HBO Documentary: White Light/Black Rain Airs Tonight

[James_B_Wads2000]

Today is the 62nd anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. There is a documentary airing tonight on HBO told from the point of view of the survivors. It will also be released to DVD tomorrow and available for rent.

I got a chance to see an advanced screening last week and it was amazing. I recommend it to everybody interested in viewing the true costs of war. I think it is interesting how even to this day some will argue to justify the death of hundred of thousands of innocent people by weapons of mass destruction and not even have the slightest clue what actually happened to the people in the blasts.

James




Link

Debuting on the 62nd anniversary of the bombings, WHITE LIGHT/BLACK RAIN provides a graphic, unflinching look at the reality of nuclear warfare through first-hand accounts of both survivors and American men who carried out the bombing missions.

"With WHITE LIGHT/BLACK RAIN, I wanted to tell one of the great human stories of one of history's monumental tragedies," notes Okazaki, who met more than 500 survivors and interviewed more than 100 people before choosing the 14 subjects featured in the film. "The personal memories of the survivors are amazing, shocking and inspiring. They put a human face on the incalculable destruction caused by nuclear war."

In addition to interviews with 14 atomic bomb survivors, many of whom have never spoken publicly before, WHITE LIGHT/BLACK RAIN spotlights four Americans intimately involved in the bombings. Okazaki interweaves rarely seen, intense archival footage and photographs, banned for 25 years after the war, with survivors' paintings and drawings, all of which convey the devastating toll of atomic warfare in human terms.

While 140,000 died in Hiroshima, and 70,000 in Nagasaki, the survivors - 85% of whom were civilians - not vaporized during the attacks continued to suffer burns, infection, radiation sickness and cancer, which would ultimately result in another 160,000 deaths. In a succession of riveting personal accounts, the film reveals both unimaginable suffering and extraordinary human resilience. Sakue Shimohira, ten years old at the time, recalls the moment she considered killing herself after losing the last member of her family, saying, "I realized there are two kinds of courage - the courage to die and the courage to live."

[stefan]

thanks james ... just nexflixt it

[gonzo]

I saw the premiere for this movie at Sundance. It's excellent - I highly suggest watching/TIVO'ing/Netflix'ing it. It's appalling what those people went through after the bombing.

The Q&A session after the premiere had several of the people from the movie. Those survivors are amazing people, having survived the war, the bombing, and then enduring the pain, disfiguration, and discrimination afterwards.

[ericchile]

I think it is interesting how even to this day some will argue to justify the death of hundred of thousands of innocent people by weapons of mass destruction and not even have the slightest clue what actually happened to the people in the blasts.

What a lot of people forget is that War is just that. While most civilized nations now days try to avoid civilian deaths, back in 1945 it was much different. The whole world was at War and every nation did EVERYTHING it could to win.

Points to consider...

The Japaneses empire had killed MANY times more of innocent Chinese civilians by their bare hands then the US did. To put it in perspective, Japan's hunt for the men from Doolittle's very minor raid on Tokyo (many of whom landed in China after the raid) resulted in more Chinese being executed than the total deaths from Hiroshima and Nagasaki combined

We were attacked!

The US gave a warning to Japanese leaders of the bombs well before the missions were flown and asked for a surrender.

They didn't surrender at the first, but it two to make the Japanese leaders surrender. Remember they were a fight to the death army, and enlisted young boys and women as well.

The A-bombs may have deterred Stalin from advancing into Japan and Western Europe.

How many other wars have been prevented by the threat of the nuclear
warfare deterred.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanislav_Petrov
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_III


I have seen documentaries and pictures, stories, and it was horrific a thing. I don't think there are very many people who feel it wasn't one of the worse events in history. But I think you are wrong in saying that people are trying to justify the tragedy with out having the slightest clue. What you are doing is categorizing people who feel different then you.

Hopefully this documentary is about the people and the events that day, and not the political right or wrong.

[Brian in SLC]

What a lot of people forget is that War is just that. While most civilized nations now days try to avoid civilian deaths, back in 1945 it was much different. The whole world was at War and every nation did EVERYTHING it could to win.

Crazy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombing...n_World_War_II

Curtis LeMay later said: "I suppose if I had lost the war, I would have been tried as a war criminal." One firebombing raid over Tokyo supposedly killed over 100,000 civilians.

Bombs Away LeMay with regard to North Vietnam, ""My solution to the problem would be to tell them frankly that they

[JP]

I'll be looking for it
I saw a documentary on the History Channel a little while back. Dropping a WMD is no joke and it's meant for one thing and one thing only, Mass Destruction. Death. War is not nice, people die in war, war equals death and there is no nice way to kill people.

[James_B_Wads2000]

Hopefully this documentary is about the people and the events that day, and not the political right or wrong.

The filmmaker has gone to great lengths to make a story about the survivors and what they saw and experienced. There is also interviews with servicemen that were on the planes that flew over to drop or observe the bombing. But they are not portrayed as the

[JP]

There is also interviews with servicemen that were on the planes that flew over to drop or observe the bombing.

James, is this the first airing of this? I saw this documentary or a very similar one before and it did have the guys on the plane that dropped it. They described the entire mission, it was very interesting listening to them. I took it as they new they were dropping a massive bomb, but they didn't realize how massive it was until it hit. I don't think anybody knew how devastating those bombs were until the footage and pictures reached the states. I mean everybody from the politicians to the creators of those WMD's.

And I do believe those bombs led us to develop weapons that have less collateral damage. You can travel through time and see how war has made us become more precise marksman. Every war since then has led us to improve upon weapons systems and even between the first Gulf War to date, the development has grown twofold.

[James_B_Wads2000]

James, is this the first airing of this?

Yes tonight is the first time it will be aired on TV.

[derstuka]

James, is this the first airing of this?

Yes tonight is the first time it will be aired on TV.

...and in comes Mr. Wads from an outta da blue, ending his extended absence from Uutah!!!

[James_B_Wads2000]

I have been feeling that outdoor/political flame itch, and Uutah.com is the place to scratch it!

Hike on/Flame on!

James