DVD REVIEW: CHILDREN OF HIROSHIMA
DVD REVIEW: GEMBAKU NO KO
DVD REVIEW: BOYING [ 2006 ] 95'
DVD REVIEW: AVG. BITRATE: 5.97 Mb/sec
WTFFILM RATING:

To begin with, this release from Chinese manufacturer Boying may or may not be legal - depending largely on whether or not the 1952 film presented on the disc is in the public domain in Japan. The majority of all studio produced films from 1952 and before are currently in the public domain there, but there are exceptions. The confusion in this title's case is added to by the fact that director Kaneto Shindo produced the film through his own production company, leaving one to wonder who retained the copyright for the picture - Shindo or his company.

While WTFFILM cannot confirm the legality of this release, it should be noted that it is - as of this moment - the only way to see the film in question on DVD (the R2 Japanese disc has been out of print for some time).

Pushed into production as soon as occupation forces left Japan in 1952, GEMBAKU NO KO (literally translated as CHILDREN OF THE ATOM BOMB but largely recognized as CHILDREN OF HIROSHIMA) is the first Japanese film to deal with the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and its aftermath. It was produced in conjunction with the Japan Teachers' Union, who eventually rejected supporting this film in favor of the more sensational HIROSHIMA [1953]. That film saw the atomic bombing as an act of American racism and a scientific study and may have more aptly reflected the views of much of the public at large, which had been banned for a number of years from discussing the atomic bombings publicly.

Shindo's film is a quiet and subtle piece that follows a schoolteacher (Nobuko Otowa, Shindo's wife - she would go on to appear in a number of her husband's films, including his most famous (at least to Westerners), ONIBABA [1964]) who survived the bombing in Hiroshima as she returns to the city to check up on her few surviving pupils. Along the way she meets up with an elderly man who used to work for her family, now horrifically disfigured and blind, and a number of friends from the time of the bombing.

Focusing entirely on the atom bomb's toll from the viewpoint of survivors, director Shindo is never caught pointing fingers or blaming anyone for the act, as the later HIROSHIMA [1953] would be. The film never goes so far as to comdemn the bombing either, something that no doubt enraged the Japan Teachers' Union at the time, and instead seeks to understand the deep personal consequences it had for its survivors. It's a respectful piece, much in line with modern Japanese attitudes towards the bombing, that, nevertheless, has the ability to rub one's emotions raw by its conclusion.

THE FEATURE PRESENTATION:

Boying presents GEMBAKU NO KO in its original full screen aspect ratio in a strong progressive scan transfer. The image doesn't look to have been matted in the least, and the frame edges can be seen on multiple occasions. COntrast levels seem quite appropriate for the film, and detail is well produced. While grain is never an issue, print damage is. Japanese studios didn't adopt proper film archiving practices until the 60's, leaving many films without negative source elements today (the first three GODZILLA films, whose dvd transfer quality is oft lamented, are a prime example).

Expect scratches, dirt, splices, and even a few missing frames throughout the feature's running time. That said, its entirely watchable and, given the possibility that the source elements of the film may no longer exist at all, is the best that can presently be expected of the film. The bitrate is appropriate for a single layer encoded black-and-white feature, and I noticed no problems with the encoding.

Audio is presented in a strong monophonic Japanese track that reproduces both the dialogue and Akira Ifukube's wonderful score very well. Subtitles are available in a number of languages (Traditional and simplified Chinese, English, and Japanese) and are well translated, though occasionally difficult to follow given their crude formatting. Overall, this is a very strong feature presentation for a film of this age from Japan - one can only hope that Criterion or Eureka will pick it up for distribution in the future.

THE EXTRAS:

As may be expected, there are no extras for this release. This is a pity since Kaneto Shindo, at the time of this writing, is still quite alive. Again, my personal hope is that Criterion or Eureka will pick up the title for release.

THE OVERALL PRESENTATION:

The version I purchased of this release came housed in a standard Amaray style black case with attractive insert artwork - there is another version that comes packaged in a cardboard sleeve featuring the same art. Menus are static but well designed and allow for easy navigation in a variety of languages. I have no complaints here.

THE VERDICT:

It's a pity that this, the earliest Japanese film to deal with the aftermath of Hiroshima in dramatic terms, is not more widely known than it is. This DVD release by Boying may or may not be legal and is a bit of a letdown in that it contains absolutely no supplemental material. That said, it can be picked up from a variety of retailers (I bought mine off of eBay) from around $3.99 and up. Given the important nature of the film and the extremely low price of the disc, WTFFILM considers this one a must buy.

Keep in mind that, while the disc is in the NTSC standard, it seems to be encoded for Region 6 playback - an all-region setup may be necessary to view it. If you haven't taken the all-region plunge yet, there are a number of PAL-NTSC multi-region compatible players out in the US market starting at around $30. WTFFILM's player (a Phillips) was $50, two day shipping included.