Letters From Iwo Jima (1 Viewer)

[Sam Davatchi]

Why this hasn't been announced for DVD? Flags is coming out in 2 weeks.

 

[Robert Crawford]

This title just went into a relatively low wide release this past Friday while Flags of our Fathers has basically played out its theatrical run and has generally been pulled. I think Letters from Iwo Jima is currently playing in about 900 theaters as of this weekend.





Crawdaddy

 

[Tino]

Not trolling at all Kurt. Just trying to get an honest answer.

I was just watching a special on the Military Channel about Iwo Jima and again it goes into great detail about how treacherous, cruel and merciless the Japanese soldiers were on that island, more so than the "normal" enemy. How they were instructed by their general that they must kill 10 American soldiers before they died, and they must die, surrender was not an option. To kill by any means necessary, including torturing, deceiving , and especially, wounding medics as to draw out his comrades so they can be killed also. Medics were not specifically targeted in the European theater. They were on Iwo.

Sure there are atrocities in war from both sides, but it is generally acknowledged that the Japanese soldiers on Iwo Jima were the worst kind and I just want to know if Eastwoods Letters film (unlike Flags) is honest in that regard.


Thanks

 

[Robert Crawford]

The film showed the Japanese as more complex than just a brutal enemy fixated on killing Americans by any means necessary. However, it didn't really pull any punches because it showed Kuribayashi's determination to kill as many Americans as necessary due to reasoning explained in the film. Like Yamamoto, Kuribayashi had a deep respect for Americans due to his time spent in the United States which is unlike 99.9% of the Japanese troops, who didn't know anything about Americans except what their officers negatively entrenched in them. It did show Kuribayashi's speech to his troops urging them to kill 10 Americans before they die. It also showed officers instructing their troops before the battle to kill American medics. Furthermore, it showed the brutality that some Japanese officers displayed on their own troops and that Japan was a class structured society.

 

[Tino]

Thanks Robert.

 

[Chuck Mayer]

That's a tough question, Tino. I don't see it as revisionist thinking per se...it *does* focus on some of the more sympathetic soldiers serving, but doesn't shy away from some of the harsher realities of the battle. Not the really horrific stuff, though. Barring one (probably realistic - though quite sad) scene, Americans come off pretty well on their own. In any case, it's not revisionist...it is selective in it's focus. From another filmmaker, I might be a little more skeptical; Eastwood has shown he knows the history of the battle...he just chooses to illuminate less sordid aspects.

I certainly preferred it to Flags...it had a stronger focus, and more meaningful themes. I liked the music and the color palette quite a bit. The film was long and somewhat ponderous, but it served the story well. AS Haggai mentioned, Watanabe gives a superior performance. Truly exceptional.

9/10,
Chuck

 

[MikeRS]

It's very distressing to experience the culture of Banzai/kamikazi from the soldier's perspective. Watching the film, you really comprehend that while "Death with honor" was so important to them (part of their history and tradition), it's still a frightening act for the individual when the moment comes.

I thought the soldier wearing the mines waiting all night for the Americans to run him over, played kinda humorous though.

 

[Patrick Sun]

"Letters from Iwo Jima" was an engrossing, and poignant film about Japanese soldiers facing the ultimate fight-or-flight situation on the strategic island of Iwo Jima when the Allies were determined to take the island to maintain a base of operation in that combat theater in WWII. Director Clint Eastwood is again at the top of his game with this film, the deft subtlety of the film's primal themes (of honor and sacrifice in wartime) displayed is both admirable and engaging.

Ken Watanabe is perfectly cast as General Kuriyabashi, the one with the thankless task of getting the troops ready for the coming onslaught by the Allies, with no other military support, and having to use the island's geography to elicit as many advantages as possible in the face of overwhelming odds. Kazunari Ninomiya as Saigo, is just as effective as the everyman soldier who just wants to be back home with his wife, but the call of honor and duty represented huge obstacles for such a simple desire for normalcy and living in a time when the war waged on, and only honorable death being the most likely of outcomes for him.

The pace of the film felt suitable for the subject matter at hand, at no time did I feel the need to look at my watch, my attention was totally glued to the screen by the power of the film's story and the performances. Eastwood simply has an impeccable sense in pacing a film that never lingers too long within scenes, and always keeps the narrative pushing forward.

The cinematography was top-notch, utilizing a subdued grey-blue tint, with lighting within the caves that captured stark facial shadows, making them another character within the drama and revealing the gamut of emotions that ran through the soldiers from desperation and fear to bravery and dogged determination.

The score was not all intrusive, existing to support the unfolding drama without calling attention to itself. Again, a very subtle, but effective choice.

All in all, a very impressive cinematic tour de force, and more than worthy companion piece to "Flags of Our Fathers", in fact, it's a superior film, but they both buoy one another in this unflinching look back at the tumultuous battle at Iwo Jima from 2 sides of the same coin.

I give it 4 stars, or a grade of A.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I'm with Patrick, I never thought the film was overly long and didn't look at my watch once which is great indicator that I was totally engrossed into the film.




Crawdaddy

 

[Holadem]

I felt cheated of the cliche but always enjoyable scene where the Japanese would first notice the US armada far on the horizon.

I also wish Easwood had adhered more strictly to the Islander's POV, rather than indulging in a few omniscient shots of the approaching fleet.

Question for japan experts, Saigo's pad is awfully nice for a... baker, no?

Reading around on Wiki, I was surprised to learn that there are diverging opinions as to the strategic importance of the Island. The second quote is striking.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Iwo_Jima

--
H

--
H - no offense to bakers everywhere

 

[Tino]

Despite my initial concerns I decided to see Letters From Iwo Jima.

And I am happy I did. It was an incredibly moving and powerful film, definitely one of the years best.

Much better than Flags since it's focus was better. Concentrating on the few characters it did made for a truly moving and harrowing experience.

I did have a few problems with it relating to my earlier concerns, but overall it was an excellent film that showed that we all, despite where we come from, or what we are taught, share common themes of family, hopes and dreams.

:star::star::star:1/2

 

[Adam_S]

That struck me as a particularly Kurosawa style moment, very much how a character like Kikochiyo from Seven Samurai would have behaved in that situation.

 

[Chuck Mayer]

Glad you saw it Tino! I too appreciated the way it played, and played mostly fair. Much moreso than most war movies.

 

[Tino]

Agreed Chuck.

 

[Tino]

Ran into this review at RT and it accurately conveys the reservations I had before seeing the film.

I agree with the reviewers complaints but accept that Eastwood was focusing on a select few of the decent Japanese soldiers and not the majority
of the bad ones. I do believe the film is somewhat revisionist but can still appreciate what it was trying to do and I believe for the most part, it succeeded.

http://www.tonymedley.com/2006/Lette...o_Jima.htm#top

 

[Robert Crawford]

There are some mistakes in that article about the second flag in the first film and there was a scene in Letters from Iwo Jima that showed some Japanese soldiers torturing and killing a captured Marine down in the caves. Furthermore, what good does it do to focus this film on the brutality of the Japanese soldiers? Over the years, from early in the war, many films have shown the Japanese soldiers as a vicious enemy that will kill without mercy while being depicted as less than human. IMO, Eastwood made an artistic decision not to get his film tangle in that controversy in order to focus the film on a select few characters as well as a Japanese culture that was clearly class structured that fostered a sense that a Japanese soldier should do the right thing and kill as many of the enemy as possible before ultimately sacrificing his life for his country.

 

[Deane Johnson]

Is this film in the Japanese language with English subtitles? The first post in this thread refers to a Japanese language film, yet IMDb states "English, Japanese" as the language.

Thanks.

 

[Rudi]

Exactly what I saw. Also this was not so different from the "kill japs, kill japs and kill more japs" ethos of Halsey on the American side. In war the dehumanization or demonizing of the enemy is used to enable people to do things which go very much against the way they have lived in peace time. The "krieg ohne hass" that was practiced in North Africa between Rommels Afrika Korps and the British Desert Army is very much the exception. Even in todays enlightened wars this is still the norm for both sides. As in "Joyeux Noel" if allowed to, soldiers realize they have more in common with the guy in the other trench than the the leaders who command them to fight. At the end of the day I think just about every soldier on both sides would opt to call it a day and go home.

Yes it is in japanese with english sub titles.

 

[Brett_M]

I couldn't agree more. He is absolutely fantastic.

 

[Jose Martinez]

Except for one scene which is in English