sweat , and tears went into every chilling second .

a remake of the film is in the works , with jason clarke as louis , amy seimetz as rachel and john lithgow as jud .

i n addition to featuring many cast and crew members never before interviewed about their involvement in the film , this documentary will also take fans on a tour of the filming locations . with never - before - seen photographs and video footage from behind - the - scenes , original props from the film , media coverage of the 1988 production , and new stories about the hollywood production being on location in maine , unearthed & untold : the path to pet sematary is an all - encompassing documentary by fans for the fans .

in 1988 , film executives were scrambling to find scripts that were so well written they could just go ahead and start shooting . with the looming wga strike , the executives feared that there would be many empty slots on their release calendars . because king’s script for “pet sematary” was so well written , then paramount executive lindsay doran championed for it to get made during this critical period .

now , avid fans of the film may already know this story , since horror buffs tend to research the genre like they’re earning a doctorate in scares . where the documentary truly shines is in the wide variety of interview subjects , providing as rich a historical picture as viewers could ask for . along with multiple revelations from lambert herself , tales are told from principle actors , pet wranglers , the composer , set decorators , and even the owners of the real life “pet sematary” which inspired king’s novel .

pet sematary is the 17th book published by stephen king ; it was his 14th novel , and the tenth novel under his own name . the book was released by doubleday on 14 november 1983 . king calls it one of his darkest novels .

released in 1983 , pet sematary is one of king’s darkest novels , so bleak that he was reluctant to even publish it . it tells the story of a warm family in maine torn apart after the discovery of a nearby pet cemetery with the power to resurrect the dead . it doesn’t go well for them . you know how these things tend to turn out .

fuck you trey parker for making me consistently laugh everytime i watch this film now . this is still in my top 5 favorite horror films .

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the film is americana at its most gothic , a depiction of a normal family made vulnerable by the eternal yearning to cheat death . it cuts to the deepest human emotions , and there certainly are going to be many people who aren ' t going to be willing or able to take it . " pet sematary " is one of the most numbing mainstream american movies since " the exorcist . "

" it " is still my favorite scary king thriller ( especially the movie ) but pet sematary ( did i say it was " shocking " ) is a close second , and . . . . . . . " sometimes dead is better . "

pet sematary’s budget was around $ 11 . 5 million dollars , but still considered low - budget by 1989’s standards . when all is said and done , the film went on to gross somewhere around $ 52 - 57 million dollars domestically ( there is a slight discrepancy between sources on the final gross ) . i was not able to find the international box office total or the ancillary ( dvd , blu - ray , home video ) totals anywhere but would surely add another $ 50 million to the film’s total and that’s being on the conservative side .

humanoid abomination : zelda is portrayed like this in the film . also , anyone who was buried in the micmac burying ground comes back as one .

7 : 30 pm : short film program the show starts with a ceremony honoring this year’s inspiration award recipient : jennifer lynch , the director of the films boxing helena , surveillance , and chained . we then have a selection of trailers for feature films directed by women as well as a documentary about the big screen adaptation of stephen king’s pet sematary , which was directed by mary lambert , last year’s inspiration award recipient .

bruce campbell was the first choice for the role of louis creed . it would have been amazing had he actually starred in the film ! missed opportunity .

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i have seen this movie more times than i can keep track , tonight we decided to show my brother - in - law pet sematary because he had never seen it before . it was tonight , while watching it that i realized just how bad this movie is .

unearthed and untold : the path to pet sematary was originally released by terror films on january 13 th , 2017 . it is available on platforms such as : itunes ( with bonus features including a fan appreciation sizzle reel and a personal interview with the documentary filmmakers ) :

king calls pet sematary his scariest book , and i can understand why . it is super creepy and super " shocking " where he takes the reader , and his interesting prologue explaining how he came to write this unsettling tale brings a bit of truth to the story .

in 2011 , we ventured to northern maine to see some of the filming locations for the 1989 cult horror classic “pet sematary , ” the movie adaptation of stephen king ‘s 1983 novel about animals that come back from the dead , which mary lambert directed from king’s own screenplay .

filmmaker : there are a number of paranormal and flashback sequences in the film that flirt with reality , specifically the moments involving the character of the deceased victor pascow and rachel’s sister , zelda . as in your previous film , siesta , you employ associative editing that feels cut and choreographed to its own elaborate dream logic .

since the terms “remake” and “sequel” generally make film nuts grumpy , development executives , the film media and the blogosphere have embraced the notion of “reboots” as a happy medium . and even if you haven’t , that’s just tough , because there’s plenty of them on the way… and you know what ? it’s not all bad news .

" pet sematary " ( citywide ) finds stephen king at his farthest out , never more simultaneously compelling and repelling , but there ' s no denying that in mary lambert he has a director who can go the distance and make the contradiction work . no doubt king ' s multitudinous fans will have flocked to the film on opening weekend , but it ' s going to be fascinating to see if - - or how soon - - backlash sets in .

the creed’s new neighbor is the benignly intrusive jud crandall , an old man who steps in to fill the paternal role that louis missed due to his own father’s premature death . it doesn’t take long for jud to show louis some of their new home’s features . prominent among them is a pet cemetery ( the sign reads pet sematary ) . we later learn – again through jud , who is always there , watching , like wilson from

" cause what you buy , is what you own . and what you own . . . always comes home to you . " louis creed and his family have recently moved to the town of ludlow , maine . behind their house there is a path that leads to a ' pet sematary ' , where the children of surrounding areas have buried their beloved pets in years gone by . deeper in the woods there lies an ancient indian burial ground , that louis discovers has some sinister properties when their family cat dies . . . it ' s no secret that pet sematary is my f

“when i’m asked ( as i frequently am ) what i consider to be the most frightening book i’ve ever written , the answer i give comes easily and with no hesitation : pet sematary . ” - stephen king , 2000 while i was reading this book , my goodreads friend julie made a comment on one of my updates : “ooo – old school ! ” or something like that . it’s true . this is old school horror , like the first stephen king book i ever read , the shining . in his 2000 introduction , king says of all his works , pet sematary ( 198

besides x - men : first class , we’ll be seeing a new fletch , a new jack ryan movie , and – as reported by 24 frames – a new version of one of stephen king ‘s best and most terrifying novels , pet sematary . the original film from 1989 was directed by mary lambert and scripted by king himself and remains one of the most successful king adaptations , at least in terms of fan reception ( a 1992 sequel was mostly ignored ) .

everything about pet sematary is just perfect to me . the story is easily one of stephen king’s finest , the performances are immaculate all round , it’s genuinely creepy throughout and it’s not afraid to dabble in taboo every now and then . plus it’s got a bespoke ramones song during the end credits .

filmmaker : for your first feature , siesta , you had a number of hollywood movie stars to work with ( ellen barkin , jodie foster , and martin sheen , to name a few ) , and yet the film’s narrative is far removed from the hollywood mainstream . what was it like making that film and getting it out into the world ?

“i’m at judd’s , daddy . will you come over and play with me ? first i played with judd , then mommy came and i played with mommy . we played , daddy ! we had an awful good time . now i want to play with yoooooou . ” ( gage , pet sematary )

imo there ' s a lot of movies of king ' s works that have been done already that i don ' t want to see done again . i dug pet sematary , i dug the stand miniseries , i dug the original it . don ' t really need to see those done again .

the film rights were sold to george a . romero in 1984 for $ 10 , 000 . king had previously declined several other offers for a film adaptation . [ 3 ] romero eventually had to pull out of the production , as he was busy with monkey shines . [ 4 ] as stipulated by king when selling the rights to paramount , pet sematary was shot in maine where the story was set . [ 5 ] [ 6 ] the house used for the creeds ' home is a private residence near hancock , while jud ' s house across the street was actually a facade constructed around an existing house that was insulated with fireproof material so that the mock - up could be burned around it . other locations included an abandoned granite quarry on mount desert island in acadia national park , where the burial ground was constructed , a forest near ellsworth for the pet sematary , and mount hope cemetery in bangor for the graveyard scenes . [ 6 ] [ 7 ]

filmmaker : the film opens with a creepily serene sequence in the pet cemetery . as the camera surveys the space , we begin to understand the range of its inhabitants : you include a fish bowl and a birdcage among the more standard tombstones . what was it about that sort of specific detail that was important to you ?

before reaching the big screen , “pet sematary” was a bestselling novel that thrilled and shocked readers back in 1983 . many of the events in the story , including the near death of king’s son , owen , on a busy road in front of their maine home , were inspired by real events from king’s life .

though never recognized as one of the best cinematic adaptations of stephen king material , mary lambert ' s " pet sematary " has a lot to offer horror fans . a chilling , sometimes surreal nightmare of wish fulfillment and domestic tragedy , king ' s own screenplay and lambert ' s direction combine for a worthy , high quality piece of horror . effective atmosphere , well - placed gore , and rivulets of palpable terror set the stage for a film that is engaging , frightening , and memorable .

number of the beast : in the film , the chemical truck rachel rides back to the house is numbered 666 ( the bottom half of the number is out of frame ) .

meanwhile , bill skarsgård , who plays pennywise in the new it film , has revealed that there was a “really , really disturbing” flashback scene that never made it into the movie .

once upon a time when i was a child , i remember talking with my family about horror movies . somebody asked what was the scariest movie you ' ve watched , and my mom without thinking said ' pet sematary ' . i remember laughing and saying ' how on earth could a movie named pet sematary be scary ? ' fast forward to now , i changed my mind . this book is scariest and creepiest book i ' ve ever read , and i ' m sure it ' ll stay number 1 for a long time . it made me think about stuff i don ' t want , or refuse , to think a

i don ' t want to be buried in a pet sematary , i don ' t want to live my life again . that song has been stuck in my head all week . at least it is a good song . pet sematary is making its blu - ray debut this week , hence the ramones induced mind worm . when the film first came out , it only earned mixed reviews , but it earned nearly $ 60 million on a production budget that was just under $ 12 million . at the time , it was the biggest hit by stephen king , in terms of raw dollars at the domestic box office . ( one could argue carrie and stand by me were more profitable based on percentages earned . ) the film is now 20 years old . does it live up to its box office numbers ? or is it one of stephen king ' s lesser films in terms of quality ? is the blu - ray worth picking up if you are a fan ? more . . .

women didn’t often direct genre flicks , and lambert had just one feature film under her belt — the 1987 indie “siesta” — when she was hired to bring “pet sematary” to the big screen . turns out , king tapped lambert because he admired her visual talents , which she honed while directing music videos for janet jackson , sting and the material girl . that’s right , lambert was behind the camera on many of the madonna ‘s classics , including “like a virgin , ” “material girl” and “borderline . ”

it’s difficult to make an entire film with dream logic because most commercial audiences want a narrative that has continuity and consecutive action . action needs to have consequences that make sense . an entire film told in dream logic can be a difficult one to watch and [ is ] quickly classified as an art or experimental movie . there are definitely times within a movie , however , where you can employ this kind of intuitive logic within your editing while continuing to tell a linear narrative . i really like doing that . subconsciously , i think it takes an audience to a place of truth . i’ve tried to do that as much as i could in pet sematary and stephen was very supportive .

the wendigo is glossed over in the film . ( though it ' s briefly hinted at when pascow tells rachel " it ' s trying to stop you ! " ) this leads to the above accusations of too dumb to live , because the film shows what the characters are led to do , but doesn ' t indicate that their actions are not entirely their own .

filmmaker : how did you cast miko hughes as gage ? the character has to be both an adorable little boy and , by the film’s ending , a zombified , soulless killing machine .

tip us ! if you have any tips or suggestions for future / film la updates , please e - mail us at orfilms @ urltoken . be it movie screenings , events , crazy photos of film related awesomeness found around la — send it to us ! if what you send us is cool , we promise to share it with the readers in the next edition !

well , just masterful and such a change from the average horror film score we were used to ! here we deal with a true " composer " in noble sense of the word , someone who truly knows who to write and not these composers who regard themselves as composers just by the simple fact of ownning a synthesizer and a midi home studio . . . the rest of his scores are nothing short of remarkable , especially his latest one titus , truly a fantastic musical journey that enhances wonderfully the visionary reading made by its director julie taymor regarding shakespeare ' s play ( who happens to be goldenthal ' s wife as well ) . nevertheless , pet sematary is a superior horror film score !

there have been rumors floating around about a prospective remake of the 1989 film adaptation of pet sematary for years , with news coming as recently as 2015 , when director juan carlos fresnadillo ( 28 days later ) and screenwriter jeff buhler ( the midnight meat train ) were attached . there’s been little word since , however , suggesting that particular iteration might be stalled indefinitely . if it doesn’t get off the ground , the muschiettis may have the pedigree to pull the film off . the duo are bonafied king fanatics , and already own the rights to another king story , the sci - fi horror short “the jaunt , ” about a method of teleportation that has some , let’s just say unsettling side effects .

no stone is left unturned in this exhaustive look at the making of the film . most of the still - living cast members talk about the film on camera including director mary lambert , actors dale midkiff , denise crosby , susan blommaert , brad greenquist , miko hughes , blaze berdahl , and many more cast members . i understand that fred gwynne who portrayed jud crandall in the film passed away in 1993 , but i would’ve liked to see some vintage behind - the - scenes interviews with him dug up ( excuse the pun ) while he was on set .

pet sematary review ( kinda ) i know this review is long , but i have a personal story to tell . read it if you want to , but the simple fact of the matter is that this book is awesome . if you haven ' t read it , stop fucking about . when i was ten years old , my mother and her best friend andrita took a trip to the local drive - in to catch a showing of pet sematary . my father was out with his own buddies , so guess who got to tag along ? yup , me . my mother told me to go to sleep in the back seat , and then p

at the start of the film he’s the most adorable wee boy you could ever hope to find in a film , but by the end he becomes one of the most chilling antagonists i’ve seen . his phone call to his dad from judd’s house ( in the quote at the top of this review ) sends a massive shiver right up my spine every single time without fail .

no stranger to ghouls and ghosts , “28 weeks later” director juan carlos fresnadillo looks ready to return to the horror genre as he’s in talks to helm paramount’s remake of “pet sematary . ” lorenzo di bonaventura is producing the remake to the 1989 horror classic along with steven schneider . matt greenberg and david kajganich wrote the [ … ]

we know just the place for the muschiettis to get working , too . in a confluence out of a horror novel , the real - world house that inspired pet sematary is on the market . as in the book , this house is situated near a big , busy road that has a nasty reputation for killing pets . there’s a real - life pet cemetery in the back , too , though this one doesn’t have quite the same penchant for cursed resurrections . ( we hope . )

stephen king ' s pet sematary scared the living shit out of me when i was a kid . it gave me nightmares for months ! i couldn ' t even get to sleep at times because i would imagine zelda , one of the creepy - ass characters in the film , crouched in the shadows of the corner of my bedroom . regardless of those terrifying memories of the movie , i still watch it every year during halloween to remind myself of that fear . why ? maybe because i ' m a little twisted , and even though it scared me to death , i enjoyed the adrenaline rush of it . here are thirteen fun facts that i came across for the film that i wanted to share .

written and directed by clive barker , " hellraiser " is the first in a nine - film series about the gateway to the world of cenobites , monsters that harvest and torture human souls .