A perusal of many of the internet reviews of Alain Resnais' first feature marks it as quite a polarizing film. For many, either you loved it or hated it. For those who couldn't stand it, I would still argue that it has some very impressive cinematography as well as an interesting existential message for us all.
Nonetheless I must agree that the relationship between the two principal characters, the French actress Elle (Emmanuelle Riva) and Japanese architect Lui (Eiji Okada), is absurd. We're introduced to this couple who are having a quickie affair in Hiroshima as Elle is finishing up her role in an Internationally funded peace film featuring protests against spreading nuclear proliferation throughout the world.
Elle just has a day left before she flies back to Paris but Lui is so besotted with her that he wants her to stay in Hiroshima. If you believe in "love at first sight" and lovers bonding after only knowing one another for a few hours, then you'll buy this idea of an improbable whirlwind romance.
But it soon becomes obvious that Resnais doesn't have much of a desire to flesh out his characters but rather aims to deliver a deep existential message about the ultimate meaninglessness, disappointment and tragedy of life.
Resnais' visually masterful introduction, which includes footage of Hiroshima atomic bomb victims, features a male voice castigating the female narrator that she can never truly grasp the enormity of the tragedy despite being able to view the tangible memories of the event which can be clearly seen as we follow tourists viewing various artifacts on display at the Hiroshima Museum.
While the collective devastating nature of the deadly bombing is revealed at the beginning of the film, Elle imparts her own personal tragedy to Lui growing up in the French Town of Nevers. There she fell in love with a German soldier who was part of the occupation force, only to view him gunned down on the day of liberation.
Elle finds that her relationship with Lui has rekindled her feelings for the long gone soldier and reawakened memories that she had long forgotten. Ultimately the passage of time makes us all realize about the insubstantiality of life and that once we die the memory of our existence, deeds and actions will eventually be forgotten. The same could be said for the tragedy of Hiroshima-despite the previously alluded to "enormity" of what occurred.
Resnais probably could have made his point in less than the hour and 45 minutes shown here. By the time the couple grapples with the issue of staying or not staying, we've really seen enough.
Riva, who went on to be an actress of great stature, is excellent in the role of a woman with all the rekindled memories leading to a great deal of cognitive dissonance. Okada remarkably didn't speak a word of French and memorized all the lines phonetically. Unlike Riva's part however, we never find out exactly why he falls so hard for this woman except for the fact that she's extremely intelligent and sensitive.
For those who didn't like the film, I would urge you to upgrade your ratings considering the excellent cinematography and the exploration of some profound existential messages. For those who liked the film, why not downgrade your rating a bit?-because after all, these are hardly fleshed out human beings!
Nonetheless I must agree that the relationship between the two principal characters, the French actress Elle (Emmanuelle Riva) and Japanese architect Lui (Eiji Okada), is absurd. We're introduced to this couple who are having a quickie affair in Hiroshima as Elle is finishing up her role in an Internationally funded peace film featuring protests against spreading nuclear proliferation throughout the world.
Elle just has a day left before she flies back to Paris but Lui is so besotted with her that he wants her to stay in Hiroshima. If you believe in "love at first sight" and lovers bonding after only knowing one another for a few hours, then you'll buy this idea of an improbable whirlwind romance.
But it soon becomes obvious that Resnais doesn't have much of a desire to flesh out his characters but rather aims to deliver a deep existential message about the ultimate meaninglessness, disappointment and tragedy of life.
Resnais' visually masterful introduction, which includes footage of Hiroshima atomic bomb victims, features a male voice castigating the female narrator that she can never truly grasp the enormity of the tragedy despite being able to view the tangible memories of the event which can be clearly seen as we follow tourists viewing various artifacts on display at the Hiroshima Museum.
While the collective devastating nature of the deadly bombing is revealed at the beginning of the film, Elle imparts her own personal tragedy to Lui growing up in the French Town of Nevers. There she fell in love with a German soldier who was part of the occupation force, only to view him gunned down on the day of liberation.
Elle finds that her relationship with Lui has rekindled her feelings for the long gone soldier and reawakened memories that she had long forgotten. Ultimately the passage of time makes us all realize about the insubstantiality of life and that once we die the memory of our existence, deeds and actions will eventually be forgotten. The same could be said for the tragedy of Hiroshima-despite the previously alluded to "enormity" of what occurred.
Resnais probably could have made his point in less than the hour and 45 minutes shown here. By the time the couple grapples with the issue of staying or not staying, we've really seen enough.
Riva, who went on to be an actress of great stature, is excellent in the role of a woman with all the rekindled memories leading to a great deal of cognitive dissonance. Okada remarkably didn't speak a word of French and memorized all the lines phonetically. Unlike Riva's part however, we never find out exactly why he falls so hard for this woman except for the fact that she's extremely intelligent and sensitive.
For those who didn't like the film, I would urge you to upgrade your ratings considering the excellent cinematography and the exploration of some profound existential messages. For those who liked the film, why not downgrade your rating a bit?-because after all, these are hardly fleshed out human beings!