“Hiroshima: BBC history of World War II” review: A tragic history story.
The atomic bombing in Japan is one of the significant events of the world. It marked the end of World War II. I had learned about this historic event when I was little. I thought it was very mournful and catastrophic, but I couldn’t imagine it until I saw the movie on Netflix called “Hiroshima: BBC history of world war II” by Paul Wilmshurst director. The United States always said that it was necessary to drop nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki to lead to the end of World War II. But that did not take into account the terrible results of human life. When I opened the Netflix channel, I was attracted to many historical documentaries. I chose to watch this historical documentary about World War II because it is a famous historical phenomenon. While watching it, it made me feel bad for Japanese people especially all innocent people affected. World war killed thousands of innocent people. This documentary about World War II explains US history and plans to drop the first atomic bomb into Hiroshima city. The narrator describes the reason behind the bombing and the apparent consequences of this tragic event for the Japanese.
The BBC has produced many great documentaries, and “Hiroshima: BBC history of World War II” is one of the great historical documentary themes. This movie is a quite famous documentary by the BBC. The filmmaker used a combination of archives along with the testimony of witnesses at that time and images for three weeks of replay led to the bombing of Hiroshima city. The world changed in the 20th century when rich nations built nuclear weapons. Based on the article titled “Reading and writing about movies,” the author said, “Movies are a powerful cultural tool.” This historical film reminds us of the severe consequences of a nuclear attack, a sad memory that we should always keep in the head of our country’s foreign policy and international relations. Although the US decided to drop two nuclear bombs, it would be a hotly debated topic forever.
In my opinion, this is a moving documentary with many evident details. On August 4, Paul Tibbets called his teammates and met to agree that the first bomb would be carried out the following night when the sky in Japan was clear. Their goal is Hiroshima and Nagasaki. “The bomb you are going to drop is something new in the history of warfare; it is the most destructive weapon ever produced” — Paul said. Ahead of Enola Gray, another plane was already flying over Hiroshima. It was a weather plane, and it reported its findings to the Enola Gay by the coded message. When the weather plane arrived, the Japanese people were warned. They went to the bunkers, and about 30 minutes later they were told that the flight had left. People go back to their work, go to school or office.
“I think that was a reason why such a large number died” — a witness in the incident said. Soon after, the plane returned, and the bomb was prepared to be dropped into Hiroshima city. “Okay, we’re about to start the bomb run! Put on your goggles! Bomb away!”. The bomb was dropped, and the pain has covered the city of Hiroshima as well as Japan. “Even if you had your back turned to it, you felt the shock go through, right to the center of your brain. At the same time, any area of skin that was exposed became very hot”- Dr.Hida said. Everything happened so fast, and everything became horrifying. Nobody can imagine what happened. The temperatures directly below the fireball were 4000-degree Celsius; the heat rays left the shadows. Anyone in the open air was either vapourised or turned to carbon in an instant.
It seems to give viewers a sense of authenticity; the film also involved the victims as well as witnesses of the horrific bombing in 1945. Those are ordinary people of Japan such as Dr. Hida, nurse Kinuko Doi, she Young girl, office worker, 8-year-old boy Takashi, etc. All of these victims have made the documentary real and touching. One of the most touching scenes of the film is the image of a mother who gave up her 6-year-old daughter right in front of her eyes. She was buried from her chest “I tried to take her out, I was desperate, but even if I tried it, it wouldn’t work”. The fire had approached her, and she could not breathe, she could not save her daughter. The child cried so miserably. “No mummy don’t go, please don’t go. It’s too hot for me here.” The child screamed one last time and died; that was the sound I felt very obsessed with this movie. I think that in this world, there is nothing more painful to see their family member died right in front of them. This film not only has amazingly realistic footage of Hiroshima, but it tells the story of what happened that day and the previous days. Daily memories live from the people on both sides of the bomb, both those who were attacked and the pilots who were there to deploy the bomb themselves were told. You hear about their lives before, during and after the bomb is dropped. Scenes and stories about how people are affected and what they see are intense. One of the other touching scenes is about a 7-year-old boy named Takashi Tanemori. Takashi and his friends were trapped in the rubble. They cried a lot to seek help. The first thing he saw, it was dark. “ I felt there were several soldiers on my head, and finally one soldier dug me out.” The soldier carried the boy in his hand, passing through the big fires. The only place there is a river behind the school. After that, the boy met his father on a bridge. The father called the boy’s name and cried. “That’s my daddy,” the boy told the soldier. The father stood upright in front of the soldier, he said thank you and bowed to the soldier many times. He said that the soldier is a savior; he will remember and never forget. A big obsession in the movie is probably the image of dead bodies lying on the ground. They were dead black, not even recognizable. More painful, some people were seriously injured. They were taken to the hospital, but the treatment was very hopeful. Because there are only a few doctors and nurses. Medicine and medical equipment are not enough. “At first we had no medicine, no equipment, there was nothing we doctors could do”- Dr.Hida said. Some victims lie there and wait for death during the day.
Even bad things happen constantly. The victims were too thirsty, they suffered severe burns, and they desperately needed water. A lot of people went into the pool. Many people jumped on their heads. The people below drowned. Then came a strange liberation. Black raindrops began to fall from the clouds above the burning city. Their throat was dry; they opened their mouth and drank it. Rain has turned black by ash and smoke. What people who drink rainwater did not realize, it was highly radioactive. Radiation sickness has become the single most disturbing legacy of the bomb. When Japan still refused to surrender after the bombing of Hiroshima, the United States continued to throw a second atomic bomb (known as Fat Man) in Nagasaki on August 9, 1945. About thousands of people died instantly and more than many others were injured. The bombing incident has left too much pain and loss for Japan. Although this is not the first film, I watched about this bombing event in Hiroshima. But whenever I read newspapers or watch movies about it. It always hurt me for the Japanese people at the time.
The two atomic bombs not only killed people and were in Japan at that time, but also left many consequences and pitfalls later. Thousands of people die slowly in the following years due to radioactive contamination. Those who survived (known as Hibakusha) not only suffered from hiding and hiding because they were discriminated against by society but also haunted by horrifying memories throughout their lives. The article “Reading and writing about movies” also mentioned “Movies also guide our behavior…In other words, influential models of behavior, aspects of their hopes and dreams, come not from life but from movies.” That’s right, and the movie influenced me a lot. The movie seems to interest me, and I’m no longer indifferent to events around the world. I seem to sympathize with the people in the movie. I feel the victims’ pain and loss. In my opinion, it is not important whether bombing is necessary or not. But we must admit that the bombing that killed many people who did not join the war, not one but two times, was completely wrong. Although Japanese soldiers have committed thousands of crimes, that does not mean that ordinary people suffer from that sin. The devastation, the terrible destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki made humans dare not think of nuclear war many years later.
