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Barefoot Gen
(1983)
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Title: Barefoot Gen (1983)
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
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Issei Miyazaki | ... |
Gen Nakaoka
(voice)
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Masaki Kôda | ... |
Shinji Nakaoka /
Ryuta Kondo
(voice)
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Seiko Nakano | ... |
Eiko Nakaoka
(voice)
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Takao Inoue | ... |
Daikichi Nakaoka
(voice)
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Yoshie Shimamura | ... |
Kimie Nakaoka
(voice)
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Takeshi Aono | ... |
Hidezo
(voice)
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Katsuji Mori | ... |
Seiji Yoshida
(voice)
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Taeko Nakanishi | ... |
Hana
(voice)
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Junji Nishimura | ... |
Boku Pak
(voice)
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Kôichi Kitamura | ... |
(voice)
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Kôji Yada | ... |
(voice)
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Yasurô Tanaka | ... |
(voice)
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Ryôichi Tanaka | ... |
(voice)
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Masaharu Satô | ... |
(voice)
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Kyôko Tongû | ... |
(voice)
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Edit
Plot Summary
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Add Synopsis
Storyline
Gen and his family are living in Hiroshima as Japan nears the end of World War II. Gen's father has come to believe that the war is unwinnable, thus earning the wrath of the town officials and, in turn, discrimination from the rest of their neighbors. Shunned by the local merchants and tradesmen, food becomes scarce for Gen and his family. All these concerns soon pale, however, as the American military begins its final assault on Japan with the unleashing of its terrible new weapon. Written by Jean-Marc Rocher <rocher@fiberbit.net>
Taglines:
The Bombing Of Hiroshima As Seen Through The Eyes Of A Boy.Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
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See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
JapanLanguage:
JapaneseRelease Date:
13 June 1992 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Barefoot Gen See more »Company Credits
Show detailed
company contact information
on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Color:
ColorAspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1
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Did You Know?
Trivia
The film was part of a 1980s cycle of films about atomic bombs and nuclear warfare which had started in 1979 with The China Syndrome. The films included Silkwood, Testament, Threads, WarGames, The Day After, The Atomic Cafe, The Manhattan Project, Whoops Apocalypse, Special Bulletin, Ground Zero, Barefoot Gen (Barefoot Gen), Rules of Engagement, When the Wind Blows, Letters from a Dead Man (Pisma myortvogo cheloveka), Memoirs of a Survivor and The Chain Reaction. See more »Goofs
When Gen and Shinji take a big bite from a sweet potato from each end, they are then told by Eiko to give the sweet potato to their mother. Once the sweet potato is given to her, it is whole again. See more »Quotes
Kimie Nakaoka: [desperately looking for someone to feed her baby] Please, isn't there anybody who can help me with just a little milk? My baby's starving.See more »
The story is excellent, the animation effective, but the lack of in-between frames is intrusive in spots. For the full story, read the graphic novels. They provide an even more effective tale.
As with Nosaka's "Grave of the Fireflies," Gen deals with a Japanese youth in the waning days of WW II. The first 30 minutes shows him to be typical for his stage of life, swinging between a self-centered boy and an adult. He is suddenly thrust into the position of head of the family after the Hiroshima bomb kills his father, brother, and sister, and destroys the city. The remainder of the movie deals with his transformation into an adult, with adult sensibilities and adult responsibilities.
Gen is clearly a Japanese story - the author, Nakazawa, lived through the event as a child. But the story could have taken place in Dresden or London just as easily. Although the atomic bomb is the event the movie revolves around, the story is really about the people - the children - and the effect the event has on their lives.
It's too bad that so much of the books had to be sacrificed to the time limits of a film. The novels delve much more deeply into the cruel society that Japan was in the 1940s. For example, much more was made of the neighbor's Korean background in the book; in the movie, you wouldn't realize the ethnicity if you didn't think about the name.
As a conventional film, Gen would probably be too honest to find real appeal in the U.S. Worse, the animation format will probably dissuade those who would otherwise see and appreciate it. Like most Japanese anime, this is not a "cartoon." It is a serious film in an unconventional - for the U.S. - medium.
The DVD transfer is excellent and belongs in your collection. This is a movie that continues to educate and enlighten with each viewing.