'Phantom' A-bomb film 'Hiroshima,' with 88,000 extras, set for July 30 screening in Tokyo

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A scene from the 1953 film "Hiroshima." (Image courtesy of (C) "Kiseki eno Jonetsu Project")

 

TOKYO -- The 1953 Japanese film "Hiroshima," in which some 88,000 residents of the atomic-bombed city appeared as extras, will be screened at a civic center in western Tokyo on July 30, in the hope that many people will learn about the production conveying the reality of damage from the nuclear attack.

 

The movie, directed by Hideo Sekigawa, is based on the 1951 book "Genbaku no ko" (Children of The A-Bomb: Testament of the Boys and Girls of Hiroshima), compiled by Arata Osada. The story portrays the chaos in the immediate aftermath of the U.S.' Aug. 6, 1945 atomic bombing of Hiroshima, with some 88,000 residents, many of them survivors, performing as extras. It will be played at Kitano Community Center in the city of Hachioji on July 30.

 

Kai Kobayashi, 50, a film producer living in Hachioji and the grandson of Taihei Kobayashi, who was an assistant to the director in the film, has been working to have the film played at various locations. "As this year marks 70 years since the film's production, I want people to learn about the movie through which creators strove to share the reality of damage from the atomic bombing," Kai said.

 

"Filmed a mere eight years after the atomic bombing, a vast number of Hiroshima residents took part in the filmmaking with thoughts for their family members who perished in the bombing, and famous actors joined in. It's a film that could never be created again," Kai said.

 

Kai carries on the will of his father Ippei Kobayashi, who launched a drive to rerun the film in 2008, and completed a digitally remastered version in 2017. He also created English subtitles for the film in 2019.

 

After his father passed away in 2015, Kai moved to Hachioji and learned of the Hachiouji Peace and Atomic Bomb Museum, which exhibits documents and mementos of A-bomb victims. He has since been in talks with the museum over collaboration in passing down memories of the bombing. After some snags during the coronavirus pandemic, the latest project materialized in the wake of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, with the museum organizing the July 30 screening.

 

A scene from the 1953 film "Hiroshima." (Image courtesy of (C) "Kiseki eno Jonetsu Project")

 

"At the time (the film was created), the Korean War had broken out, and now Russia has invaded Ukraine. The nuclear threat is alive even 70 years on. I hope people will experience the power that this film has," Kai said.

 

Starring Hiroshima-native Yumeji Tsukioka and other actors, the film won the Berlin International Film Festival feature film award in 1955. However, its domestic distributor did not run the movie in Japan after being at odds with filmmakers about deleting some scenes. The film was thus called a "phantom movie."

 

The Hachioji peace museum, established in 1997, is open with free admission twice a week. It houses more than 2,000 books including notes written by A-bomb survivors, as well as clothes of a junior high school student who was killed in the Hiroshima atomic bombing.

 

Kotaro Sugiyama, 73, co-head of the museum, commented, "Even though the G7 summit was held in Hiroshima in May (this year), the reality of damage from the atomic bombing has not been sufficiently communicated. Now is the time for many people to watch this film."

 

The July 30 screening at Kitano Community Center will start at 2 p.m. A material fee of 500 yen (approx. $3.50) will be collected from adults, but admission is free for high school students and younger children. No reservation is necessary. For inquiries, call Sugiyama on: 090-1128-8983 (in Japanese).

 

(Japanese original by Megumi Nokura, Hachioji Bureau)

 

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[Nuclear Fallout]

Dream on!  Humans have a fascination with bigger and bolder bombs. More kills for the buck.

 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Zanti_Misfits