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IMDbPro

Children of Hiroshima

Original title: Genbaku no ko
  • 19521952
  • Not RatedNot Rated
  • 1h 37m
IMDb RATING
7.6/10
1.3K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
51,688
8,976
Children of Hiroshima (1952)
DramaWar
Post war Hiroshima: It's been four years since the last time she visited her hometown. Takako faces the after effects of the A-bomb when she travels around the city to call on old friends.Post war Hiroshima: It's been four years since the last time she visited her hometown. Takako faces the after effects of the A-bomb when she travels around the city to call on old friends.Post war Hiroshima: It's been four years since the last time she visited her hometown. Takako faces the after effects of the A-bomb when she travels around the city to call on old friends.
IMDb RATING
7.6/10
1.3K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
51,688
8,976
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Kaneto Shindô
    • Writers
      • Arata Osada(novel)
      • Kaneto Shindô
    • Stars
      • Nobuko Otowa
      • Osamu Takizawa
      • Masao Shimizu
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Kaneto Shindô
    • Writers
      • Arata Osada(novel)
      • Kaneto Shindô
    • Stars
      • Nobuko Otowa
      • Osamu Takizawa
      • Masao Shimizu
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 8User reviews
    • 9Critic reviews
    • 86Metascore
  • See production, box office & company info
    • Won 1 BAFTA Award
      • 1 win & 1 nomination total

    Photos15

    Children of Hiroshima (1952)
    Children of Hiroshima (1952)
    Children of Hiroshima (1952)
    Children of Hiroshima (1952)
    Children of Hiroshima (1952)
    Children of Hiroshima (1952)
    Nobuko Otowa in Children of Hiroshima (1952)
    Children of Hiroshima (1952)
    Children of Hiroshima (1952)
    Children of Hiroshima (1952)
    Nobuko Otowa in Children of Hiroshima (1952)
    Children of Hiroshima (1952)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Nobuko Otowa
    Nobuko Otowa
    • Takako Ishikawa
    Osamu Takizawa
    Osamu Takizawa
    • Iwakichi
    Masao Shimizu
    Masao Shimizu
    • Toshiaki, Takako's father
    Jûkichi Uno
    • Kôji
    • (scenes deleted)
    Akira Yamanouchi
    Akira Yamanouchi
      Takashi Itô
      Jun Tatara
      Tsutomu Shimomoto
      • Natsue's husband
      Hideji Ôtaki
      Eiken Shôji
      Shinsuke Ashida
      Shinsuke Ashida
      Shin Date
      Chikako Hosokawa
      Chikako Hosokawa
      • Setsu, Takako's mother
      Tanie Kitabayashi
      Tanie Kitabayashi
      • Otoyo
      Yoshiko Sakurai
      Miwa Saitô
      • Natsue Morikawa
      Tomoko Naraoka
      Yumi Takano
      • Director
        • Kaneto Shindô
      • Writers
        • Arata Osada(novel)
        • Kaneto Shindô
      • All cast & crew
      • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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      Storyline

      Edit

      Did you know

      Edit
      • Trivia
        The film was sponsored by Japan Teachers' Union.
      • Quotes

        Toshiko, former pupil: [Takako is visiting her in a church, where she lies critically ill with radiation sickness] Ah, Teacher.

        Takako Ishikawa: You still remember me.

        Toshiko, former pupil: I didn't at first but it came to me.

        Takako Ishikawa: Have you live here all this time?

        Toshiko, former pupil: Yes, for six years. The priest saved me the day of the bomb. I've been here ever since.

        Takako Ishikawa: And your mother and father?

        Toshiko, former pupil: Everyone was killed. And I decided to stay here. Here I can say prayers for them. I ask God to grant us peace forever.

        Takako Ishikawa: That is a very good thing to do.

        Toshiko, former pupil: Now I understand that war is the greatest evil. War is hell.

        Toshiko, former pupil: [continues] Teacher, will you sing for me?

        Takako Ishikawa: What shall I sing?

        Toshiko, former pupil: The one you always sang at lunch. About the red ship.

        Takako Ishikawa: You remember very well!

        Toshiko, former pupil: I want to hear it just once more.

        Takako Ishikawa: Alright, then...

        Takako Ishikawa: [starts to sing] Dear Mother, go to sleep and don't cry. Father will come home tomorrow in a red boat.

        Toshiko, former pupil: Is it nice on your island?

        Takako Ishikawa: Beautiful. I wish you could visit me. The sun rises out of the eastern sea, and sets in the west.

        Toshiko, former pupil: I'd love to, but I don't think I will. I'm going to die. But I don't mind because I'll go and join my mother and father.

        [turns away, folds her hands on her chest in prayer]

      User reviews8

      Review
      Top review
      7/10
      Pretty good, but a tad two-dimensional
      Takako Ishikawa stars as a woman from Hiroshima who left it shortly after the bombing to live with her aunt and uncle on a nearby island. She lost the rest of her family in the disaster. Four years afterward, she returns to check up on old acquaintances. Ishikawa is basically an audience surrogate, as we see how the people of Hiroshima are doing. The answer: not that well, as you might expect. The city is still devastated, people are dying of radiation poisoning, many are horribly injured. But life goes on, represented by the children of the city, many of them orphans, but they live their lives as carefree as they can. Ishikawa feels guilty for leaving the city and not being able to help her townspeople, but she finds hope in a young boy, the grandson of one of her father's employees. Osamu Takizawa is now a blind beggar, and can't really take care of the boy himself (he lives in an orphanage). Ishikawa offers to adopt the boy, but he is understandably reluctant to leave his grandfather behind. This is a touching film, but it is pretty two dimensional. It kept reminding me of the far superior Grave of the Fireflies, and the only tears I shed during it came about because I was thinking of the Isao Takahata anime (a rare film which I just cannot recall without tearing up). Takizawa gives a pretty good performance. Ishikawa went on to star in Shindo's three most famous films, Onibaba, The Naked Island and Kuroneko. The very unsubtle score is by Akira Ifukube, who would go on to score Gojira and tons of other kaiju eiga.
      helpful•5
      4
      • zetes
      • May 29, 2012

      Details

      Edit
      • Release date
        • August 6, 1952 (Japan)
      • Country of origin
        • Japan
      • Language
        • Japanese
      • Also known as
        • Atomska bomba nad Hirošimo
      • Filming locations
        • Hiroshima City, Hiroshima, Japan
      • Production companies
        • Kindai Eiga Kyokai
        • Mingei
      • See more company credits at IMDbPro

      Technical specs

      Edit
      • Runtime
        1 hour 37 minutes
      • Color
        • Black and White
      • Sound mix
        • Mono
      • Aspect ratio
        • 1.37 : 1

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