Hiroshima mon amour (1959)

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
Elle	Emmanuelle Riva
Lui	Eiji Okada

Review

Resnais's classic is profoundly allegoric and viciously static. Hiroshima mon amour is a character study of unforgiving proportions, intertwined with a review of the horrors of WWII - on a macro and micro scale. The effect is overstated by Resnais, who devours his wretched characters, making his poetry blander and less immediate in the process. There is no doubt about the intrinsic timelessness of the story and imagery (the latter is potent in the film's first part), but time has not been kind to the interpersonal aspect of this film, and there ultimately isn't much timeless about Elle's whining and Lui's passive attendance. Resnais' compositions and Delerue/Fusco's score is still of the highest standard.