Hiroshima, Nagasaki

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Summary

This classic, unforgettable film features the first film footage shot following the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945. The viewer becomes an eyewitness to the bomb's aftermath, lite...

This classic, unforgettable film features the first film footage shot following the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945. The viewer becomes an eyewitness to the bomb's aftermath, literally walking through the rubble and hospitals jammed with dying people. In August 1945 a Japanese filmmaker, Akira Iwasaki, who was jailed by the Japanese government during WW II for his antiwar beliefs, documented the effects of this new weapon. With only black and white film available, he recorded stark and often simple, but telling images of the vast destruction, such as the shadows of leaves, flowers and other objects burned onto stone. The footage was classified secret by the U.S. government and not made public until 1970 when it was obtained by Erik Barnouw of Columbia University, who produced the film from several hours of footage, adding a factual, understated narration, letting the images largely speak for themselves.

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