Hiroshima (1953)
Directed by Hideo Sekigawa
Genres - Drama, Culture & Society |
Release Date - May 16, 1955 (USA - Unknown), May 16, 1955 (USA) |
Run Time - 104 min. |
Countries - Japan |
MPAA Rating - NR
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Synopsis by Hal Erickson
It is altogether fitting that the first major film about the bombing of Hiroshima should emerge from a Japanese studio. The atomic bomb is dropped at the beginning of the film; the remaining 80 minutes deals with the horrible aftermath. The episodic screenplay deals with too many victims to offer a focussed point of view on the event. The only character with whom the audience can identify for any extended period of time is a young boy who managed to survive the bombing, but who has been orphaned and is thus subject to scrutiny and persecution by the harried authorities. The film closes with a "ten years later" coda, as the now-grown-up boy reflects upon his life since that fateful August day in 1945.