NHK's "Century of Images: High-Definition Special: Europe 2077 Days of Hell" (NHK General TV, July 21st, July 28th, and August 4th at 10pm. The first part of the July 21st broadcast will be rebroadcast on July 31st from 11:50pm) is currently creating a lot of buzz. The program shows archival footage taken by various countries during World War II, converted to high-definition footage such as 8K and in color.
The color images are clearer in detail, allowing you to read the facial expressions of each person on screen. Hitler's "decline" as the war situation worsens, and even the breathing of the unknown soldier shaking on the battlefield are conveyed as if it were yesterday. We spoke to producer Shinichi Terazono (66), who oversees the program, and executive director Shinji Iwata (58), who was in charge of parts 1 and 2, about the program's aims.
World War II was recorded for propaganda purposes by various countries using 35mm high-resolution film, the same type used in film production. Until now, the original 35mm footage had been repeatedly copied and degraded, and footage was used in the program, but this time, about 50 hours of original footage stored in Germany's Bundesarchive and the US National Archives were directly converted to ultra-high definition video, including 8K. The 2K program for NHK General TV is being created based on this footage, so viewers can watch it in beautiful images with clearer details than ever before.
The program will be divided into three parts and will cover the Second World War from 1939 to 1945. The first part, "Part 1: The German People Became Accomplices 1939-1940," which aired on July 21 (rebroadcast on July 31), relived Germany's rapid advance, which led to victories over Poland, France, and other nations in just over a year after the start of the Second World War.
"Part 2: The German-Soviet War, Tragic Ukraine 1941-1943" on July 28th depicts the tragedy of Ukraine, which became a battlefield between Germany and the Soviet Union, and the country was burned to the ground twice. "Part 3: The Dictator Who Took His People Down with Him 1944-1945" on August 4th shows Hitler, who missed the timing of the ceasefire and took the German people down with him, leading the country down the path to collapse.
◇The Great Kanto Earthquake has led to high definition and color, bringing to light things that had been overlooked
The source of this program is the NHK special "Video Record: The Great Kanto Earthquake: Three Days of Destruction of the Imperial Capital," which was broadcast in September 2023, 100 years after the Great Kanto Earthquake. The approximately 20 minutes of 35mm film footage taken at the time of the earthquake was converted into high definition and color, revealing part of the evacuation behavior of residents, which caused a stir. Producer Terazono was in charge of this NHK special.
"The high definition makes people's expressions clearer and easier to read. The victims are smiling. Even though the fire is supposed to be close by, they don't seem to feel any fear because they have no information. 8K footage has previously been used in nature programs and the like as a method of making beautiful things look beautiful, but it's not just that. Things that were recorded but overlooked can now come to light with high definition. It felt like we'd discovered new possibilities for 8K footage," said Producer Terazono.
This time, the artist applied this technique to footage from World War II, going beyond propaganda intent to unearth "inconvenient" things that were inadvertently captured on archival footage taken by various countries to justify the war.
For example, the first part of the film shows news footage produced by Germany to justify its attack on Poland. A woman is testifying about the persecution of German residents in Poland, but when the footage is enlarged, it becomes clear that a young man standing just behind her is smiling. In addition, high-definition footage shows what appears to be Hitler's mistress Eva Braun secretly filming Hitler's triumphant return to Berlin after his victory over France. It is known that the triumphal return is captured on Eva's private film, but it is thought impossible that Eva could have been in Berlin, and there is a theory that the person filming was not Eva herself.
The second part focuses on a video of a speech by Nazi propaganda minister Goebbels. It is considered a perfect example of a perfectly staged propaganda video, but among the enthusiastic crowd, there are also people with confused expressions and looking around, showing that not everyone listening was enthusiastic.
◇Hitler's "decline" clearly confirmed by video footage
Another highlight of the trilogy is that the footage clearly shows Hitler's gradual decline. Anyone can see him holding his reading glasses and his trembling hands. Hitler's decline has been pointed out in research papers and there have been rumors that his trembling hands were due to Parkinson's disease, but the footage provides clearer evidence.
The colorization has been extremely effective in making the original footage more familiar to viewers living today. To ensure accuracy, the coloring was done almost entirely by hand, with the advice of experts and references to historical documents taken into account. AI developed by the NHK Science and Technology Research Laboratories was used for only some areas, such as the backgrounds.
"When we made a program about the Great Kanto Earthquake, the colorization made me feel like the people who were fleeing 100 years ago were close to me, living in the same Tokyo. I want viewers to feel that this is not just a historical event, but something that is connected to the world today. For example, the fear of soldiers heading into the Battle of Normandy. I hope that viewers will feel that it is something close to them," said Producer Terazono.
Executive Director Iwata is a veteran who has produced numerous programs, including "Berlin: Year Zero After the War" (April 2011), which depicts Berlin immediately after the end of the war, and "Hitler vs. Chaplin: The Forever Battle" (June 2022), which is currently airing "The Butterfly Effect of the Century of Images" (NHK General TV, Mondays at 10 p.m.).
The production period for each episode of "Butterfly Effect: The Century of Images" is about 5 to 6 months, but this one took more than a year. They looked through archive footage stored in various countries and selected footage that could be made high definition. After converting it to 8K, multiple people checked all the footage over and over again, and after finding any concerns, they consulted with experts. They then solidified the program's structure. It was a job that they had little experience with and they worked on carefully.
"That was the reporting itself. As the video became more high-definition, we had to raise our own level as well. It's difficult, but interesting. We usually report in this area, but now we have to go to a higher level," Executive Director Iwata reflected. "I would be happy if the viewers could look closely at the details and find things that we didn't find. We live in an age where fake video is in circulation and information literacy is required. I think there is a lot to learn from history."
As NHK has purchased some of the rights to the high definition footage, it will be able to use it in its programs almost permanently as a video asset. It will likely be used in other programs as well. By the end of the year, they plan to edit it into four new programs that will take a closer look at the material, and they also aim to broadcast it in 8K and 4K. (Text by Hirozai Sasamoto/MANTAN)
