Fresh
"Back to 1942" shows the director's mastery of chaotic spectacle, massed human motion and elegant camera movements.
Mark Jenkins, Washington Post
Back to 1942
History should never be forgotten.
2012 · 2h 25m · Not Rated
Drama, War
Directed by
Feng Xiaogang
Overview
In 1942, Henan Province was devastated by one of the most tragic famines in modern Chinese history, resulting in the deaths of at least three million men, women and children. Although the primary cause of the famine was a severe drought, it was exacerbated by locusts, windstorms, earthquakes, epidemic disease and the corruption of the ruling Kuomintang government.
Director and cast
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
36%
Tomatometer
Rotten
Director Feng Xiaogang captures the epic scale of the exodus as well as the often-harrowing details, yet emotional connection proves more elusive.
Sheri Linden, Los Angeles Times
Rotten
A chronicle of unrelenting misery, sorrow and human degradation that has powerful moments but is hardly uplifting.
Bruce Demara, Toronto Star
Rotten
It catalogs agony without making you feel it.
Neil Genzlinger, New York Times
Rotten
Shifting between individual suffering (performed, not felt) and extended political and business deliberations, the pic displays its budget but not its heart.
Jay Weissberg, Variety
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