Review of Hiroshima Mon Amour (1959) by Radek C — 30 Apr 2009

My personal problem with old movies is that there is this huge mental gap between me and filmmakers who lived 40-50 years ago. Quite often I simply don't get what the message is - in contrast with contemporary cinema which is as straightforward as it can only be.

.. and the best example to describe my point is Hiroshima... first you are attacked by images - people with radiation sickness - the legacy of 1945 nuclear bombing. And after 30 minutes of that "visual assault", the director changes the theme to a love story, unhappinness, lust and human longing - completely giving up on post-war issues.

I was puzzled, cause the Hiroshima tragedy as difficult to watch as it was, was simply more interesting. And the story the actress elaborated on in such a great detail nearly put me to sleep. Nice acting and that romantic atmosphere was quite alluring, but I felt the film went the wrong way.