I have found out that the movie described below is NOT about the senior John Magee. I was going to wait until I’ve actually seen the movie, but I have seen previews, enough to know that the movie (named “Flowers of War”) is in no way about John Magee. It’s the right time, the right place, the right name, etc., but cannot be about Magee.
I will put in another blog post about the movie after I watch it. I am going to keep the post below because what I said about Magee, Sr., is true and worth saying.
Stay tuned!
It’s about time! As interesting as the story of John Gillespie Magee, Jr. is, the story of his father is equally amazing. Jr.’s father, in a sort of family tradition, named his first son after himself. Life is going to get interesting in the google-sphere, with people searching for John Magee and coming up with a Episcopal minister, a poet/pilot, as well as an economist. There are a few other John Magee’s out there that will turn up, but people are going to have to be pretty specific about which Magee they’re looking for!
Well, the new movie is by Hero director Zhang Yimou. There are various names being bandied about, but the predominant one is Nanjing Heroes. The movie is about an American missionary named John who is serving in China when the Japanese invade in 1937. This could only be John Magee. The reason for all the recent press is that Yimou selected Christian Bale (Batman, Terminator 4) to play John Magee.
I am hoping that the filmmakers maintain historical accuracy in this movie. What John Magee did in China is worthy of worldwide attention, even 70+ years after the events. Magee, along with others (such as John Rabe, the “good” Nazi), helped save the lives of countless Chinese when the Japanese Army arrived, raping and killing along the way. Estimates vary; 300,000 killed has been mentioned more than once.
Along with protecting the lives of innocent Chinese, Magee risked his life by taking 16mm movies of some of the attrocities. When Magee returned to the U.S., he toured the country, showing the films in order to show complacent Americans the horrors of war.
I am eagerly awaiting the movie, and hope to have a follow-on movie about John Magee’s son.
