The movie "City of Life and Death" tells me nothing but the necessity for a film rating system which the film industry watchdog, the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, has shied away from.

The historical movie tells stories which took place in the Nanking Massacre, in which an estimated 300 thousand of Chinese civilians were slaughtered and tens of thousands of women were raped by Japanese soldiers during the second World War.

I anticipated lots of violent scenes before I even got to the theater. However, even as a male adult, I can't bear the avalanche of forcible killings and rapes in the film. It made me want to vomit for the rest of the night. One of my colleagues said she and several friends had suffered from nightmares for a week after they went to see the movie.

I am not sure about the artistic merits of the movie, but I am definitely sure it's harmful and inappropriate for some vulnerable groups like youths under 18, young girls and some elders.

I wonder how the censors gave the permission for its public airing. And ironically, it was even recommended to pupils as a patriotic film by a national educational center. Have they seen the movie with their own eyes? I doubt it.

Under the current system, a movie allowed to be played publicly also means it's suitable for anyone. That's why I saw several parents and their children sitting before the screen on that night.

Audience got no warnings about the violent scenes in the movie which could possibly bring potential psychological harms. For a better box office, the producers and cast of the movie manipulated the media with favorable propaganda and critic voices were hardly heard.

Obviously the film industry watchdog can do better. In approving the release of the movie, the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television should have considered the possible harm it could do to vulnerable groups including minors.

The movie rating system was applied in western countries for the protection of children in the early 1960s. But in China the system has been stalled. The government fears adopting a rating system could open the door to more unhealthy film products.

Apparently, people can get any TV or film programs they want from the Internet. The original premise of rejecting the movie rating system is no longer valid. On the contrary, resisting the rating system could do more harm than good just as we have seen from this movie.

By Julian Nie

(CRI May 12, 2009)