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{{Filmjr |title=Inside Fighting China |embid= |embsv= |heldby= |synop='''''Inside Fighting China''''' is a 1941 22-minute Canadian [[short subject|short]] [[documentary film]] produced by the [[National Film Board of Canada]] for distribution by [[United Artists]], as part of the wartime ''[[Series:The World in Action|The World in Action]]'' series.{{#tag:ref|With ''[[Moving Image:Inside Fighting Canada]]'' and ''Inside Fighting Russia'', ''Inside Fighting China'' was part of a NFB trilogy with a similar theme.|group=Note}} The film documents [[China]]'s resistance to [[Japan]]'s invasion during the [[Pacific War|Second World War]]. ''Inside Fighting China'' is directed by [[Stuart Legg]], and [[narrated]] by [[Lorne Greene]]. The film's [[Canadian French|French]] version title is ''La Chine sous les armes''.{{TOC limit|limit=2}} |forma= |year=1941 |up=|next=|prev=|step=1 |lang=English |pbrs= |len=00:22:00 |link= |bw= |ani= |ewid=|oembedid=|mdpi=|oclc= |dopt=2|athumb= }} {{Infobox film | image = Inside Fighting China.jpg | caption = Title frame | director = [[Stuart Legg]] | producer = | writer = Stuart Legg | narrator = [[Lorne Greene]] | starring = | music = | cinematography = | editing = Stuart Legg | studio = [[National Film Board of Canada]] | distributor = [[United Artists]] | released = {{Film date|1941}} | runtime = 22 minutes | country = Canada | language = English | budget = }} == Synopsis == In 1931, while the United States and the United Kingdom are mired in the [[Great Depression]] and consumed with domestic strife, Japanese territorial ambitions on China have not provoked international attention. With their diplomats extolling a new [[Empire of Japan|East Asian empire]], Japan began a campaign to brutally subjugate China. Following the [[Mukden Incident]] and the [[Japanese invasion of Manchuria]], China's call for an investigation of war crimes, resulted in the [[League of Nations]] probing the use of poison gas and [[Napalm|"liquid fire]]" by Japan. The international body ultimately did not intervene to end the Japanese aggression, allowing Japan as an occupying force to exploit the raw material resources of the region. Manchuria was only the first "stepping stone" in Japan's plans, with the conquest of China leading to future aspirations on Burma and India. By 1937, plans were in place for a rapid [[Second Sino-Japanese War|three-month campaign]] that would collapse any Chinese resistance. Initially, the Japanese scored major victories, such as the [[Battle of Shanghai]], and overrunning the Chinese capital of [[Nanking]]. Slowly, China began to react to the Japanese invasion with individuals rallying behind the Communist and Nationalist groups that had once been vying for power. In political rallies, at schools, even in the fields, ordinary Chinese were coming together not only to stem the tide of Japanese attacks but also to address the economic and social needs that have bedevilled China. "... people still needed to learn how to conquer poverty, promote the well being of people and labour for the common good." After failing to stop the Japanese in [[Battle of Wuhan|Wuhan]], the Chinese central government was relocated to [[Chongqing]] in the Chinese interior. By 1939, Chinese victories in [[Battle of Changsha (1939)|Changsha]] and [[Battle of South Guangxi|Guangxi]] continued to put pressure on the beleaguered Chinese military. The Japanese [[attack on Pearl Harbor]] in 1941, however, brought the United States into the [[total war|global conflict]] on the side of the [[British Empire]]. With [[Allies of World War II|Western allies]] finally reacting to the Japanese threat in the [[Pacific War|Far East]], war matériel was shipped to China. Other nations, including Canada, trained Chinese soldiers and airmen. Facing a new Chinese resolve, despite the Japanese victories and incursions deep into the interior territories, the stretched lines of the occupying forces resulted in the [[Second Sino-Japanese War|war in China]] deteriorating into an [[stalemate|impasse]]. == More Details == ===Cast=== {{div col}} * [[Herbert Hoover]] * Yashido Kichibu, Japanese diplomat * [[Hideki Tojo]], Japanese diplomat * Yosuki Matusoka, Japanese diplomat * Keishi Yokosawa, Japanese diplomat * [[Hirohito|Emperor Hirohito]] {{div col end}} ===Production=== Typical of the NFB's Second World War documentary [[short film]]s in ''The World in Action'' series, ''Inside Fighting China'' was made in cooperation with the Director of Public Information, Herbert Lash.<ref name="Tribune">[https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/37352863/ "Recognize leadership of Winnipeg women."]''The Winnipeg Tribune'', April 18, 1941. Retrieved: February 9, 2016.</ref> The film was created as a morale boosting [[propaganda film]].{{#tag:ref| Significantly, ''Inside Fighting China'' was released two years before ''[[The Battle of China]]'' (1944), the sixth film of [[Frank Capra]]'s ''[[Why We Fight]]'' propaganda film series.<ref>Brinkley and Haske 2004, p. 368.</ref>|group=Note}}''Inside Fighting China'' was a [[compilation documentary]] that relied heavily on newsreel material, edited by Stuart Legg to provide a coherent story.<ref name="CFE">Morris, Peter. [http://www.filmreferencelibrary.ca/index.asp?layid=44&csid1=615&navid=66 "Film Reference Library: Canada Carries On."]{{dead link|date=April 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} ''Canadian Film Encyclopedia''. Retrieved: February 11, 2016.</ref> The deep baritone voice of stage actor [[Lorne Greene]] was featured in the narration of ''Inside Fighting China''. Greene, known for his work on both radio broadcasts as a news announcer at ''[[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|CBC]]'' as well as narrating many of the ''Canada Carries On'' series.<ref>Bennett 2004, p. 254.</ref> His sonorous recitation led to his nickname, "The Voice of Canada", and to some observers, the "voice-of-God".<ref name="Rist">Rist 2001, p. 84.</ref> When reading grim battle statistics or narrating a particularly serious topic, he was known as "The Voice of Doom".<ref>[https://tkmorin.wordpress.com/2013/01/16/bonanzas-canadian-lorne-greene/ "Bonanza's Canadian Lorne Greene."] ''Bite Size Canada''. Retrieved: February 11, 2016.</ref> ===Reception=== ''Inside Fighting China'' was produced in 35&nbsp;mm for the theatrical market. To ensure that Canadians from coast-to-coast could see them, each film was shown over a six-month period as part of the shorts or newsreel segments in approximately 800 theatres across Canada. After the success of ''[[Warclouds in the Pacific]]'', the NFB was able to make a further arrangement with United Artists for additional titles to be distributed in the United States.<ref name="Ellis">Ellis and McLane 2005, p. 122.</ref> After the six-month theatrical tour ended, individual films were made available on 16&nbsp;mm to schools, libraries, churches and factories, extending the life of these films for another year or two. They were also made available to film libraries operated by university and provincial authorities. A total of 199 films were produced before the series was canceled in 1959.<ref name="Ohayon">Ohayon, Albert. [http://blog.nfb.ca/2009/07/13/propaganda-cinema/ "Propaganda cinema at the NFB".] ''National Film Board of Canada'', July 13, 2009. Retrieved: February 13, 2016.</ref> Historian Malek Khouri, in analyzing ''Inside Fighting China'' and the role of propaganda in the NFB wartime documentaries, said. "During the early years of the NFB, its creative output was largely informed by the turbulent political and social climate the world was facing. World War II, Communism, unemployment, the role of labour unions, and working conditions were all subjects featured by the NFB during the period from 1939 to 1946".<ref>Khouri 2007, [https://www.amazon.ca/Filming-Politics-Malek-Khouri/dp/1552381994/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1411908975&sr=1-1&keywords=9781552381991 back cover].</ref> Khouri further stated: "unity between people from different political viewpoints is essential for defeating fascism and other forms of oppression. Such unity is also crucial for building a better and more prosperous future. Sending home a familiar message on the need to overcome political differences, Legg cites the example of the Popular Front in China, where Nationalists and Communists joined together in the resistance against the Japanese invasion in the late 1930s. ... earlier western governments' ignoring of economic and social problems eventually also led them to ignoring the growing menace of fascism which fed on social instability and lack of equitable social systems. The film also condemns the inaction of western governments in relation to the pre-war Japanese invasion of China. In a phraseology that echoes those used in statements by leaders of Communist and Popular Front movements in Canada and around the world, the film affirms that to counter all kinds of oppression people need to 'organize and unite'."<ref>Khouri 2007, pp. 136–137.</ref> ===Awards=== ''Inside Fighting China'' was nominated for an [[Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature]] at the [[15th Academy Awards]] in 1942, as part of an expanded category featuring over two dozen nominations for [[List of Allied propaganda films of World War II|World War II Allied propaganda films]].<ref name="ampas 1942">[http://awardsdatabase.oscars.org/ampas_awards/DisplayMain.jsp?curTime=1263515494445 "1942 (15th Academy Awards)."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120112110103/http://awardsdatabase.oscars.org/ampas_awards/DisplayMain.jsp?curTime=1263515494445 |date=2012-01-12 }} ''Academy Awards Database'' ([[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]]). Retrieved: February 13, 2016.</ref> "... 'Inside Fighting China', one of the earlier films to talk about China's struggles with Japan. It came out two years before Frank Capra's full length documentary 'The Battle of China'."<ref>Sobieniak, Christopher.[http://bestanimatedshort.blogspot.com/2013/08/best-documentary-highlights-double.html "Best Documentary Highlights Double Feature (1942)."] ''Best Animated Short'', August 17, 2013. Retrieved: February 13, 2016.</ref> ==See also== * ''[[Warclouds in the Pacific]]'' (1941) NFB documentary that warned of an imminent Japanese attack on the United States * ''[[Pincers on Japan]]'' (1941), a NFB documentary on the [[Pacific War]] ==References== ===Notes=== {{Reflist|group=Note}} ===Citations=== {{Reflist|30em}} ===Bibliography=== {{Refbegin}} * Bennett, Linda Greene. ''My Father's Voice: The Biography of Lorne Greene''. Bloomington, Indiana: iUniverse, Inc., 2004. {{ISBN|978-0-595-33283-0}}. * Brinkley, Douglas and Michael Haskew. ''The World War II Desk Reference''. New York: HarperCollins, 2004. p.&nbsp;368. {{ISBN|978-0-7858-2427-5}}. * Ellis, Jack C. and Betsy A. McLane. ''New History of Documentary Film''. London: Continuum International Publishing Group, 2005. {{ISBN|0-8264-1750-7}}. * Khouri, Malek. ''Filming Politics: Communism and the Portrayal of the Working Class at the National Film Board of Canada, 1939-46.'' Calgary, Alberta, Canada: University of Calgary Press, 2007. {{ISBN|978-1-55238-199-1}}. * Rist, Peter. ''Guide to the Cinema(s) of Canada''. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2001. {{ISBN|978-0-3132-9931-5}}. {{Refend}} ==External links== * [https://www.nfb.ca/film/inside_fighting_china Watch ''Inside Fighting China'' at NFB.ca] * [http://onf-nfb.gc.ca/en/our-collection/?idfilm=16289 ''Inside Fighting China'' at NFB Collections website] * {{IMDb title|0034897|Inside Fighting China}} [[Category:English-language films]] [[Category:Canadian black-and-white films]] [[Category:Canadian short documentary films]] [[Category:National Film Board of Canada documentaries]] [[Category:National Film Board of Canada short films]] [[Category:Second Sino-Japanese War films]] [[Category:Films directed by Stuart Legg]] [[Category:Documentary films about the Republic of China (1912–1949)]] [[Category:1941 documentary films]] [[Category:Black-and-white documentary films]] [[Category:The World in Action]] [[Category:Quebec films]] [[Category:Canadian films]]

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