Hiroshima Day

I have only ever read one book about that day, and watched one film.  The book was a really old one, published not too long after the bombing.  It was written, if I remember correctly, by a Look Magazine writer, and contained several articles that had appeared there.  The articles were all based on eye witness accounts from survivors, and read like the most unbelievable horror story ever written.  I read the book several times, and also lent it out often.  It is missing from my shelf, so it is likely gone for good.  But not the memories of it.  The movie I saw was Japanese, called Black Rain, and it dealt with survivors from the outskirts, and how they all died prematurely from radiation posioning.

It's sad to think that most people know little to nothing about Hiroshima, at least on an up close and personal basis.  Deb and I met Taeko, a Japanese student at the time, on our U. of Windsor summer trip to Madrid.  She was living in Windsor back then, going to school.  We hung out together a lot and became good friends.  She was from Hiroshima, and her dad had gone to ground zero the day after the blast.  She didn't have much to say about the bombing, except how sad it made her to think of it, but she said that the peace monument in Hiroshima is certainly worth a visit.  Perhaps I'll get there someday.

This might be a good time to post another recent painting of Dino's....  As far as I know it is untitled.

A recent painting by Dino, which he calls The Migrants.  It's a very tranquil piece, and the colours are very soothing.

In movie news, we have watched two films recently.  Deb's weekend pick last time is called When Pigs Fly, from 1993.  It's a strange little ghost story about a single man and his dog who receive a chair as a gift.  Along with the chair comes two ghosts, a murdered woman (played by Marianne Faithful) and a little girl who died of fever in the chair, rocked by her mother.  It's a sweet film, though of course the climax had to include a hand gun and some shooting.  Aside from this, it's a good watch.  It is not a horror movie, but sort of a sly comedy, with drama.

Now showing on Criterion.

My choice was a documentary by Wim Wenders, from 1985.  Called Tokyo-Ga, it seeks to find glimpses of Japanese life that might still survive, based on the films of Yasujiro Ozu.  We recently saw that director's film Good Morning, but still have several of his major films to view.  Wenders was making Paris, Texas at the time.  During a break in shooting he went to Tokyo and shot his footage, but it was not edited for two years afterwards.  It's a fascinating, albeit narrow, look at the great city, and also includes an interview with Ozu's favourite actor, and his camera man.  Not a great film, but there is lovely photography, a guest appearance by Werner Herzog, atop the Tokyo Tower, and a nice tie in with Jim Jarmusch's Mystery Train.

Now showing on Criterion Channel.

Mapman Mike