While not one of his best films Rhapsody in August provides a good look at the duality of Japanese society with pre- and post-war aspects of Japanese culture. The film looks at the still fresh scars of atomic warfare and Japanese-American relations. Despite the film's shortcomingsÑlike the less than stunning performance from Richard GereÑthere is much to be learned from the clothing, language, and setting of the film. Anyone who has spent time in Japan will be immediately brought back to a Japanese summer with the soothing hum of buzzing cicadas in the background. We can see that houses are larger in rural areas of Japan. This clip takes place in one of the less populated areas just outside of Nagasaki proper. We hear the quick banter of casual speech between family members. We can see the larger Japanese house with traditional soji-screens and tatami mats. One can also note the Chinese style tiles on the roof and the large garden. This house typifies a larger rural home in modern day Japan. Clad in blue jeans and tee shirts with American universities and names of places, the clothes of the children accentuate the gap between themselves and their grandmother. This is a change from clothes worn in past decades; shirts with not only MIT (like Tateo's shirt) on the front, but anything in English are extremely popular in Japan. The grandmother could care less and is wearing what most women in Japan wear around the house. Generation gaps are further expounded upon throughout the rest of the encounters between the grandmother and her grandchildren. Kurosawa shows various views of the bombing in Nagasaki. The family is forced to rehash the past because of contact with family that went to Hawaii before the war. The grandmother simultaneously opens the eyes of her family and the audience to forgotten issues and the sensitivity needed to address them.