AccessMyLibrary provides FREE access to over 30 million articles from top publications available through your library.

Grave Of The Fireflies.(Video Recording Review)

Metro Magazine

| June 22, 2004 | Aoun, Steven | COPYRIGHT 2004 Australian Teachers of Media. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan.  All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)Copyright

GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES

Isao Takahata (d), Akiyuki Nosaka (w), Jap, 1988, 88 minutes, Rated M15. In English and Japanese (with subtitles). DVD FEATURES INCLUDE: Interviews with director Takahata and author Nosaka, and a 'Historical Perspective Commentary'.

Robert McNamara observes in the documentary The Fog Of War (Errol Morris, 2003) that the 'human race has not really grappled with the rules of war. Was there a rule then that said you shouldn't bomb, shouldn't kill, shouldn't burn to death 100,000 civilians in one night?' Intriguingly, President Roosevelt had previously cited the universal rule of human conscience, and objected to Germany's 'ruthless bombing from the air of civilians in unfortified centers of population'. He 'urgently appealed to governments engaged in hostilities to affirm their determination that the armed forces shall in no event, and under no circumstances, undertake the bombardment from the air of civilian populations'. Under more expedient circumstances, the American government went on to drop an Atomic bomb (twice) on an unfortified populace-but not before breaking the rule of conscience in order to burn the 'basic economic and social fabric of the country'. The smoke plumes over Japan could hardly be mistaken for fog, unless the planes carrying napalm canisters were trying to navigate their way through political hubris. It's for this reason that McNamara provides the Fog of War with its most searing moment--by indicting American politicians for the policy of fire bombings that are the subject of Grave of the Fireflies. McNamara's conscience leads him to the conviction that 'if we'd lost the war, we'd all have been prosecuted as war criminals'.

We submit this heartbreaking 'anime' as exhibit A in the case for the prosecution. Based on the semi-autobiographical novel by Akiyuki Nosaka, Grave of the Fireflies predates McNamara's public testimonial by fifteen years. Whilst the movie's reputation precedes its belated arrival on DVD, nothing quite prepares you for its devastating effects. The animated feature ranks amongst the best anti-war films ever made, and unobtrusively burns its way into hearts and souls. Indeed, Grave of the Fireflies begins with one of the most moving sequences in contemporary cinema, and the opening scene becomes particularly ...

Related articles from newspapers, magazines, journals, and more
Grave of the Fireflies. (DVD Special Editions).
Magazine article from: Video Business August 5, 2002 700+ words
...Theodore F. Cook and Professor Haruko Taya Cook Other features: interview with writer/director Isao Takahata, author Akiyuki Nosaka and film critic Roger Ebert, video restoration documentary, DVD-ROM elements Status: prerelease Release: Oct. 8
New package a raving `Beauty'.
Newspaper article from: The Orange County Register (Santa Ana, Calif.) (via Knight-Ridder/Tribune News Service) October 14, 2002 700+ words
...Disney film. I'm talking about "Grave of the Fireflies" (Central Park...on the semi autobiographical novel by Akiyuki Nosaka and written for the screen and directed by Isao Takahata, "Grave of the Fireflies" is the story of a...
New package a raving `Beauty'.(The Orange County Register)
Newspaper article from: Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service Perry, Vern October 15, 2002 700+ words
...Disney film. I'm talking about "Grave of the Fireflies" (Central Park...on the semi autobiographical novel by Akiyuki Nosaka and written for the screen and directed by Isao Takahata, "Grave of the Fireflies" is the story of a...
Ghosts of War ..PX: A winner: A poster of the Japanese anime `Spirited Away'...
News wire article from: Asia Africa Intelligence Wire June 18, 2003 700+ words
...Malaysia)) 32. Isao Takahata's `Grave of the Fireflies' (1988). THE Japanese...managed my time better... Anyway, Grave of the Fireflies, by Isao Takahata...cadaver. The story was based on a novel by Akiyuki Nosaka (born 1930), purged of the more complex...
Camera on conflict.
News wire article from: Asia Africa Intelligence Wire June 20, 2005 700+ words
...in search of the men they loved. - 1pm _ Hotaru No Haka (Grave of the Fireflies) (1988), directed by Isao Takahata...own. The film is based on a semi-autobiographical work by Akiyuki Nosaka whose little sister died of malnutrition during the war...
Suspense over for new NTV drama slot on Tuesdays.
News wire article from: Asia Africa Intelligence Wire November 3, 2005 700+ words
...element of action. The first program in the Drama Complex time slot, shown Tuesday, was Hotaru no Haka, adapted from Akiyuki Nosaka's novel featuring a little brother and sister who lose their mother in the war. The TV version highlighted the viewpoint...
Furthermore: War & Remembrance.
Newspaper article from: Mainichi Daily News April 27, 2000 700+ words
Noted author Akiyuki Nosaka and artist Seitaro Kuroda have teamed up to produce a film called "Okinawa -- War and Remembrance," an addendum to their 12...
Musings / April 16, 2009.
Magazine article from: Yomiuri Shimbun/Daily Yomiuri April 18, 2009 700+ words
...Henshu Techo column from The Yomiuri Shimbun's April 16 issue. * * * Each publisher has an atmosphere of its own, author Akiyuki Nosaka once said. Bungei Shunju Ltd. could be likened to a stock company, Kodansha Ltd. to a general hospital, Chuokoron...
An argument for debating the issues.
Magazine article from: Yomiuri Shimbun/Daily Yomiuri October 12, 2000 700+ words
...became an instant sensation. Pundits, experts, activists and celebrities such as film director Nagisa Oshima and writer Akiyuki Nosaka would often lose their cool and start yelling at each other, and faxes and phone calls streamed in from excited viewers...
Homeland dialect music to abductees' ears.
News wire article from: Asia Africa Intelligence Wire October 24, 2002 700+ words
...Probably, it was also what gave other people from his native place a sense of familiarity and nostalgia about him Novelist Akiyuki Nosaka touches on the merits of speaking in one's regional dialect in ``Bundan'' (Literary World), a book published by...
For more facts and information, see all results
©2009 Gale, a part of Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.
About us | FAQs | Contact us | Privacy policy | Terms and conditions
Other Gale sites: Encyclopedia.com | HighBeam Research | Acquire Content | Books & Authors | Goliath | MovieRetriever | Smart QandA