As of 12:00 noon on the 19th, the total box office (including pre-sale box office) of the film "731" has exceeded 500 million yuan. The film was officially released on September 18th, with a box office of 345 million yuan on the first day, breaking 10 records in mainland China, including the total number of screenings for a single film on a single day, the total number of screenings on a premiere day, and the total number of screenings for a domestic film on a single day in mainland China.
At the Beijing premiere, the film's chief producer and executive producer Zhuang Yan, chief producer Zhang Wang, director Zhao Linshan, and starring actors Jiang Wu, Wang Zhiwen, Li Naiwen, Sun Qian, Lin Ziye, Li Shanyu and others appeared after the screening and talked about their original intentions and difficult journey of filming.
movie posters
"731" is set in 1945, on the eve of victory in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. To reverse their declining military situation, the invading Japanese Army's Unit 731 intensified its brutal bacteriological warfare research in Harbin's Pingfang District, under the guise of "water supply and epidemic prevention." They captured civilians for live experiments in a vain attempt to reverse their defeat. Street vendor Wang Yongzhang (Jiang Wu), Du Cunshan (Wang Zhiwen), Gu Boxuan (Li Naiwen), Lin Suxian (Sun Qian), Sun Mingliang (Lin Ziye), and Liang Aiying (Li Shanyu) were forcibly taken to a "special prison." With the false promise of freedom in exchange for cooperating with health checks and epidemic prevention research, the Japanese army subjected them to extreme torture, including frostbite experiments, poison gas experiments, and vivisections.
Movie stills
While the film unequivocally tells viewers, "No one survives here," it nonetheless, drawing on solid historical research, recreates the Chinese people's kindness and unity, their resilience and resistance. At the film's end, when the words "Compatriots, move forward! There is light at the exit, the daily life of humanity, and peace and prosperity for the nation" flash across the screen in both Chinese and English, the audience erupted in applause, some even shouting to the cast and crew as they appeared one after another, "You are all Wang Ziyang!" (Wang Ziyang was a martyr of the Northeast Anti-Japanese Allied Forces and a survivor of the Ishii Unit, the predecessor of Unit 731, at the Beiyinhe Experimental Site in Wuchang. In the film "731," he embodies a belief, inspiring everyone to survive and escape from desperate situations. Reporter's note.)
Movie stills
At the Beijing premiere, Zhao Linshan, in response to questions from The Paper, stated that the film's chilling and brutal scenes were extracted and integrated into the scenes based on the few remaining documents, striving to root the narrative in historical evidence and clearly present the power of historical facts. The production team pursued authenticity with an almost demanding attitude, from the panoramic construction of the Sifang Building site and the construction of the "special transfer" train carriages to the minute details of the character costumes and the placement of the seams on clothing, all of which were meticulously considered.
Director Zhao Linshan
"Take the Sifang Building as an example. Although the Japanese army blew it up completely during their retreat, the foundations are still there. Through surveying the foundations, combined with our years of investigation and evidence collection in Japan, and through testimonies from several former young soldiers of Unit 731, including Shimizu Hideo's confession and apology in Harbin last year, he expressed his approval of our reconstruction work," Zhao Linshan said. "All the props in the film were left behind and buried underground by the Japanese army during their retreat. Archaeological excavations have unearthed them as incriminating physical evidence." (See the corresponding video for the spotlight here)
Wang Zhiwen
The film's lead actor, Wang Zhiwen, told The Paper that he was no stranger to the historical crimes of Unit 731. "When I was still a student at the Beijing Film Academy, I played 'Maluda' in a TV series. (Maluda was an insulting name given to victims of forced human experimentation by Unit 731. In Japanese, it means 'log,' and by extension, 'test subjects.') Reprising my role in the film '731,' I felt a deeper dive and deeper understanding. Human nature, especially the actions of militarism during wartime, is beyond our comprehension as normal humans. I hope such tragedies never happen again. Humans should care for one another."
Kim Sung-min
At the premiere, Jin Chengmin, the film's historical consultant and director of the Exhibition Hall of Evidence of Crimes of Unit 731 of the Japanese Invasion of China, solemnly stated: "The scenes, images, and sounds in this film all have sources and basis. They are not only supported by historical materials, but also have academic value. They are not fiction, and certainly not lies."
As a historical expert in this research field, Jin Chengmin has traveled to Japan more than 30 times to collect evidence. He not only discovered the "Specially Transferred Files", the core evidence of Unit 731's crimes, but also traveled across the country to visit more than 130 related victims and their families. He also went to the United States, Russia and other countries many times to search for information, providing strong academic support for the creation of the film.
Jiang Wu
Lead actor Jiang Wu said in his speech: "The more people see it, the more people will remember it." Lead actor Lin Naiwen also said excitedly: "Our strength today actually means that if anyone dares to ask us to return to that period of history, we dare to say to them, no!"
Li Naiwen
Lead actress Sun Qian plays Lin Suxian, a pregnant mother about to give birth. Tears welled up in her eyes as she spoke, "'731' is an answer sheet, given to our friends, our families, all our fellow Chinese people, and also to their spirits in heaven. History may pass, but it must never be forgotten. Let us examine history, reflect on it, and safeguard peace."
Sun Qian
Dai Haishan, a veteran of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, also attended the Beijing premiere. "This is true history, and I lived through it. I'm 95 years old. During the Japanese invasion of China, my parents, my grandparents, my uncles and aunts, and my grandparents were killed. I was only seven years old at the time! Without family and home, I became a pitiful homeless child. It was the Chinese Communist Party's underground workers who rescued me, and I grew up in the Eighth Route Army Orphanage. We must never forget this history, my friends!"
Book cover of "The Never-Ending Germ Warfare" (Photo provided by Sanlian Bookstore)
Nan Xianghong, author of "The Never-Ending Germ Warfare" (published by Sanlian Bookstore in May this year), also shared her thoughts on the film, saying, "I'm very grateful to the film and its director for giving names to these otherwise nameless 'road warriors.' The film truly brings this story to life. These people who sacrificed silently and in vain, if we can still remember them today, they will live forever in history."
Li Shanyu
At the end of the premiere, director Zhao Linshan and his wife Li Shanyu (who also plays Liang Aiying, the actress known as "Malu Da"), made heartfelt declarations to the audience, bowing repeatedly. Li Shanyu said emotionally, "Over the past 11 years, I've watched my husband transform from a young boy into a white-bearded old man... We've both imagined this day countless times... Seeing so many of you here today, you dare to bear witness to this history, to confront it, and to pass it on. The Chinese people are ingrained with tenacity, and together we Chinese must expose this history and spread it to the ends of the earth."
The global release poster of the movie "731"
Zhao Linshan said, "Today is a wake-up call. I want to tell everyone that this is not just a film, but also a weighty historical testimony, and each of us is a witness. Furthermore, Unit 731 will definitely be released in Japan, allowing the Japanese to see the heinous crimes they once committed. History still has dark corners, and the road to collecting evidence about Unit 731 is still long. I hope everyone will become a witness. I hope this film can gather more forces for peace and reach out to the world!"
