Hiroshima Mon Amour
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| Hiroshima Mon Amour | |
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| Directed by | Alain Resnais |
| Produced by | Samy Halfon Anatole Dauman |
| Written by | Marguerite Duras |
| Starring | Emmanuelle Riva Eiji Okada Stella Dassas Pierre Barbaud |
| Release date(s) | June 10, 1959 (France) |
| Running time | 90 min |
| Language | French/Japanese/English |
| IMDb profile | |
Alain Resnais' acclaimed film Hiroshima Mon Amour was released in 1959, and was called "The Birth of a Nation of the French New Wave (nouvelle vague)" by critic Leonard Maltin, because of its importance to the innovations of the movement. In addition, fellow French New Wave filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard described the film's inventiveness as "Faulkner plus Stravinsky" and "the first film without any cinematic references" [1]. It tells the story of a French woman (Emmanuelle Riva) and a Japanese man (Eiji Okada) who meet and become lovers in post-war Hiroshima.
The experiences during the Second World War of both characters are told in flashback form, juggling their horrendous experiences in the past with the current love story between the two protagonists. Director Alain Resnais' bold experiments in using flashback and sequencing was also used in his later masterpiece Last Year at Marienbad. It earned an Oscar nomination for screenwriter Marguerite Duras, as well as a special award at the 1959 Cannes Film Festival (it was excluded from official selection at the festival because of its sensitive subject matter as well as to avoid upsetting the U.S. government).
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[edit] The making of Hiroshima Mon Amour
According to James Monaco in his book, Alain Resnais (1979), Alain Resnais was originally commissioned to do a short documentary about the atomic bomb. He spent several months confused about how he should proceed because he did not want to recreate Nuit et Brouillard. He later went to his producer and joked that the film could not be done unless Marguerite Duras was involved. The production of this film is also interesting because it was co-produced by the Japanese and the French. According to Monaco this caused one main character to be French and one to be Japanese. This also required that the film be shot in both countries and the film crews be comprised of technicians from their respective countries.
[edit] Film references
Monaco ends his chapter on Hiroshima mon amour by stating, "Here is an 'impossible' love story between two people struggling with the imagery of a distant war. At the end of this romantic, poignant movie about leave takings and responsibilities, the two fateful lovers meet in a cafe. Resnais gives us a rare establishing shot of the location. 'He' is going to meet 'She' for the last time at a bar called 'The Casablanca' --right here in the middle of Hiroshima! It's still the same old story. A fight for love and glory. A case of do or die. the world will always welcome lovers. As time goes by."(Monaco 1979)
[edit] Compared to other films by Resnais
Hiroshima Mon Amour is typical of Resnais work in theme, narrative structure, and style of sound/image.
Two common themes that recur in Alain Resnais films are the effect of memory and the impact of past on the individual. In Hiroshima Mon Amour 'She' is trying to forget her experiences in Nevers, France and she will also try to forget her recent love affair in Hiroshima. Like other Resnais's films, Hiroshima Mon Amour does not adhere to classical cinematic structure. Instead, the memory of the main character structures what is told (memory/past determines story structure). For example, a huge part of the narrative deals with 'She's' experiences in Nevers during WW II and her love affair with a German soldier.
Resnais usually has no neutral settings in his films and these settings often serve as symbols for characters. Hiroshima by all means is not a neutral setting for this love story. From the onset of this film, the viewer is assaulted with violent and disturbing images associated with the destruction caused by the dropping of the atomic bomb. Also when we are introduced to the characters we first hear their voices and then see bare shoulders embracing and eventually the lovers are revealed more and more.
Resnais's work often combines fiction and documentary. This last recuring element of Resnais's work figures in Hiroshima Mon Amour based on the early stages of its production as described by Monaco, and once again by the presence of the violent atomic bomb related images and the love story.
[edit] Song
The film also inspired a song of the same name, written by John Foxx & Billy Currie, and initially recorded and performed by their band Ultravox! in 1977. One recorded version of the song could best be described as a romantic electronic ballad, is notable for showcasing an early use of a drum machine (actually a Japanese Roland TR-77) in popular music. Ultravox! also recorded a different arrangement of the song, in an aggressive punk style. John Foxx has continued to perform the song live as a solo artist to the present day.
[edit] Citations
Monaco, James (1979). Alain Resnais. NY: Oxford University.
