VJ Day in Waikiki 1945

SUBHEAD: A Kodachrome 16mm home movie of scenes on Oahu after victory over the Japanese was announced.  

[IB Publisher's note: This remarkable color movie was shot in August 1945 on 16mm Kodachrome in Waikiki. It was found by us at BoingBoing.com (http://boingboing.net/2011/09/05/kodachrome-16mm-vj-day-on-waikiki-1945.html). This is probably the lushest you'll see that far back in time here in Hawaii. Funny how everyone seemed to be in the military at the time.]  

By Richard Sullivan on 14 August 2009 for Vimeo -  
(http://vimeo.com/5645171)
   
Image above: Still from video below on Kalakaua Avenue in Honolulu looking northwest.

Sixty-five years ago my dad shot this film along Kalakaua Avenue in Waikiki capturing spontaneous celebrations that broke out upon first hearing news of the Japanese surrender. He used Kodachrome 16mm film: God Bless Kodachrome, right? I was able to find an outfit (mymovietransfer.com) to do a much superior scan of this footage to what I had previously posted, so I re-did this film and replaced the older version There are more still images from this amazing day, in color, at discoveringhawaii.com.

 
Image above: Still from video below on Kalakaua Avenue looking northeast towards Diamondhead. Note trolly tracks.
Video above: VJ Day, Honolulu Hawaii, August 14, 1945. From (http://vimeo.com/5645171)

See also:
Ea O Ka Aina: Kodachrome Fades Away 12/30/10
Ea O Ka Aina: A Century Ago in Color 5/19/10 .

3 comments :

Anonymous said...

Whoa! What a disgusting sight.

Juan Wilson said...

Aloha Anonymous,

You gotta admit the occupying American military was lushly reproduced by the high quality of Kodachrome film.

And I love the old trolly tracks down the middle of Kalakaua Avenue. A better solution than Mufi's elevated "subway".

Will there be any digital video of our Iraq escapade that will be viewable in 65 years? I doubt it.

Juan Wilson - IslandBreath publisher

Anonymous said...

if that same "parade" were to happen today the HPD would have issued 100's of tickets and arrested many! because we live inder a marshal law like society.


YA!

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