Barefoot Gen (1983 film)
| Barefoot Gen | |
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DVD cover
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| Japanese | はだしのゲン |
| Hepburn | Hadashi no Gen |
| Directed by | Mori Masaki |
| Produced by | Keiji Nakazawa |
| Written by | Keiji Nakazawa |
| Based on |
Barefoot Gen by Keiji Nakazawa |
| Starring |
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| Music by | Kentarō Haneda |
| Cinematography | Kin'ichi Ishikawa |
| Edited by | Harutoshi Ogata |
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Release date
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Running time
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85 minutes |
| Country | Japan |
| Language | Japanese |
Barefoot Gen (はだしのゲン Hadashi no Gen?) is a 1983 anime war drama film loosely based on the Japanese manga series of the same name by Keiji Nakazawa. Directed by Mori Masaki, it depicts World War II in Japan from a child's point of view revolving around the events surrounding the bombing of Hiroshima and the main character's first hand experience of the bomb.
The story begins on August 4, 1945, in Hiroshima with the everyday life of Gen Nakaoka, his younger brother Shinji, their father Daikichi, elder sister Eiko, and pregnant mother Kimie, during the final days of World War II.
The beginning of the plot focuses on the Nakaoka family's struggle to survive as shortages of food and other items continue to worsen throughout Japan. Like the other residents, the family wonders why Hiroshima has so far suffered almost no damage, since massive fleets of American B-29 Superfortress bombers have already devastated nearly all of Japan's other major cities.
At night, the family is awakened by an air raid siren and take refuge in their bomb shelter, but soon becomes clear that this is yet another false alarm. During one ordeal, Gen's father Daikichi again questions why so many American aircraft are constantly flying over Hiroshima without dropping any bombs, and expresses his fear that Hiroshima has been deliberately preserved and studied for a unique and terrible purpose.
Gen and Shinji try to help their family by working tirelessly in the family's wheat field, or attempting to find food for their pregnant mother Kimie, who has grown ill from malnutrition. When a neighbor tells them carps blood helps people with malnutrition get better, they set out to get a carp...from an old man's pond. When the boys get caught stealing the fish, the old man hits Gen. Gen tells the man he can hit him all he wants if the old man lets them keep the carp, and Shinji says the old man can hit him, too. When the old man asks why they want the carp so bad, they explain that their mother needs it or she might die. The old man, who is impressed by their efforts, allows them to keep the carp for their mother, and apologizes for hitting Gen.
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