The guy in front of me went off on a rant about why this movie was so bad. I kind of agreed with him, and so it was pretty entertaining. However, you must give Kudos to Resnais for even being able to create a movie this complex. Movies this dense don't grow on trees- because if they did, it could fall and crush sombody.
You have a French girl who starts off by talking about how she experienced Hiroshima through the meuseum and reenactments. The movie starts off like a documentary-esque montage of Hiroshima related footage, but then you realize it's just a character's dialogue. Already we have a commentary duplication of the past and its benefits. Then the revelation that the guy is Japanese sets us up for a metaphor about Asian European post war politics. We find out she used to be insane, and then recovered her sanity. This opens up even more opportunites. The annihilation and rebirth of a city can represent her journey through insanity and back. Also, we can question the necessity of sanity in a world where the sane wreak destruction.
Once we learn some background about her romantic affairs, her relationship with the guy is twofold. She's using him to get over a former love, and also turns him into a metaphor for his city. At this point, she can't decide whether trying to remember something is a good thing or not. She questioned this with the Hiroshima example at the begining of the film: is it better to remember history to learn from it's mistakes, or should we forget it so we don't have to explain the atrocities human nature allows?
Maybe the answer is that humans don't want to be happy at all. After all, why would two people be having affairs if they're content with their marriage. Are they even happy in the first place or are they trying to ruin it. Also, do these characters have the ability to be happy in a world that has shown them such sorrow?
If you read all that, I'm impressed. I'm sure there's something I missed or tangled up. Drop a comment.
Here's a link to a Alain Resnais Wikipedia article. There's a really well worded description of the movie in the second paragraph under Carrer.
"Don't Use Wikipedia In Your Paper!" -Paul Swann
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5 comments:
"Movies this dense don't grow on trees- because if they did, it could fall and crush sombody."
I did like this thought - well said!
Hiroshima Mon Amour takes a lot of thought to try and wrap your mind around...it's difficult because there is so much material to push though. The film's subject matter is similar to the way I noticed many of the shots were set up: Layers upon layers. It made for interesting visuals and an intricate plotline that weaved in and out of oneself, forcing the viewer to pay attention to everything that was shown and said - not an easy task when reading subtitles!
Bravo to the director and to the film's editor for putting together such a multilayered film.
I understand the criticism of the film being seen as somewhat over the top at times. This has to be really examined, though. The film is extremely calculated and structured. All of this is purposeful. The fact that the film attempts to cross the genres of documentary and melodrama is impressive in itself, but the fact that it is so well executed is quite a triumph.
While watching the film I was constantly struggling to maneuver around heads and shoulders to read the subtitles. I often gave up and just watched the images. The framing and movement alone was enough to draw me in. What I enjoyed most was constant references to outside forms of media. Other films and genres show up on many occasions. These references to image and memory are common themes in such genres as film noir and melodrama, and combined with the documentary style footage in the beginning add a lot to the experience.
"Bravo to the director and to the film's editor for putting together such a multilayered film."
I agree with Liz on this one.
Hiroshima Mon Amour would never work as a short film and it definetly makes use of its feature length. This movie explores so many different human ideas of life, memory, and love that it's impossible to catch in a single viewing.
I'm not sure if I was the "guy in front" who went off on a rant, but I do remember being outspoken about not liking the film.
After letting it sink in for a couple days, I think that the ridiculous portions at the beginning and middle (c'mon, they were ridiculous) are mildly more acceptable when you looking back in hindsight, giving credit to what the film was establishing so that it could be revisited at the end.
I'm not sure how that sits with me as a film maker, requiring a 2nd viewing in order to BE ABLE to appreciate the film, but they certainly helped DVD sales.
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