Product Overview
Please note: This study guide contains two versions – a full-colour guide and a text-only version for printing and referencing.
A tale of human connection, hope and resilience in the face of great tragedy, Under a Bamboo Sky uses new technology to bring to life the unbelievable story of Australian soldiers held prisoner by the Japanese during World War II.
Using their own words and voices, oral testimonies from over sixty former POWs are combined with newly colourised archival material and location footage to deliver a moving first-hand account of their experience.
Captured during the Japanese offensive and imprisoned in Singapore’s Changi Barracks, the film follows the years-long journey of these soldiers across four countries: forced into slave labour building the Thai-Burma Railway, shipwrecked at sea, and sent into factories and coal mines in Japan.
After witnessing some of WWII’s most history-defining events, they tell of returning home to families, wives and sweethearts, and of the price they paid for their enduring trauma.
Shining through the horrors of war is the spirit of these men, who demonstrate an inspiring human capacity to find beauty in their surroundings and hold on to hope even under the worst of circumstances. The interviews were recorded more than fifty years after their liberation, found among an archive of some 2000 interviews. While some had shared their stories many times, for others it was the first telling. For all, it was the opportunity to ensure their stories became a matter of public record, never to be forgotten.
Curriculum Links:
Under a Bamboo Sky is relevant to senior students (Years 10-12) in the following learning areas:
- HASS (History) – Year 10
- Modern History – Years 11-12
It can also be linked to the cross-curriculum priority of Australia's Engagement with Asia, as well as the following general capabilities:
- Intercultural understanding
- Ethical understanding
Key themes:
- Prisoners of war (POWs) – events and factors influencing the capture and forced labour of Australian POWs in World War II
- Imprisonment and power – mistreatment, dehumanisation and punishment of prisoners
- Hope – resilience and survival in the face of war
- Mateship – the power of human connection in wartime Australia
- Trauma – the psychological impact of war and imprisonment
- Moral conflict – survival choices and changing perceptions of the 'enemy'
- Oral history – memory, perspectives and legacy
