Osa Archivum Catalog

Why We Fight: Battle of China

Summary: This part of the acclaimed Frank Capra series "Why We Fight!" series focuses on one of the forgotten theaters of the WWII, the war between between Japan and China, following the Japanese invasion of Manchuria. A classic example of war-time American propaganda, "Battle of China" is not immune to severe distortions and exeggerations, and some would argue, clearly racist connotations, typical of the so-called "Infotmational Films" produced by the US War departement to boost the morales of the domestic public and convey the message of the Allies' military and moral superiority. The film goes out of its way to celebrate Chinese resistance and military strength (arguably, in a somewhat exeggerated manner), while demonizing the Japanese aggression fthrough the closeups of atrocities committed against Chinese civilians. Japan's invasion of China is described as "Phase Two" of a four-part plan to conquer the world, ending with "Phase Four", an attack "Eastward to crush the United States". For all its ideological bias and obvious propagandistic agenda, the film is best seen together with other films from the Capra's series, such as the "Battle of Russia," or "War Comes to America." Bracketing the unfortunate distortions conditioned by the film's ideological message, "Battle of China" is a good source of military footage, including scenes of massacresc carried out by the Japanese army (e.g. the infamous Rape of Nanking that took the lives of 40 000 Chinese civilians, etc.)

Item Type	Current Location	Call Number	Status	Shelving Location	Public Note
DVD-ROM	OSA Film Library	FL Record 0606	Available	-	-
Digital film	OSA Film Library	FL Record 0606 (HU_OSA_00002338.mp4)	Available		Access Copy, MP4 format