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  • 6 days ago
A tale of human connection, hope and resilience in the face of great tragedy, Under a Bamboo Sky uses new technology to bring to life an untold story of Australian soldiers held prisoner by the Japanese in WWII. Using their own words, their own voices, the film weaves the recollections of more than 60 former POWs with newly colourised archival material and new location footage to deliver a moving and revelatory first-hand account of their experience. Captured during the Japanese offensive and imprisoned in Singapore’s Changi Barracks, the film follows the years long journey of these soldiers through four countries. After bearing witness to some of WWII’s most history-defining events, they tell of returning home to families, wives and sweethearts, and of the price they paid for the trauma they endured. Shining through the horrors of war is the spirit of these men and an inspiring human capacity to find beauty in their surroundings and hold onto hope in the worst of circumstances.
Transcript
00:00At the time I'd just turned no idea.
00:02If I'd known what I was going into,
00:04I wouldn't have had the guts to face up to it.
00:07We were beaten.
00:08We were physically struck,
00:10but you weren't beaten in spirit.
00:12The hope was there that we'd always get home.
00:14Day after day, we lived on our nerves.
00:17We didn't know whether we'd be a liar tomorrow.
00:19You can do lots of things to people,
00:21but you can't destroy a man's dignity.
00:23It was just hell.
00:25That's what it was. It was real hell.
00:32It was real hell.
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