Fighting Soldiers

Since 1937, Japan was at war with China. This film has registered the battle in the Wuhan area. Kamei, the director, devised a scenario at his writing desk for a large-scale war-spectacle. He secured the army's help at simplifying a number of tasks for the film-crew, and left for the front. However, his script did not match with the reality. Kamei then rejected his original plan. Now, he did not want to film the uncontrollable force of the belligerent masses, but chose a more humane starting-point. He wanted to convey the qualities of man and humanity in a war situation.
The members of the filmcrew emotionally got deeply involved in the horrible war situations taking place in front of their eyes. Nevertheless, they did their job as distantly as possible. It was not their task to take care of the wounded or to bury the dead. They had to handle the camera and make the film. In the long run, they got used to the misery they saw. They were conscious of this emotional 'paralysis', but at the same time realised that otherwise they would turn mad. This dilemma between aloofness and commitment was not solved during the shooting. In their desparate situation, the crew got deeply impressed by a number of soldiers. Those men at the front were continuously confronted with death and, strangely enough, dismissed their egoistical feelings, there of all places. The filmmakers became attached to these pure and unselfish men. Their behaviour made the time of shooting somewhat bearable.
Confused, deadened, and physicaly exhausted, the crew brought 6,000 metres of film back home. These rushes were structured in the edit room. The burning houses, the frightened children, and the refugees, running through the beautiful Chinese scenery, became images in an unforgettable film.