Berlinale spotlight turns to war in US, Chinese films

Feb 13, 2012, 19:55 GMT

Berlin - Leading Chinese and US directors turned their spotlight on war in two movies screened at the Berlin Film Festival on Monday.

But while Chinese star director Zhang Yimou's The Flowers of War told the story of the Japanese invasion of the Chinese city of Nanking in 1937, US director Billy Bob Thorton explored how war has shaped the views of different generations in America.

Speaking at a press conference in Berlin, 60-year-old Yimou described the occupation of Nanking by Japanese forces as 'a tragic and traumatic chapter' in Chinese history.

The Flowers of War, which stars British-born actor Christian Bale and Chinese actress Ni Ni, spares the audience none of the brutality that the Japanese troops meted out to the residents of Nanking during the invasion, in which about 200,000 are thought to have died.

Yimou said it was 'a great challenge for a director to present such a tragedy,' adding that it was at times difficult for him 'to keep my emotions under control.'

At the press conference, he also paid tribute to the Japanese actors in the film, who were called upon to portray greats acts of inhumanity such as indiscriminate slaughter and rape. 'They put their art above everything else,' Yimou said.

Set in the US in the 1960s, Thornton's movie Jayne Mansfield's Car looks at war from another perspective - through three generations of one family. While the grandfathers served in World War I and the fathers served in World War II, the sons face the prospect of fighting in Vietnam.

'It is about the romancing of the war issue,' Thorton, 56, told a press conference in Berlin.

'The pulse of this story was driven by father-and-son relationships,' said Thorton, who also wrote and stars in the film. To tell his story he has put together a cast including Britain's John Hurt and Hollywood actor Kevin Bacon.

Also on Monday, Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie received the Cinema for Peace prize, for her opposition to war and genocide. The prize, which was handed out a gala ceremony in Berlin, is not part of the festival.

Jolie's directoral debut with her Balkans war drama In the Land of Blood and Honey was screened at the festival on Saturday night.

Thorton was previously married to Jolie. As a sign of affection, the two wore lockets around their necks containing a drop of the other's blood.

Since their divorce in 2003, their relationship has been the subject of continuing speculation. But Thorton told the press conference he wanted to set the record straight.

He described the 36-year-old Jolie as 'a wonderful woman' and a great friend who he would 'love until the end of time.' He said he also hoped to meet up with her while the two were in Berlin.