Hiroshima mon amour

film by Resnais [1959]

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June 29, 2026

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Hiroshima mon amour is a 1959 French film directed by Alain Resnais and written by Marguerite Duras. The film is considered a seminal work of the New Wave movement in cinema.

The story centers on a brief affair between a French actress and a Japanese architect in Hiroshima. Their relationship becomes a backdrop for exploring themes of memory, trauma, and the lingering impact of war, particularly the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. The film is noted for its non-linear narrative structure and its poetic exploration of human connection amidst historical tragedy.

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Marguerite Duras
…Alain Resnais’s critically acclaimed film Hiroshima mon amour, about a brief love affair in postwar Hiroshima between a Japanese businessman and a French actress. She directed as well as wrote the 1975 film adaptation of her play India Song, which offers a static, moody portrayal of the wife of the…
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…Alain Resnais’s critically acclaimed film Hiroshima mon amour, about a brief love affair in postwar Hiroshima between a Japanese businessman and a French actress. She directed as well as wrote the 1975 film adaptation of her play India Song, which offers a static, moody portrayal of the wife of the…
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Alain Resnais
With Hiroshima mon amour, his first feature-length motion picture, Resnais attained preeminence among the innovative New Wave directors, particularly for the finesse with which he combined traditional form and radical content. In his preference for elaborate rehearsals of his actors, Resnais belongs to the classical cinema;…
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With Hiroshima mon amour, his first feature-length motion picture, Resnais attained preeminence among the innovative New Wave directors, particularly for the finesse with which he combined traditional form and radical content. In his preference for elaborate rehearsals of his actors, Resnais belongs to the classical cinema;…
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History of film
France
…Coups (The 400 Blows), Resnais’s Hiroshima, mon amour, and Godard’s À Bout de souffle (Breathless) were all in their different ways paradigms of a fresh new style based on elliptical editing and location shooting with handheld cameras. This style was both radically destructive of classic Hollywood continuity and pragmatically suited…
Read More
…Coups (The 400 Blows), Resnais’s Hiroshima, mon amour, and Godard’s À Bout de souffle (Breathless) were all in their different ways paradigms of a fresh new style based on elliptical editing and location shooting with handheld cameras. This style was both radically destructive of classic Hollywood continuity and pragmatically suited…
Read More