preview

Compare And Contrast The Atomic Bomb And Hiroshima Mon Amour

Decent Essays
Open Document

The Atomic Bomb and Hiroshima mon Amour “You saw nothing in Hiroshima. Nothing.” In Hiroshima mon Amour, mise-en-scene and editing are used in conjunction with inspiration from the French New Wave Movement to express the severity and complexity of the traumas endured following the atomic bomb in Hiroshima, Japan in 1945. In this trauma narrative, mise-en-scene and disjunctive editing create a unique tone that ultimately represents the crippling struggle between past, present, and future. This “struggle” also allows for an emerging theme between personal and public tragedies, understanding the link between She (Emmanuelle Riva)’s experiences and the bombing in Hiroshima. Involved in two wars during the time of Hiroshima mon Amour’s release in 1959, the ideological stance of France was inevitably centered around war. However, this film presents an alternative ideological viewpoint, focusing on suffering and remembrance rather than the tragedies themselves. This point of view can be traced back to the start of the French New Wave movement where using film to portray thoughts and emotions allowed filmmaker Alan Resnais the opportunity to produce a film with his own strong creative touch. The first scene in this film opens on a dark room inside of which a couple lay naked wrapped in each other’s arms. Light classical music plays in the background, and She tells her story of Hiroshima. He (Eiji Okada) frequently chimes in with his strong, deep voice, telling She that she

Get Access