The last in a series of thirteen documentaries on humankind's "decisive moments," this film opens with the U.S. military plane Enola Gay departing for its fateful flight to Hiroshima on the morning of August 6, 1945. The following moments take the viewer on a quick trip through the key events and decisions of World War II, from Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor to America's dropping of the bomb, and relates the major steps in the development, testing and dropping of the world's first atomic bomb.
The documentary's greatest strength lies in the images of the wartime world. In rapid sequence, we see the era's major leaders, battles and entertainers; hear broadcasters such as Edward R. Murrow; and watch bedraggled Japanese prisoners of war, along with block on block of bomb-emptied Tokyo in the springtime. The narration is terse but effective, read by professionals. And the skillful combination of narration, visuals and wartime songs is sure to keep up the interest of the middle and high school viewers for whom the video is intended.
Because the film covers the entire war, issues and events are summarized in the sketchiest of manners. The actual bombing takes less than three minutes. Moreover, the perspective is distinctly--and traditionally--American. There is an abundance of announcements by American presidents and newscasters. Though the producers strive for fairness, considerable emphasis is placed on the things the Japanese did to provoke the atomic bomb: the 1941 surprise attack on an "unsuspecting America," Japan's early victories in Southeast Asia, Douglas MacArthur's prediction that an invasion of Japan would cost half a million American lives, Japan's use of kamikaze planes near the end of the war. Japanese views of the war and the use of atomic weapons are conspicuous by their absence. There is scant notice of the moral issues raised by the bomb. Indeed, when President Franklin Roosevelt dies, the narrator worries breathlessly about whether the bomb project "would survive."
At the same time, the vivid quality of the visuals, combined with brief mention of key issues, should make the film an excellent discussion starter in the hands of skilled teachers. General Dwight Eisenhower's opposition to dropping the atomic bombs (because Japan already was beaten) is mentioned, as is President Harry Truman's refusal to accept anything but "unconditional" surrender, and Murrow's comment that the bomb may have signified midnight as the world moved toward dawn. The film's most provocative moment comes at the very end, when shots of Hiroshima's devastation, followed by unnerving footage of scar-covered survivors, provide backdrop for a final comment that this bomb "changed the nature of war forever."
