Grave Of The Fireflies.(Video Recording Review)

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 ...