A cornerstone film of the French New Wave, Alain Resnais’s first feature is one of the most influential films of all time. A French actress (Emmanuelle Riva) and a Japanese architect (Eiji Okada) engage in a brief, intense affair in postwar Hiroshima, their consuming fascination impelling them to exorcise their own scarred memories of love and suffering. Utilizing an innovative flashback structure based on a screenplay by Marguerite Duras, Resnais delicately weaves past and present, personal pain and public anguish, in this moody masterwork. —The Criterion Collection
While a seminal figure of the French New Wave, Alain Resnais was not, like so many of his contemporaries, an alumnus of the film journal Cahiers du Cinema. In fact, he existed well outside of the sphere of filmmakers like Jean-Luc Godard, Francois Truffaut, and Jacques Rivette, with a dedication to formalism, modernist concerns, and social and political issues not found in the work of his fellow innovators. Focusing repeatedly on themes of time and memory, Resnais drew from the well of serious literature to offer a singular philosophical and artistic vantage point, employing enigmatic narrative structures, lush cinematography, and lyrical editing patterns to create some of the most provocative and controversial work of the period. Born June 3, 1922, in Vannes, France, Resnais began making his first 8 mm films at the age of 14. In 1943 he enrolled at the newly formed Institut des Hautes Etudes Cinematographie, leaving the following year after declaring his studies too theoretical. He… read more
I'm suddenly reminded, following this immensely devastating film, why I bother with films in the first place.
Clearly shows how much the history of contemporary identity becomes a determining factor of individual personality.
Timeless masterpiece. Loved how there's no introduction here and how, instantly, we're walking through museums and hospitals while two strange lovers share their fears, memories, and experiences with love and death and hope. Hiroshima, mon amour is the quintessence of beauty and pain... "You're destroying me. You're good for me".
The 20 most popular posters to date from our related Tumblr, Movie Poster of the Day.
Time is regained in Alain Resnais’ new masterpiece, which premiered at Cannes.
A year or so ago, while writing about the brilliant poster for Alain Resnais’s most recent film, Wild Grass, I was a little disparaging of
Today only: Alain Resnais’ collaboration with famed novelist Marguerite Duras, Hiroshima, mon amour, is playing for free in the UK and Ireland
From December 15 through 22, The Auteurs and Stella Artois will be presenting to viewers over 18 in the UK a daily series of French
Above: Emmanuelle Riva and Jean-Paul Belmondo in Jean-Pierre Melville's Léon Morin, Priest. Image courtesy Rialto Pictures. Father the French
Hiroshima, mon amour (1959)
Director:Alain Resnais
Writer:Marguerite Duras
Second viewing after a number of years and after having become more informed about Duras… read review
Of the three films from 1959 generally accepted as the markers for the start of a collectively known era called Nouvelle Vague it might be said that Truffaut’s ‘400 Blows’ was raw and humanist, Godard’s… read review
Hiroshima Mon Amour by Alain Resnais is a breathtaking experience. The opening sequence did something few films achieve…. It gave me chills to the spine. I was devoured by the beauty of the music with… read review
Very interesting but also pretty pretentious French romance touches on some interesting ideas and has some memorable imagery of the aftermath of Hiroshima. Clever and innovative filmmaking techniques… read review