Hiroshima: BBC History of World War II

2005

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  • 1
7.8| 0h30m| en| More Info
Released: 05 August 2005
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Synopsis

Hiroshima is a BBC docudrama that premiered as a television special on 5 August 2005, marking the eve of the 60th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. The program was aired on the Discovery Channel in the United States. The documentary features historical reenactments using firsthand eyewitness accounts and computer-generated imagery of the explosion. The film won an Emmy and three BAFTA awards in 2006.

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Cast

John Hurt

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Reviews

ada the leading man is my tpye
AniInterview Sorry, this movie sucks
SparkMore n my opinion it was a great movie with some interesting elements, even though having some plot holes and the ending probably was just too messy and crammed together, but still fun to watch and not your casual movie that is similar to all other ones.
Janae Milner Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.
azizmatrix Although this is a well made documentary incorporating archive footage, interviews and 'dramatizations', it seems to me to be yet another example of the victors re-writing history. If I was a bomb- obsessed war-monger that wanted to conduct the ultimate experiment in nuclear technology and military power, even when it was not necessary, I would make a film like this to justify my actions and help make an entire nation feel much better about committing mass murder. This has been the official line since the bombs were dropped and they have successfully convinced most people that they were absolutely necessary. Otherwise, the idea of murdering close to 200,000 civilians is just impossible to confront. I think this is encapsulated by the poor, tight-lipped pilot who stubbornly refuses to have any emotion or doubt about his actions. This film seems to be for people like him.It's almost certain that these bombs were unnecessary. Thousands of tonnes of bombs had already been dropped, the Soviets had become involved and Japan was beaten. Weeks earlier, on July 12, 1945, Hirohito revealed that he was ready to end the war as long as the monarchy be granted immunity from war crimes - The US only accepted these conditions after dropping two atomic bombs on the country. One bomb was unnecessary, the second was borderline sadistic. Truman and others kept bumping up estimates of lives saved to a million, while military documents suggested 46,000 as a worst case scenario. There is virtually no mention of these circumstances in the film which demonstrates clear bias. If you come away thinking it was necessary, then the film has successfully deceived you, but it has failed as a documentary.
kamas716 I thought this was a very well done docudrama about the dropping of the bomb on Hiroshima. It mixed historical footage, survivor interviews and dramatic re-enactments to bring the story to light. It left out almost all of the moralistic arguments used to frame today's arguments and just told the story of what happened, mostly through the eyes of the people involved (of which there are precious few left). Whether you think the decision to drop the bombs was right or wrong, this is an excellent movie to help understand the event. If you don't know much about the circumstances surrounding the dropping of the A-bomb on Hiroshima, this should be one of the first sources you visit to add to your knowledge base.
anthony_retford There was a comment in this film about the compassion and the Japanese. I realize that many people died in the two blasts and that many died subsequently. In all of my readings I have never seen any instance of Japanese compassion. It is though the nation was born without it. I have viewed the Japanese people of that time as automatons to their Emporer, willing to die but not live. I am slightly older than the use of these two bombs and nothing will convince me that millions of Japanese would have been enlisted to fight any invasion, including school girls. The leaders of Japan seemed to view their citizens as fodder. We can imagine the reaction around the world if Truman had not used these bombs. He would have been castigated. I thought the puny power of these bombs compared to today's H-bombs should have been mentioned. Now the circle of death reaches out over 20 miles.
yossarian100 The message of this fairly well made documentary is its gift. No finger pointing. No demanding of apologies. No assignment of blame. Just a dramatic portrayal of events. Very dramatic. Some of the scenes, personal and intimate scenes, are very painful to watch but are there to illustrate a horror which is hard to imagine otherwise. I came away with the feeling that dropping the atomic bombs was a terrible thing, so terrible it is beyond comprehension, but, still, a necessary thing. However, this documentary is all about the sadness, the almost unbearable sadness, of it all. If you're trying to gain a better understanding of these events, I highly recommend this.

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