Providing excellent first-person material documenting the plight of the Korean "comfort women" of WWII and their struggle to force the Japanese government to acknowledge what they suffered as sex slaves, Silence Broken, which aired on PBS in May of this year, offers compelling testimony on a shameful chapter in military history. Crisp editing weaves together first-person narratives from women, Japanese professors and former soldiers, along with historic clips, and brief scenes from modern Korea. The elderly women who raised this issue and insisted on being heard are justifiably angry and refreshingly forthright (and, it should be noted, the open discussion of rape, mutilation and other horrors, is very frank throughout). While the program is slightly marred by unnecessary dramatizations of events (the narratives from the former comfort women are more than adequate to tell their tales), Silence Broken is highly recommended for those libraries that can afford it, and would make a perfect choice for a program during Women's History Month. Incidentally, Silence Broken: Korean Comfort Women, the book, is also available for $15 from Mid Prairie Books (888-328-2665). [Note: an 88 min. version of the video is also available at the same price.] Aud: C, P. (K. G. Schneider)
Silence Broken: Korean Comfort Women
(1998) 57 min. In Korean, Japanese, English and Chinese w/English subtitles. Dai Sil Productions. PPR. Vol. 15, Issue 5
Silence Broken: Korean Comfort Women
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