Yi jiu si er

"History should never be forgotten."

Nov 29 2012 Not Rated 2h 25m
Drama

In 1942, Henan Province was devastated by one of the most tragic famines in modern Chinese history, resulting in the deaths of at least three million men, women and children. Although the primary cause of the famine was a severe drought, it was exacerbated by locusts, windstorms, earthquakes, epidemic disease and the corruption of the ruling Kuomintang government.

Plot

A famine with multiple contributing factors and devastating effects during the Second Sino-Japanese war is chronicled from the official perspective of reporters, generals, politicians and real families whose lives were forever altered by drastic measures they were forced to take in order to survive. Alternately ignoring the dire nature of the famine and its subsequent exodus of millions of people from the Hunen province, and minimizing its devastation to the outside world, the Chinese Nationalist government of the time is one which seems to be over burdened by ongoing war efforts and corruption in the distribution of relief supplies. Policy and private life are worlds apart in stopping the devastation shown through the portrayals of those who lived to tell the tale and their accounts of those who were not so lucky, of whom there were many (3 million.) This is a true story based upon Liu Zhenyun's novel "Remembering 1942," Zhenyun himself is the descendant of a survivor of the 1942 famine and his family story is poignantly portrayed--showing heroism, self sacrifice, terrible misfortune and ultimate survival of the lucky few.

Written by

Zhenyun Liu

Directed by

Xiaogang Feng

Production Countries

China

Production Companies

Beijing TV Station, Anhui Broadcasting Corp., Hunan Broadcasting System, Zhejiang Films & TV(Group) Company Ltd., Shanghai Media Group, Huayi Brothers Pictures, China Film Group Corporation, Bon Voyage Film Studio, Emperor Motion Pictures, Sil-Metropole Organisation Ltd., Chongoing Film Group, Media Asia Films

Languages

English

Awards

33 wins & 21 nominations

Scores
# of Votes
3,842
Average Rating
6.9 out of 10
Metascore
41
Popularity
NA