Film Review: Barefoot Gen

[Anonymous]

Wow! While I have not yet seen the film, I wish I ha

[Anonymous]

[font=Times]Wow! I must see this film. I wrote my lesson on the topic of the destruction of the atomic bomb from those who survived the horrific ordeal and think this would be another way to show students how the past is remembered in compared to those who live it. Thanks for the warning on the disturbing images that the film contains and I wonder if we should censor our students eyes from such realities presented in such graphic manners – perhaps sending home a letter to our students’ parents and/or presenting the film after school. I would imagine that such a film would yield a great discussion as well as some solid writing assignments. And lastly, students would be expose to historical content in another fashion and as another topic to discus framing idea of the worth or merit of presenting historical content around anime. I think it might make for some lively discussion[/font]

[Anonymous]

Lopez, you are more than welcome to borrow it. In fact, preview some of the clips on youtube and see if suits your needs. Reading your lesson plan, it seems like this would fit perfectly into your curriculum.

[Anonymous]

You might also want to look into the incredibly depressing anime "Grave of the Fireflies." It tells a semi-autobiographical story of 2 children who are orphaned during World War II and slowly starve to death. They are living in the Kansai area, so it could dovetail well with "Barefoot Gen" to show that the destruction and suffering of the wartime era extended far beyond the radius of the atomic bombs.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grave_of_the_Fireflies

[Anonymous]

I have also used Graveyard of the Fireflies for a WWII unit. I agree with other reviewers that the film's anime format helps with student accessibility. In addition, it is invaluable to have a variety of perspectives for students to consider when addressing issues that can be reduced to an US vs. THEM conflict.

[Anonymous]

Barefoot Gen is a graphic novel series by Kenji Nakazawa With Art Spiegleman (author of Maus). There are about 10 volumes dealing with Hiroshima and life after the bomb, but I thought some teachers might want to know about the print version of the story.

[Rob_Hugo@PortNW]

Barefoot Gen recounts the events of August 6, 1945 as experienced through the eyes of the six-year-old protagonist. The story is semi-autobiographical and does a marvelous job of showing what transpired on that day, and, more importantly, how the razed city, its inhabitants, and the rest of the country reacted to the bombing the weeks after. The movie is a manga anime feature and tells the story in such a powerful manner; a way that always excites, engages, and truly touches students. It is cute, funny, horrifying, and sobering. The themes and visuals presented in the film (particularly the bombing scene and the scenes depicting the first days after the bombing) can be a bit disturbing to some viewers. There are some extremely graphic scenes, but if you feel that your students can handle the movie and are mature enough for the film, then I think it is an excellent resource, not as propaganda, but as a statement against the atrocities of war.
edited by bdeleon on 1/16/2012

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