The closing scenes show a U.S. mass grave at Hungnam as the city burns during the Hungnam evacuation. Captions state that 105,000 U.S. troops were evacuated by 24 December and that the 9th Corps captured Hungnam. The captions explain the significance of the battle of Lake Changjin, which was a "perfect example for annihilating a U.S. reinforced regiment", how it, together with operations in the west, stopped MacArthur's "presumptuous" plan to end the war by Christmas and forced the U.S. led "UN Command" back from the Yalu River and below the 38th Parallel and "set the stage for the final victory of the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea." The captions state that more than 197,000 Chinese died in the war. The film ends with the caption: "The great spirit of the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid (North) Korea will eternally be renewed! Eternal glory to the great martyrs of the People's Volunteer Army!"
US Marine Lieutenant General Richard E. Carey, a veteran of the Battle of Chosin Reservoir, criticized the film as propaganda and a distorted depiction of the battle. Carey said that at Chosin Reservoir, despite being overwhelmingly outnumbered, American forces badly defeated, demoralized and so wounded the Chinese forces, that a legion's worth of men had to withdraw to China to completely regroup and reequip. He described the Battle of Chosin Reservoir as a Chinese defeat. Carey also stated that up to 100,000 Korean refugees were evacuated together with UN troops at Hungnam. In addition, Kim Young-kweon of Voice of America noted that during the battle, US and UN forces suffered significantly less casualties than the Chinese.[57]
American sources refer to the battle as the Battle of Chosin Reservoir, using the Japanese transliteration that was written on U.S. maps. Whichever orthography we use, this artificial lake in North Korea, some 50 miles from the Chinese border and nestled among 6,000-foot mountains, was the setting for a fight that reshaped the histories of not only both Koreas, China, and the United States, but really the entire 20th century.
For two weeks, both sides fought one another and the elements. Outnumbered and surrounded by an often unseen adversary, American soldiers struggled with frostbite, dead batteries, frozen supplies, and the unceasing stress of temperatures that stayed below zero for days on end. Some 8,000 American, South Korean, and British marines and soldiers froze to death, nearly half of their total casualties for the battle.
From the American side, the escape and evacuation is celebrated as heroism. The battle produced more medals of honor than any engagement other than the 1944-45 Battle of the Bulge. Facing long odds and outnumbered four to one, the marines managed to break out of their containment and fight their way to the eastern coast at Hungnam, where an air and sea evacuation took some 100,000 American and South Korean military personnel (and nearly that many civilian refugees) to the south. Survival was no small victory, but prospects for a quick end to the war were lost, along with 23,000 square miles of territory. The evacuation at Hungnam was the last time American or South Korean troops would fight in North Korea. The war would last for another two years, but the front would remain around the 38th parallel, right where it had started.
When the battle began, the unit had about 3,200 troops, including roughly 700 South Korean soldiers. During the withdrawal to the south, the Chinese ambushed the task force and massacred wounded soldiers. Little more than 1,000 survivors eventually made it to friendly lines, of which only 385 were still able to fight. (In 1999, Task Force Faith received a Presidential Unit Citation.)
The film has drawn considerable criticism internationally for the liberties it takes with historical facts surrounding the battle, with many viewing the piece primarily as state propaganda to galvanize patriotic feelings. Showcasing the retreat of U.S. forces during the battle, the release of The Battle at Lake Changjin has also come at a particularly sensitive time in U.S.-China relations.
Three bright red characters are prominently featured on the movie poster for The Battle at Lake Changjin: é æ æ Chang Jin Hu (Changjin Lake), Chinese for what is also known as Chosin, the man-made lake located in the northeast of the Korean peninsula where one of the most important and harrowing battles of the Korean War (1950-1953) took place.
The movie Changjin Lake provides a Chinese perspective on the start of the Korean War and the lead-up and unfolding of the battle of Chosin Reservoir, a massive ground attack of the Chinese 9th Army Group against American forces, preventing them from driving Kim Il-Sung and his government out of North Korea.
Through elaborate and spectacular battle scenes, Changjin Lake shows the violent confrontations and brutal sufferings during the battle, that went on for seventeen days. Some 150,000 Chinese soldiers encircled and attacked the U.N. forces from the surrounding hills at the Chosin area.
Tens of thousands of lives were lost on both the Chinese and American side in the bitter cold and fierce fighting. From the start of the attack to December 14th, nearly 30,000 Chinese men died of frostbite at the site of the battle and the surrounding snowcapped mountains, where temperatures would drop 20-30 degrees below zero.2
The Changjin Lake movie is the living proof of how the Korean War and the Chosin battle are anything but forgotten in China. The Chinese attack at Chosin is remembered as a glorious victory and strategic success for turning around the war situation in Korea and leading to a withdrawal of most of the UN forces by late 1950. The battle set the stage for the ceasefire that eventually ended the war in 1953.
It is a scene that is telling for the narrative the movie conveys about the Chosin battle and the war at large, during which the Chinese troops were severely underestimated by the well-equipped U.N. forces.
Besides the online discussions and art works dedicated to the film, there were also social media users who, inspired by the scenes of the soldiers on the battlefield, prepared frozen potatoes to try for themselves. Some local cinemas even distributed frozen potatoes to audiences before the movie.
The lead Marine elements around Yudam-ni struggled to hold back the Chinese assault while Charlie and Fox Companies of the 7th Marines struggled to defend their thin lines near Toktong Pass. During these intense battles, Marines such as Private Hector Cafferata, Staff Sergeant Robert Kennemore, and Corporal Lee Phillips would earn the Medal of Honor for their brave and resolute actions.
The US X Corps and Republic of Korea I Corps reported 10,495 casualties during the fighting around Chosin. And the brutal cold added another 7,388 Marines to the list as non-battle casualties. On the Chinese side, the losses were significant as well. While estimates do vary, historians now believe that the Chinese suffered 19,202 combat casualties and an additional 28,954 non-combat casualties.
Chinese and US forces clashed at Lake Changjin, also known by its Japanese name, Chosin Reservoir, in a battle that lasted from November 27 to December 13, 1950. The result was a massive blow to US imperialism, preventing it from gaining a larger foothold on the Asian continent. The US military was pushed back to Hungnam, from where it and other UN forces were forced to retreat back across the 38th parallel. It was one of the largest US retreats by sea in history.
The film itself is largely unremarkable and drags on for two hours and 48 minutes. Scenes are notable for all the wrong reasons, with the battles accounting for more than a third of the movie. Filmed with heavy use of CGI, it resembles a comic book or video game, is extremely violent, and lacks seriousness.
The Chinese volunteer army was so poorly equipped that tens of thousands froze to death as the temperature in the Chosin Reservoir reached minus 30 degrees Celsius. According to official Chinese reports, the army recorded 48,156 casualties during the battle, with nearly 29,000 being non-battle-related deaths. As for the UN troops, they lost 17,843 lives, with 7,338 killed by the brutally cold weather. However, the latter managed to retreat and eventually evacuate 98,100 refugees and civilians who wanted to escape the Soviet-backed military regime out of Northeastern Korea, a region surrounded by the Korean People's Army (KPA).
"We can't just die here!" CMC Pictures has debuted an official US Trailer for the upcoming US release this month of the Chinese epic war movie The Battle at Lake Changjin, which has already been heralded in China as their highest grossing movie of all time in the country. Set during the Second Phase Offensive of the Korean War, The Battle at Lake Changjin movie tells an epic historical tale: 71 years ago, the People's Volunteer Army (PVA) entered North Korea for battle. Under extreme freezing conditions, the troops on the Eastern Front pursued with fearless spirit and iron will, as they courageously fought against the enemy at Lake Changjin (also known as Chosin Reservoir) - which was the US Army. The battle was a turning point in the Korean War and demonstrated the courage and resolve of the PVA. It's co-directed by a trio of iconic Chinese filmmakers: Kaige Chen & Dante Lam & Tsui Hark. It's honestly a bit strange to see them making this kind of jingoistic movie, but perhaps that's the point. The movie stars Wu Jing, Jackson Yee, Duan Yihong, Zhu Yawen, Li Chen, and Elvis Han. This looks like one of THE most epic war films ever made, with more intense action than usual. It's also an extremely violent trailer - all out war violence everywhere.
38c6e68cf9