Abstract:

"This classic, unforgettable film features the first footage shot following the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The viewer becomes an eyewitness to the bomb's aftermath, literally walking through the rubble and hospitals jammed with dying people. In August 1945 the Japanese government commissioned Akira Iwasaki, a filmmaker jailed during WWII for his antiwar beliefs, to document 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 U.S. military classified the raw footage as secret for over 20 years, before making it public. In 1970, Professor Barnouw obtained the footage and edited this film, adding a factual, eloquently understated narration."