(aka 'Kuroi ame' or 'Black Rain')
directed by Shohei Imamura
Japan 1989
Extremely powerful film by Imamura which exposes the effects of Hiroshima's bombing, but like the characters, does not dwell obsessively on the event. There is no shock value to this film. That would have been too easy. This is as subtle an expression as you will find, hence heightening the effectiveness.
It fatefully begins on August 6, 1945. A family in Hiroshima are leaving the city traveling to the island of Furué where other relatives reside. The first atomic bomb is then unleashed on human beings without blinding and unexpected power. As they are forced to cross the city by foot, we can see the effects of the devastation. As history will inform us, the immediate dead will soon be followed (in 6-8 weeks) by even more causalities of radiation sickness. Seemingly not to dwell on the event, Imamura shifts focus (based on the novel by Masuji Ibuse), to an Ozu-like social expression. The aunt and uncle of the family try to get their niece wed to a decent suitor... which means doctoring her 'diary' and medical records to hide her probable radiation poisoning. They too are succumbing with daily increasing illness.
By focusing on the effects of one small isolated
group, the magnitude of the devastation is all that more reaching. This film is
filled with images that will stay with me for years. Certainly the best film I
have seen by Imamura and possibly the best film I have seen in months.
out
of
Posters
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Theatrical Release: May 13th, 1989 - Japan
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews
DVD Review: Image Entertainment (OOP) - Region 0- NTSC
| DVD Box Cover |
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CLICK to order from:
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| Distribution | Image Entertainment - Region 0- NTSC | |
| Runtime | 2:02:24 | |
| Video | 1.85:1
Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 6.12 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s |
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NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
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| Bitrate: |
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| Audio | Japanese (Dolby Digital 1.0) | |
| Subtitles | English (burned) | |
| Features |
Release Information: Studio: Image Entertainment
Aspect Ratio:
DVD Release Date: March 18, 1998 |
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| Comments: |
This disc is way Out of Print... for the film, not the DVD quality.
Burned in
subs and a very hazy image deny this films deserved respect on digital
versatile disc. Non-anamorphic but widescreen, there are no extras.
Subtitles are visible but intrusive. I suspect quite lacking in
translation as well. Someone must put this film out on DVD soon -
properly. It is
essential viewing.
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out of
Recommended Reading for Japanese Film Fans (CLICK COVERS or TITLES for more information)
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The Japan Journals : 1947-2004, by Donald Richie |
The Midnight Eye Guide to New Japanese Film by Tom Mes and Jasper Sharp |
Kon Ichikawa (Cinematheque Ontario Monographs) by James Quandt, Cinematheque Ontario |
Shohei Imamura (Cinematheque
Ontario Monographs, No. 1) by James Quandt |
Eros Plus Massacre: An
Introduction to the Japanese New Wave Cinema
(Midland Book, Mb 469) by David Desser |
The Films of Akira Kurosawa by Donald Ritchie |
by Yasujiro Ozu, Kogo Noda, Donald Richie, Eric Klestadt |
Ozu by Donald Ritchie |
A Hundred Years of Japanese Film by Donald Richie |
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