Black Rain (Japanese film)
Encyclopedia
is a 1989 Japanese film
by director Shohei Imamura
and based on the novel of the same name
by Ibuse Masuji. The events are centered on the aftermath of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima
.
). As the story progresses, Shigematsu sees more and more fellow hibakusha
, his friends and family, succumbing to radiation sickness
and Yasuko's prospects for marriage become more and more unlikely, as she forms a bond with a poor man named Yuichi, who carves jizo and suffers a form of post-traumatic stress disorder where he attacks passing motor vehicles as "tanks."
, transience and the uncertainty of the time of one's death.
Nominations
Cinema of Japan
The has a history that spans more than 100 years. Japan has one of the oldest and largest film industries in the world – as of 2009 the fourth largest by number of feature films produced. Movies have been produced in Japan since 1897, when the first foreign cameramen arrived...
by director Shohei Imamura
Shohei Imamura
was a Japanese film director. Imamura was the first Japanese director to win two Palme d'Or awards.His eldest son Daisuke Tengan is also a script writer and film director, and worked on the screenplays to Imamura's filmsThe Eel , Dr...
and based on the novel of the same name
Black Rain (novel)
is a novel by Japanese author Masuji Ibuse. Ibuse began serializing Black Rain in the magazine Shincho in January 1965. The novel is based on historical records of the devastation caused by the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. However, Ibuse does not refer to social or political considerations that led...
by Ibuse Masuji. The events are centered on the aftermath of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima
Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
During the final stages of World War II in 1945, the United States conducted two atomic bombings against the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan, the first on August 6, 1945, and the second on August 9, 1945. These two events are the only use of nuclear weapons in war to date.For six months...
.
Plot
The film moves between Shizuma Shigematsu's journal entries about Hiroshima in 1945, following the dropping of the atomic bomb, and the present, 1950, when Shigematsu and his wife Shigeko are the guardians for their niece Yasuko and charged with finding her a husband (she has been declined three times due to concerns over her having been in the "black rain" falloutFallout
Fallout or nuclear fallout is the residual radiation hazard from a nuclear explosion.Fallout may also refer to:*Fallout , a 1997 post-apocalyptic computer role-playing game released by Interplay Entertainment...
). As the story progresses, Shigematsu sees more and more fellow hibakusha
Hibakusha
The surviving victims of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are called , a Japanese word that literally translates to "explosion-affected people"...
, his friends and family, succumbing to radiation sickness
Radiation Sickness
Radiation Sickness is a VHS by the thrash metal band Nuclear Assault. The video is a recording of a concert at the Hammersmith Odeon, London in 1988. It was released in 1991...
and Yasuko's prospects for marriage become more and more unlikely, as she forms a bond with a poor man named Yuichi, who carves jizo and suffers a form of post-traumatic stress disorder where he attacks passing motor vehicles as "tanks."
Cast
- Yoshiko TanakaYoshiko Tanakawas a Japanese actress. She was also famous as a member of the pop group Candies. While a member of Candies, Tanaka was known by the nickname Still at the height of its popularity, the group disbanded in 1978. Tanaka was also the sister-in-law of the well-known actress Masako Natsume.Tanaka was...
as Yasuko - Kazuo Kitamura as Shigematsu Shizuma
- Etsuko Ichihara as Shigeko Shizuma
- Shoichi Ozawa as Shokichi
- Norihei Miki as Kotaro
- Keisuke IshidaKeisuke Ishida' is a Japanese actor and seiyū from Kanagawa Prefecture. He is affiliated with Bungakuza.-Television drama:*Abarenbō Shōgun V*Kaze no Hate*Taiyō Nihoero! *Tokusou Robo Janperson *Yoshitsune...
as Yuichi - Hisako Hara as Kin
- Masato Yamada as Tatsu
Analysis
The film has strong themes of sufferingSuffering
Suffering, or pain in a broad sense, is an individual's basic affective experience of unpleasantness and aversion associated with harm or threat of harm. Suffering may be qualified as physical or mental. It may come in all degrees of intensity, from mild to intolerable. Factors of duration and...
, transience and the uncertainty of the time of one's death.
Awards
Wins- Japanese Academy AwardsJapanese Academy AwardsThe , often called the Japan Academy Awards or the Japanese Academy Awards, is a series of awards given annually since 1978 by the Nippon Academy-shō Association for excellence in Japanese film...
1990: Best Actress, Best Cinematography, Best Director, Best Editing, Best Film, Best Lighting, Best Music Score, Best Screenplay, Best Supporting Actress - Blue Ribbon AwardBlue Ribbon AwardsThe are film-specific prizes awarded solely by movie critics and writers in Tokyo, Japan.The awards were established in 1950 by which is composed of film correspondents from seven Tokyo-based sports newspapers...
1990: Best Actress - Cannes Film Festival1989 Cannes Film Festival- Jury :*Wim Wenders *Christine Gouze-Renal*Claude Beylie*Georges Delerue*Hector Babenco*Krzysztof Kieślowski*Peter Handke*Renée Blanchar*Sally Field*Silvio Clementelli-Feature film competition:* Chimère by Claire Devers...
1989: Prize of the Ecumenical Jury - Special Mention, Technical Grand Prize - Flanders International Film Festival GhentFlanders International Film Festival GhentThe Flanders International Film Festival Ghent was created in 1974. It takes place every year in October. The film festival is famous for its focus on film music, with the World Soundtrack Awards as the highlight.-Grand Prix for Best Film:...
1989: Georges Delerue Prize, Golden Spur - Hochi Film Awards 1989: Best Actress
- Kinema Junpo Award 1990: Best Actress, Best Director, Best Film
- Mainichi Film Concours 1990: Best Actress, Best Art Direction, Best Film
- Sant Jordi Awards 1991: Best Foreign Film
Nominations
- Japanese Academy AwardsJapanese Academy AwardsThe , often called the Japan Academy Awards or the Japanese Academy Awards, is a series of awards given annually since 1978 by the Nippon Academy-shō Association for excellence in Japanese film...
1990: Best Art Direction, Best Sound - Cannes Film Festival1989 Cannes Film Festival- Jury :*Wim Wenders *Christine Gouze-Renal*Claude Beylie*Georges Delerue*Hector Babenco*Krzysztof Kieślowski*Peter Handke*Renée Blanchar*Sally Field*Silvio Clementelli-Feature film competition:* Chimère by Claire Devers...
1989: Palme d'OrPalme d'OrThe Palme d'Or is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival and is presented to the director of the best feature film of the official competition. It was introduced in 1955 by the organising committee. From 1939 to 1954, the highest prize was the Grand Prix du Festival International du... - Independent Spirit AwardsIndependent Spirit AwardsThe Independent Spirit Awards , founded in 1984, are awards dedicated to independent filmmakers. Winners were typically presented with acrylic glass pyramids containing suspended shoestrings representing the paltry budgets of independent films. In 1986, the event was renamed the Independent Spirit...
1991: Best Foreign Film