Product Details

• Actors: Wen Jiang, Kenya Sawada, Yihong Jiang, Teruyuki Kagawa, Ding Yuan
• Directors: Wen Jiang
• Writers: Wen Jiang, Fengwei You, Haiying Li, Jianquan Shi, Ping Shu
• Producers: Hua Zhang
• Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: Chinese (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: Homevision
• DVD Release Date: April 19, 2005
• Run Time: 139 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0007PAMJW
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #109,157 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Devils on the Doorstep" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, and banned in its native country, Jiang Wen’s ravishingly photographed anti-war epic is set in 1945 in a Japanese-occupied rural Chinese village. Wen stars as Ma Dasan, a peasant, who, one night at gunpoint, is compelled to shelter two prisoners. One is a captured Japanese soldier who wants to be killed, the other his Chinese interpreter, who wants to stay alive. As the days turn into months, Dasan and his fellow villagers keep their unwanted guests hidden from the Japanese forces, while deciding whether or not to execute their captives. A plan to exchange the men for grain leads to the film’s harrowing and devastating climax.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars BRILLIANT WWII BLACK COMEDY FROM CHINA, April 1, 2005

By 

Robin Simmons (Palm Springs area, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Devils on the Doorstep (DVD)

A masterpiece of recent Chinese cinema, Jiang Wen's DEVILS ON THE DOORSTEP (Home Vision Entertainment) has two big endorsements: it won the Grand Jury Prize at Cannes and was banned in China.

It's 1945. The Japanese army occupies a tiny north Chinese village. Ma Dasan (played by director Wen) is a peasant, who, one night at gunpoint, unexpectedly finds himself responsible for two Japanese soldiers bound in bags. One hostage wants to be killed, while the other, his interpreter, wants to live. Time passes and everyone around Dasan wants him to kill his prisoners, but he has another plan. What starts out as a howling farce, quickly turns fiercely harrowing.

Jiang Wen has not been allowed to make another film. This is a great looking black and white film. Its rich and bold cinematography perfectly matches its subject matter.

This work of by one of China's greatest filmmakers is not to be missed.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Six Stars (my wish), October 2, 2006

By 

Mastorna "8 1/2" (Dominican Republic) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Devils on the Doorstep (DVD)

I could not give a better review to this movie. ( no more stars available to give).
after viewing it, I thought it was indeed movies like this one what makes collecting them worthwhile.
The quality of this film rests above the accomplishment of its fundamental subject and inclination, it goes beyond conventions, delivering an extremely creative approach to the delicate and still latent issues regarding the Japanese invation of mainland Asia. This movie has one of the most dramatic and well structured endings I have ever seen.... it wraps everything up in the most masterly way. Every piece falls in place, either with uttermost dignity or brutality.

Europeans have well assimilated the plain facts of WWII. Dutch and Germans often mock eachother, although it is in generally meant as joke. This is not the case of Asia, It is still, sadly, much more "emotion" than pragmatism and honest understanding of history. This movie shows, the inner gohsts of the ruthless Japanese Asian conquest campaign.

Script structure: Flawless, Photography: impeccable, direction: pristine, editing: superb.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Forgotten Classic, August 29, 2006

By 

Mr. P. Johnson "Pete Johnson" (London) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Devils on the Doorstep (DVD)

For any fan of Kurosawa, or more recent Chinese Cinema, this will prove a delightful discovery. Sumptuous scenery around the Great Wall provides the backdrop for this most-forgotten of Wartime theatres. The sense of claustrophobia and at times, sheer terror, is well-portrayed by a cast unknown to Western viewers.
A lesson in betrayal and lost trust. Highly recommended.