Kuroi ame (1989)

The story of the aftermath of the Hiroshima bombing, based on Masuji Ibuse's novel.

Director:

Shôhei Imamura

Writers:

Masuji Ibuse (novel), Shôhei Imamura

Stars:

Yoshiko Tanaka, Kazuo Kitamura, Etsuko Ichihara

26 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Yoshiko Tanaka	...	Yasuko
Kazuo Kitamura	...	Shigematsu Shizuma
Etsuko Ichihara	...	Shigeko Shizuma
Shôichi Ozawa	...	Shokichi
Norihei Miki	...	Kotaro
Hisako Hara	...	Kin
Keisuke Ishida	...	Yuichi
Masato Yamada	...	Tatsu
Tamaki Sawa	...	Woman in Ikemoto-ya
Akiji Kobayashi	...	Katayama
Kazuko Shirakawa	...	Old Woman with white flag
Kenjirô Ishimaru	...	Aono
Mayumi Tateichi	...	Fumiko of Ikemoto-ya
Toshie Kusunoki	...	Kane
Reiko Nanao	...	Rui

Storyline

Mr and Mrs Shizuma, and their niece Yasuko, make their way through the ruins of Hiroshima, just after the atomic bomb has dropped. Five years later, Yasuko is living with her aunt and uncle, and her senile grandmother, in a village containing many of the bomb survivors. Yasuko does not appear to be affected by the bomb, but the Shizuma's are worried about her marriage prospects, as she could succumb to radiation sickness at any time.

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Plot Keywords:

radiation sickness | atomic bomb | world war two | two word title | unmarried woman | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

1 February 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

Black Rain

Filming Locations:

Yoshinaga, Okayama, Japan

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hayashibara Group, Imamura Productions, Tohokushinsha Film Corporation (TFC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

123 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

There was a color epilogue filmed that takes place in 1965 that was cut from the final version of this film. Takashi Miike has stated in an interview that director Shôhei Imamura, who behaved in a very demanding manner throughout the shoot, felt that though he did not wish to cut this alternate ending, that he needed to anyway, and that is why it was cut.

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Quotes

Shigematsu Shizuma: "An unjust peace is better than a just war." It's important to note that this is said cynically.

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Connections

Version of Kuroi ame: Mei no kekkon (1983)

User Reviews

don't confuse it with Ridley Scott's potboiler, please...

Not many Japanese films have dared to confront the shame and neglect felt by victims of post-Hiroshima atomic fallout, which makes this sober, emotional portrait of slow death by radiation poisoning one of the more emotional dramas in recent memory. Most of the story revolves around a young woman unable to marry because of her condition, with vivid flashbacks to the chaos of August 6th, 1945, The recreation of Hiroshima after the blast is unflinching in its horror, but can't begin to suggest the impact of the actual devastation, and these scenes are often at odds with the rest of the film: a gentle domestic drama characterized more by its reserve, dignity, quiet poetry, and sometimes over-earnest anti-war appeals ("…war is bad", observes one character). Even with such powerful subject matter, the lasting impression of the film is one of grace, subtlety, and profound sadness.