Lou Reed Inspired by film Nanking

BY MYCHELLE PETERSON

Have you ever seen a film or read a book that was so inspiring that it made you want to create an artistic response to it? Or you just wanted to take any kind of action because you felt compelled to do so, the force of the piece of art you had just absorbed was that powerful? Well, if you are Lou Reed, instead of just wishing you could, you actually do, as he recently composed a musical complement to the film Nanking.

Nanking is a documentary of mind-blowing proportion, exposing one of the most horrific, largely unknown tragedies. During the early part of World War II, before Pearl Harbor, the former Chinese capital of Nanking was savagely invaded and occupied by the Japanese. It is estimated that the Japanese army committed 20,000 rapes in the first month alone of the occupation, in addition to murdering somewhere in the vicinity of 200,000 Chinese men, women and children in the most barbaric manner imaginable. If you, like me, do not recall this from your high school history class, it’s probably because it was never mentioned.

Seeing this film stirs powerful emotions, and Lou Reed felt compelled to create a musical companion to the film. Though the songs were not used in Nanking, they are directly tied to Lou’s visceral response to the disturbing subject matter.

While “Gravity” is a more emotional track, symbolically pounding on about the burden of war, “Safety Zone” very literally spells out the conditions the Chinese refugees were living under as they tried to escape the Japanese occupation by hiding in the enclave created by seven brave Westerners. Both tracks are classic Lou Reed, with his straightforward and uncomplicated vocals backed by unique, yet simple melodies.

Nanking has been making its way across the country, with exclusive limited-run engagements in most major cities. If you take away only one thing from the film, it is the remarkable courage of the survivors. While the cast boasts portrayals of the Safety Zone committee by such notable actors as Woody Harrelson, Mariel Hemingway and Jurgen Prochnow, the film belongs to the survivors who recall the atrocities of Nanking and how they survived to tell their story.

What is remarkable here is the intersection of music, art and real life. A real-life tragedy inspired the making of a poignant and eye-opening documentary. The film, in turn, inspired the creation of Lou’s music. And the music is inspiring in its own way, hopefully exposing a segment of the population to this film in order to educate people about both the tragedies and the triumphs of war.

Both “Safety Zone” and “Gravity” are available at iTunes and can be streamed at Lou Reed’s official Web site. Lou also will be delivering the keynote speech at this year’s SXSW in conjunction with a screening of Lou Reed’s Berlin, documenting a 2006 performance of the 1973 concept album and directed by Julian Schnabel.

Comments

[THX7168]

Never hear about Nanking or Reed's involvement with the project. Thanks for the article, will definitely have to check it out.