Director Clint Eastwood, a man much better known as an actor, but who has made his mark as a director with some great films such as Unforgiven and Million Dollar Baby, produced this film, 'Letters from Iwo Jima', and a second film, 'Flags of Our Fathers', side by side. Both take place during ... Read review
Critically hailed as an instant classic, Clint Eastwood'sLetters from Iwo Jimais a ... more
masterwork of uncommon humanity and a harrowing, unforgettable indictment of the horrors of war. In an unprecedented demonstration of worldly citizenship, Eastwood (from...
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Critically hailed as an instant classic, Clint Eastwood'sLetters from Iwo Jimais a ... more
masterwork of uncommon humanity and a harrowing, unforgettable indictment of the horrors of war. In an unprecedented demonstration of worldly citizenship, Eastwood (from...
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From Academy Award - winning director Clint Eastwood comes the untold story of the ... more
Japanese soldiers who defended their homeland against invading American forces during World War II. With little defense other than sheer will and the volcanic rock of Iwo Jima itself, the unprecedented tactics of General Tadamichi Kuribayashi (Ken Watanabe) and his men transform what was predicted to be a swift defeat into nearly 40 days of heroic and resourceful combat. Their sacrifices, struggles, courage and compassion live on in the taut, gripping film.
From Academy Award-winning director Clint Eastwood comes the untold story of the Japanese ... more
soldiers who defended their homeland against invading American forces during World War II. With little defense other than sheer will and the volcanic rock of Iwo Jima itself, the unprecedented tactics of General Tadamichi Kuribayashi (Ken Watanabe, The Last Samurai) and his men transform what was predicted to be a swift defeat into nearly 40 days of heroic and resourceful combat. Their sacrifices, struggles, courage and compassion live on in this taut, gripping film.
Production Year: 1954 - War - Director: Guy Hamilton - Original Language: English - Classification: Universal - Starring: John Mills, Eric Portman, Lionel Jeffries, Bryan Forbes, Ian Carmichael
Production Year: 1960 - War - Director: Lewis Gilbert, Dick Powell - Original Language: English - Classification: Parental Guidance - Starring: Kenneth More, Dana Wynter, Carl Mohner, Laurence Naismith, Geoffrey Keen, Robert Mitchum, Curt Jurgens
Advantages: Great characterisations, wonderful film-making Disadvantages: -
...The device of the unsent letters as puzzle-pieces to tell the story is a worthwhile dramatic device - few Japanese survivors emerged from the battle on Iwo Jima, so the history from their perspective is sketchy as best. This is not meant to be a documentary re-creation, even as Eastwood took great pains to keep things in a logistical and battlefield sense historically accurate. However, the stories that did emerge show heroism, self-sacrifice, honour ... ...'Memoirs of a Geisha') read letters from Kuribayashi in preparation for this role, and studied both the history and the mannerisms not only of Kuribayashi but of other military figures of the time for his character. There is a bit of a samurai sense about Kuribayashi, and also about Watanabe, who tries to incorporate into his own life some of these principles and practices. The role seems natural for Watanabe, for good reason.
Director Clint Eastwood, a man much better known as an actor, but who has made his mark as a director with some great films such as Unforgiven and Million Dollar Baby, produced this film, 'Letters from Iwo Jima', and a second film, 'Flags of Our Fathers', side by side. Both take place during one of the bloodiest battles of the World War II Pacific campaign - the battle for the very small island Iwo Jima, strategically placed within flight range of the main Japanese islands. The cost of the battle was horrific on both sides, both in terms of numbers lost as well as the scale of senselessness of much of the decision-making. Neither side received the support or reinforcements original promised or expected, and both side encountered the type of battle that no physical or mental training can ever prepare oneself for enduring.
The film 'Flags of Our Fathers' follows the experiences of the soldiers who raised the flag on Mount Suribachi. In that film, the battle on Iwo Jima almost becomes incidental, as the real struggle is that which takes place in the men who return home, heralded as heroes, but feeling that they might be less heroic for having left the battlefield than had they stayed.
The film 'Letters from Iwo Jima' is a foreign language film, which was a risky venture for Eastwood, given both the parallels that would be drawn with the former film, released only a few months earlier in the American cinemas, and the traditional difficulty foreign language films have in gaining an American audience, regardless of the subject. This film was one of two that I have seen recently, however, that made me forget part of the way through viewing that it was a foreign language film, for the story and characters were so engrossing (the other film that scored on that mark was 'Pan's Labyrinth', the Spanish language film also playing in American cinemas now).
'Letters from Iwo Jima' succeeds because it neither glorifies nor demonizes either side in the conflict (nor does 'Flags of Our Fathers' do much in terms of demonizing, save perhaps showing the demonic side of the government - any government). The characters, from General Tadamichi Kuribayashi, played admirably by Ken Watanabe, to the lowest rank soldiers such as Saigo, played by Kazunari Ninomiya, and Shimizu, played by Ryo Kase. Most of the action takes place on the island - the preparation for battle and then the battle itself. However, interspersed are flashback scenes, such as Saigo's home experience of getting his call-up papers for the army, or ironic scenes between Japanese and American officers exchanging gifts a decade before they would find themselves locked in combat. The battle scenes become increasingly desperate as film progresses, as the Japanese position goes from being physically impossible to completely, spiritually hopeless. Even so, the resolve of the soldiers fighting on Iwo Jima is part of what convinced the American command that any invasion of Japan was going to be incredibly costly, and that is was not as much the military might as it was the Japanese spirit for war that had to be broken before the war could end.
One gets the feeling, however, that the spirit of the Japanese warriors here was never completely broken, as different characters sought ways of preserving honour - either by ritualistic suicide, kamikaze-type raids, or other types of actions, not all of which seemed mutually compatible to those going through it.
Part of both of the films was done on Iwo Jima itself, but given the history of the island, the Japanese authorities forbade any battle scenes or military maneuvers to be re-enacted on the island. For this, much of the filming was done in Iceland, which has in some locations similar-looking terrain. The film is not filmed in a old-style black-and-white, but rather in a nuanced way that gives more depth to the characters - sometimes things seem duotone gray, but at other times brown, and hints of other colours come into the mix.
I was reminded somewhat of the film 'Apollo 13' for this film - this is a film where the audience knows the ending already (save perhaps for a few particular endings of characters), and yet there is no loss of experience or suspense even throughout the narrative of the teleplay. The device of the unsent letters as puzzle-pieces to tell the story is a worthwhile dramatic device - few Japanese survivors emerged from the battle on Iwo Jima, so the history from their perspective is sketchy as best. This is not meant to be a documentary re-creation, even as Eastwood took great pains to keep things in a logistical and battlefield sense historically accurate. However, the stories that did emerge show heroism, self-sacrifice, honour and glory in the military sense that is common across cultures.
'Letters from Iwo Jima' was nominated for the Academy Award in several categories, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Screenplay. It is exceedingly rare for a foreign language film to be nominated for Best Picture rather than Best Foreign Language Film (a category for which this film won the Golden Globe). It won an Academy Award for Sound Editing. An award, or at least a nomination, should have gone to Watanabe for his role as General Kuribayashi - Watanabe (also known in the West for films such as 'The Last Samurai' and 'Memoirs of a Geisha') read letters from Kuribayashi in preparation for this role, and studied both the history and the mannerisms not only of Kuribayashi but of other military figures of the time for his character. There is a bit of a samurai sense about Kuribayashi, and also about Watanabe, who tries to incorporate into his own life some of these principles and practices. The role seems natural for Watanabe, for good reason.
This is definitely one of the best films of the past year, and one of the best war films around.
Advantages: Strong cast, decent writing and capable direction. Disadvantages: It is overlong.
As the American forces advance on the strategically important island of Iwo Jima, during the Second World War, General Tadamichi Kuribayashi is sent to lead the defence. His travels in the US mean the general has no hatred of the enemy, but has a strategic insight into the minds of the opposition. Using the very rock of the island itself, Kuribayashi's tactics change what had been predicted as an easy victory for the Americans into almost forty days ... ...the companion piece to director Clint Eastwood's "Flags of Our Fathers", this time chronicling the battle of Iwo Jima from the Japanese side. He employs many of the same techniques as in the other movie. The film he uses is grainy and desaturated to such an extent that it is almost black and white. It highlights the barren volcanic landscape (with Iceland standing in for the real island), making it feel even more inhospitable. This monochrome palette ...
afy9mab 17.10.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Letters From Iwo Jima (DVD)
Advantages: Great film showing the other side of war Disadvantages: Never addresses what happened to the baker
...movie is taken from real letters written by the Japanese soldiers and shows their war. Many who know nothing about the Japanese culture of Bushido and their ideas about honour will struggle to understand many of the things the Japanese soldiers do in this film. Why they choose to fight to the death, why they choose to commit suicide rather than die, why they disobey their most senior officers orders to retreat. Westerners and most certainly Americans ... ...their culture does not promote giving your life, it promotes the idea that you live to fight another day. The Japanese soldiers of that time would also struggle to understand this concept, it would be as equally alien to them as the ideas behind Bushido were to the West. This film is well shot and looks amazing, many of its sequences are re-used in "Flags Of Our Fathers". This film is better than "Flags" as it is easy to follow and flashbacks of ...
atytyut2434 09.03.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Letters From Iwo Jima (DVD)
Advantages: Clint Eastwood's pedagogy... Unmissable... Disadvantages: For those that don't like them, It is always a war movie.
...have, besides the fear, the letters that the soldiers write to their beloved families: nostalgic pieces, that work as an escape from the hell they’re going through, and at that same time a requiem for those soldiers. And in common all these compositions have loneliness. (=) Just like Eastwood in most of his roles (with his passivity he holds with Henry Fonda a similar way of “acting”, being for that a man of the future). Loneliness…: not because ... ...but because of the moments they share, the emotions they cross, the perceptions they have from the world obliging an answer, or a refuge, that only in their privacy can take place. And when in privacy, you are alone.
(=) Is this condition of the characters from both movies that I would like to praise: the two soldiers (the Indian Marine Private, Ira Hayes and the Navy Medical Corpsman John “Doc” Bradley, but especially the Indian) from “Flags” and ...
octavio.teixeira 07.04.2007 (31.05.2007)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Letters From Iwo Jima (DVD)
Advantages: Story, sound effect and angle make this movie doesn't bore to watch. Disadvantages: Doesn't shows many heroic action and the epic of the battle.
...about their families and their letters that might be never accepted by their love ones.
The japanese had been beaten and the general died at last. But they had shown they successfully defended the island longer than enemies predicted.
The director shows to us that not all Japanese soldiers all cruel and inhuman. Like other human, these soldiers still had fear dan despair feeling.
But the director doesn't shows many heroic action and the epic of ...
yusufty 24.06.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Letters From Iwo Jima (DVD)
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This is a fantastic movie by two highly accomplished movie director's, Clint Eastwood and Steven Spielberg. Eastwood directs and co-produces with Spielberg in this epic war drama set in what really should once have been described as "Pacific Japan", though some may disagree. If you want to know more why I call it "Pacific Japan" or why it may once have had this status, see the movie! Here is a brave portrayal by two leading Western director's of an incredibly brave yet humble nation. The director's have managed to create a movie which is emotionally touching but also not too emotional as to detract from the macabre of war. Yet, one man comes through neither a hero nor a villain. ...
bollywoodrambo9345 12.09.2008
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Advantages: Two Truly Great War Films Disadvantages: Theres Only Two
Flags of our Fathers and LettersfromIwoJima single disc editions double pack with no special features.
In 1944 the second World War was entering its final act and the forces of the Empire of Japan were being defeated and hemmed in. After losses at Saipan and the Marianas the United States directed its forces for the first time at a dominion of Japans homeland-the grey, dusty island of IwoJima.
The Japanese defenders anticipating invasion began to prepare their defences. Abandoning trench digging on the beach where they would have engaged the Americans as they disembarked their landing craft, instead they buried themselves into the island itself digging caves deep into Mt Suribachi the birds head shaped promontory on the South West tip of the island. Once embedded they waited on their last battle, for with no sea or air support ...
Advantages: Very moving, violent, yet accurate Disadvantages: see above
of action, some quite violent, but also an underlying torrent of heroism and honour. Its good stuff.
Two thumbs up.
lettersfrom iowa jima i havent got round to watching yet. But 2 films for this price? you'd be mad not too! ...
Advantages: Educational & great story Disadvantages: Constant flashbacks & forwards spoil flow of film slightly
to be.
This made scenes disjointed and exceptionally difficult to follow. Although it says this was shot back to back with LettersFromIwoJima I actually have a feeling both films were made at the exact same time with 2 different camera units. Much footage from the battles was re-used in "Letters" and the bodies found in the tunnels appear to be the same from "Letters" also.
A very good film with an excellent plot but only the disjointed scenes spoiled what would have been a truly excellent movie. If your a fan of war movies or military history then this is well worth a look.
The dvd I watched was part of a 2 disc set with "LettersFromIwoJima" and I can't remember there being any dvd extras apart from subtitles in various languages. ...
Clint Eastwood revisits familiar territory with LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA, a companion piece to his critically-acclaimed World War II drama FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS. Where the two films differ is in their version of events; FLAGS… is told from a predominantly American point-of-view, whereas LETTERS… offers the Japanese perspective.
A sharper account of the Iwo Jima conflict than Flags [Of Our Fathers], this balances its unflinching handling of the horrors of war with its touching portrayal of those who face them (Empire, 12/06/2007)
It takes a filmmaker of uncommon control and mature grace to say so much with so little superfluous movement, and Eastwood triumphs in the challenge (Entertainment Weekly, 12/06/2007)
Eastwood's film burns into the memory by striving for authentic detail. The result is unique and unforgettable (Rolling Stone, 12/06/2007)
Eastwood and his cinematographer Tom Stern have done a superb and possibly unique job in showing both sides of this dreadful battle (The Independent, 12/06/2007)
An impressive work of compassionate imagination (Time Out, 12/06/2007)
DVD Description
Clint Eastwood revisits familiar territory with LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA, a companion piece to his critically-acclaimed World War II drama FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS. Where the two films differ is in their version of events; FLAGS… is told from a predominantly American point-of-view, whereas LETTERS… offers the Japanese perspective. With American forces on their way, General Kuribayashi (Ken Watanabe, THE LAST SAMURAI) arrives on the island to find his troops woefully under-trained and hopelessly outnumbered. With no sign of reinforcements, these men have little chance of surviving the imminent onslaught. At one point, Saigo (Japanese pop and television star Kazunari Ninomiya), a young soldier shovelling trenches asks, ‘Am I digging my own grave?’ Indeed, it is he and General Kuribayashi who provide the emotional centre of the film, giving a glimpse into the minds of both drafted novices and seasoned officers. Eastwood doesn’t deal in simple heroes and villains; these characters are sympathetic and real, whether their motives are pride, fear, or loyalty to their country. As you’d expect from Eastwood, the battle scenes are breathtaking and brutal, but it’s the actors who are at the core of the film. Tom Stern’s cinematography is equally impressive; his palette of taupes and greys create a desolate volcanic landscape that’s hell on earth for the stationed soldiers but starkly beautiful for the audience. LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA has all the standard tropes found in modern war films-- the abuse of power, gruesome battle scenes, etc.--but Eastwood goes beyond the war-movie boilerplate, delivering a film that finds humanity even in the inhumanity of war.
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