Customer Reviews

Hiroshima

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This 1995 TV miniseries was a good one, that got too little fanfare on Showtime, but it's worth owning on DVD. Most of the actors are not well known big names, but chosen because they resemble and act like President Harry Truman, Winston Churchill, Stalin, Hirohito, and the other US, British and Japanese military and political figures of the day. It's fullscreen, but that's fine since it was fullscreen when it premiered. Don't expect a massive battle scene or action, but the dialogue, footage, and interviews with actual living participants are worth the price of this DVD. This could be a staple for any World War II history class, or any professor teaching on US, Asian, or military history. Hiroshima is unflinching in its portrayal of the good, the bad, and the torn on both sides of the final days of World War II.

"Hiroshima" is a fascinating, factual portrayal of the events surrounding the conclusion of World War II. The inter-mixing of documentary and historically accurate drama was exceptionally well done, and it is obvious that the producers of this project took great lengths to not only be historically accurate, but to be as unbiased and neutral as possible.

If you are into Historical movies, this one is for you.
The use of Atomic bombs on civilian cities and the changes they create in wars are devestating.
This 3 hours TV series is pretty similar to HBO's "Band of brothers" as far as acting, and telling the story, not to forget the great true war footage used through out, making it a definite must own to any person who is into this genre of movies or wants to know how all the decisions were taken during that hard period on both sides of the war.
Definitely highly recommended. "Hiroshima".

Students of World War II have few better backgrounders than this expertly researched, deeply insightful, and widely praised hybrid of dramatic reenactment and historical documentary. The Canadian-Japanese co-production details the events and machinations leading up to the end of the war in Japan on both the American and Japanese sides, as well as on the parts of the Russians and British. The decision to drop atomic bombs on Japan is so fraught with moral and political questions that context is of vital importance in discussing and judging the wisdom or folly of those who took these actions.

In this three-hour made-for-TV film, first-rate lookalike actors portray Truman, Hirohito, Churchill, Stalin, Oppenheimer, Groves, and many other figures who were integral to the war's end. Uncannily realistic portrayals in perfect period settings are seamlessly interwoven with archival footage and interviews with real soldiers, scientists, and other civilians who bear direct witness to their experiences. A myriad of fascinating secrets and connections are revealed. It is as if you are there, a fly on the wall as history unfolds. Superb.

This is a very well crafted drama, interspersed with real footage and occasional interviews. The acting is top notch, the writing is excellent (as is to be expected from John Hopkins) and it neatly shows the steps that led to the dropping of the atomic bomb - a form of paranoia on both sides that is perhaps inevitable after so many years of war. It's quite a sympathetic view of both sides - looking at both the US and Japanese povs - perhaps too sympathetic - who can say? Either way, it's a great piece of drama.

This is by far the most engaging historical presentation I've seen. All of the acting and filming comes across as very authentic. The film bounces around from several points of view: political, scientific, and military leaders from US and Japan. There are well done segments depicting how the average soldiers viewed this new destructive device. One saying that the first A-Bomb looked like "an egg layed by the devil himself". The blending of actual historical footage with simulated historical footage is masterfully done. It is often difficult to tell which is which. I was particularly interested in the depiction of Japan's political leadership trying to maneuver around an all consuming Japanese military hell-bent on national suicide. These scenes are spoken in Japanese and you will have to be a quick subtitle reader to catch it all.
There never seems to be a dull moment in the movie. I was surprised to read that the film is 180 minutes long-it seems to go by quickly.

The history involved in making this movie is so detailed and correct that years after having seen it for the first time, I run across obscure facts that tie directly to scenes. For example, very recent discoveries are beginning to show that the Japanese were quite close to developing an atomic bomb themselves, and that this fact was hidden both by them and the occupation government. At one point in the movie there is a line where Kido informs the Emperor that "the scientist said that he knew it was an atomic bomb when he saw it from the air". Only recently has it been learned that the chief scientist in the Japanese atomic bomb program did indeed fly over Hiroshima and identified the source of the damage due to is intimate knowledge of the subject. This was confirmed by an interview with his assistant several years after this movie was made. The dialogue from Hiroshima on both sides is taken directly from primary source materials, and is transcribed with such accuracy that simply watching the movie can provide insights when doing related research. It is a pleasure to see such exceptional scholarship in a primarily entertainment medium.

Hiroshima is part documentary and part film, blended seamlessly to create one of the most amazing pieces in cinema history. This is not even debatable.

Aside from the historical significance, and the countless lessons learned from WWII and the A-bobm, this movie takes a personal approach not usually seen or discussed. There are realistic accounts of the time and difficulties during the war, as well as actual interviews from not only American soldiers, but also survivors from Hiroshima. Argue or debate the usage of either bomb, but the tales of those involved lend an awe-inspiring insight that demands attention and respect. One particular tale of an American soldier who had been hit by an explosion of some sort was very powerful. He held his own guts in his hands, and eventually was carried away on a stretcher. Moments later, when another weary soldier was searching for a place to rest, and the wounded soldier's guts were in lying beside him, the interviewee told of someone literally sitting on his stomach. The man's innards were outside of his body, being sit upon, and he merely told the other soldier to move them aside if rest was needed.

Perhaps what impressed me most about the movie is the production value. The grainy footage from decades ago merges with actual movie footage so well that at times, the difference between the two is indiscernable. It's very easy to become immersed in the story, and forget that some participants are actors.

I can't recommend this movie highly enough.

This is not your typical Hollywood war movie - much more than that.
This is more of a "docu-drama" - it incorporates a lot of actual footage, occasionally stops the movie and does an interview with a surviving member of the actual scene, and pays a lot of attention to getting the details right. (Except for the profile shot of a B17 on the front cover of the movie...should have been a B29).

The subject begins with the death of FDR and follows Mr. Truman's first day in office through the bombing of both Hiroshima and Nagaski, and ends with the Japanese surrender.
My whole family enjoyed watching this. It does a really good job of keeping your attention, without all of the fake Hollywood special effects or mythical characters - just the facts, the way it really happened.
I rate this as a strong 5 and highly recommend it!

Having read and viewed much material on the momentus decision to use nuclear weapons at the end of WWII, I deem this the best balanced treatment of the subject yet produced on film. The arguments over the use of the bomb on Japan will continue ad infinitum. Whichever side one is on, the elements of this film should provide the basis for any position. It is easy to forget the context of the times when arguing the issue from the views of the early 21st century.