Hiroshima: The Complete Mini-Series Event on DVD

Category: Blu-ray's and DVD's

The 1995 TV movie Hiroshima examines the people and events that led up to the dropping of the nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It is an emotional yet educational look at this horrific time in history. This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

Harry Truman became the president upon FDR’s death. Truman had not been involved at all with any decisions Roosevelt made. In fact, he had been left out of everything. But once he became the president, he had to make crucial decisions, including whether or not to use the new “gadgets.”

Truman is played by Kenneth Welsh. Welsh portrays the president with deep emotions as he ponders his decisions. Winston Churchill (Timothy West) pushes for the bombs to be dropped, while Joseph Stalin (Serge Christianssens) is not shocked about the existence of the bomb when being told about it by Truman. Stalin had a spy in New Mexico so he was completely aware of what the Americans were doing.

Then there is Secretary of War Henry Stimson (Wesley Addy) who, like others around the president, are conscious of the historic events and consider both sides. But once the Japanese have ignored the surrender ultimatum of the Allies, and then sunk the USS Indianapolis, Truman realizes there is no choice in the matter. In order to save more lives the bombs had to drop. The Japanese were not going to surrender and were prepared to fight until everyone was dead – even their civilians. They were teaching everyone how to fight when the Americans invaded. They were not going to surrender.

The film is in both Japanese (with English subtitles) and English. While it documents the actions of both sides with film clips as well as interviews with people who were in the war, it is also a docudrama with actors portraying the leaders. This combination makes it a well-rounded look at the people and the events. It is a good educational tool and informative show about these historic events.

While it is disturbing to contemplate what happened and see it on screen, there is a compelling side to this show. It goes into the psyches of the main characters to deliver a conclusive look at these men, perhaps in a way not known before by younger viewers.

Hiroshima: The Complete Mini-Series Event is not rated however it is not for kids. There are gruesome images on both sides and it deals with adult content.

About the Author

Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment industry for over 20 years. She also writes about products and travel. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, from Sourced Media Books.

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