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On the road again!
Children of the Beehive was a post WWII film about orphans, both children and adults with no home and no family. Director Shimizu didn’t shy away from the hardships the Japanese faced, especially the most vulnerable, yet he also bathed those hardships in kindness and generosity.
Several orphans hang out at the train station finding ways to make money, fleecing people for a one-legged man they call the Old Man. They run into a repatriated Soldier who opts to not get on the train. He shares some food with them and they also meet a Young Woman. When the police arrive to arrest vagrants, the boys and the Old Man scatter. The Soldier and boys meet up on the road with the boys deciding to tag along with him. He insists they find jobs that don’t involve the black market or stealing. Along the way, they pick up more boys as they stop and do jobs for food or money. The Soldier is guiding them to the orphanage/reform school he attended, “Introspection Tower,” so that they will have a safe home and schooling. He seeks to teach them kindness, generosity, respect, and hard work as they travel together. A found family slowly develops strengthening them, which helps them when death and other adversities strike.
This film was a loose sequel to Shimizu’s Introspection Tower. I didn’t care much for the original, which smacked too much of wartime propaganda for me. This time it was the US censors that had a hand in this film, which was also problematic. Much as in the first film, the boys worked at dangerous adult jobs. What I really liked about this film was the found family element, showing that in a world on the brink and slowly rebuilding, it really was safer to stick together rather than go it alone. Especially when you’re only 10-years-old. While they may have dealt with hard labor and having no parents, the boys still showed they were kids, finding ways to play and even approaching a little league team.
Beehive acknowledged the dark side of post war Japan-poverty, hunger, lack of shelter, prostitution, homeless orphans, and exploitation. Shimizu softened the edges of those harsh realities as the boys had enough food and were generous with their food. They never truly suffered from being exposed to the elements in tattered clothing. Work also appeared to be plentiful as The Soldier refused to take illegal jobs, despite the precariousness of his own situation and the boys’. The rousting of vagrants and need for “papers” was often mentioned but never enforced. No one questioned a man with 8 boys hanging around him. The Young Woman came into play off and on and was the only true feminine presence. No orphan girls were ever seen, once again showing how filmdom’s demographic skews heavily male.
Children of the Beehive was populated with inexperienced actors which lent the film a natural feel. The film itself was quite aesthetic accompanied by a pleasing score. A scene near the end was one of the strongest and heartbreaking scenes in any film. It would be difficult to find a film with a more poignant moment, reinforcing the love and loyalty these children felt for each other. Everyone was capable of redemption and being brought into the family. Kindness overrode cruelty and selfishness was transformed into generosity. The children were tremendously resilient. Given the bleak setting (there was even a side trip to Hiroshima) the film culminated in hope and acceptance. Though it might not have been terribly realistic, I quite enjoyed this positive road trip emphasizing the need children, and adults for that matter, have for safety, a home, and love.
9 February 2026
Several orphans hang out at the train station finding ways to make money, fleecing people for a one-legged man they call the Old Man. They run into a repatriated Soldier who opts to not get on the train. He shares some food with them and they also meet a Young Woman. When the police arrive to arrest vagrants, the boys and the Old Man scatter. The Soldier and boys meet up on the road with the boys deciding to tag along with him. He insists they find jobs that don’t involve the black market or stealing. Along the way, they pick up more boys as they stop and do jobs for food or money. The Soldier is guiding them to the orphanage/reform school he attended, “Introspection Tower,” so that they will have a safe home and schooling. He seeks to teach them kindness, generosity, respect, and hard work as they travel together. A found family slowly develops strengthening them, which helps them when death and other adversities strike.
This film was a loose sequel to Shimizu’s Introspection Tower. I didn’t care much for the original, which smacked too much of wartime propaganda for me. This time it was the US censors that had a hand in this film, which was also problematic. Much as in the first film, the boys worked at dangerous adult jobs. What I really liked about this film was the found family element, showing that in a world on the brink and slowly rebuilding, it really was safer to stick together rather than go it alone. Especially when you’re only 10-years-old. While they may have dealt with hard labor and having no parents, the boys still showed they were kids, finding ways to play and even approaching a little league team.
Beehive acknowledged the dark side of post war Japan-poverty, hunger, lack of shelter, prostitution, homeless orphans, and exploitation. Shimizu softened the edges of those harsh realities as the boys had enough food and were generous with their food. They never truly suffered from being exposed to the elements in tattered clothing. Work also appeared to be plentiful as The Soldier refused to take illegal jobs, despite the precariousness of his own situation and the boys’. The rousting of vagrants and need for “papers” was often mentioned but never enforced. No one questioned a man with 8 boys hanging around him. The Young Woman came into play off and on and was the only true feminine presence. No orphan girls were ever seen, once again showing how filmdom’s demographic skews heavily male.
Children of the Beehive was populated with inexperienced actors which lent the film a natural feel. The film itself was quite aesthetic accompanied by a pleasing score. A scene near the end was one of the strongest and heartbreaking scenes in any film. It would be difficult to find a film with a more poignant moment, reinforcing the love and loyalty these children felt for each other. Everyone was capable of redemption and being brought into the family. Kindness overrode cruelty and selfishness was transformed into generosity. The children were tremendously resilient. Given the bleak setting (there was even a side trip to Hiroshima) the film culminated in hope and acceptance. Though it might not have been terribly realistic, I quite enjoyed this positive road trip emphasizing the need children, and adults for that matter, have for safety, a home, and love.
9 February 2026
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