Juonikuvaukset(1)
Troop No. 731 was a secret unit of the imperial armywhich tested biological weapons during WW2. Although its cruel experiments on living people produced thousands of casualties, this activity is still denied by a number of Japanese historians. This documentary reacting to thegrowing historic revisionism consists of two parts: in the firstone history is presented from the Chinese perspective, thesecond part offers the Japanese interpretation. Usage of thesame shots in both parts of the film ironically demonstrates the potential to misuse any film images.The film was awarded as the Best Documentary Film of 2007 by Woody Vašulka at Jihlava International Festival. (Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival)
(lisää)Arvostelut (1)
731: Two Versions of Hell is a type of documentary where the impact of the message is based solely on commentary, delivered by a neutral voice, which is in sharp contrast to the emotionally charged content of the film. The visual part could be completely absent, as similar information could be conveyed by a slightly modified radio program. The chosen dual perspective is interesting, saying that with a sufficient degree of cynicism and demagogy, anything can be relativized and justified, including gas chambers and torture devices. The visual component is only complementary, where the lively Chinese city of the present forms a counterbalance to the ruins of a concentration camp and a factory for the production of biological weapons. My overall impression, considering the weak visual aspect, amounts to 60%. However, the chosen unconventional form and provocative interpretation of the same event from the perspective of two warring sides make this a film that should not go unnoticed.
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