Director Clint Eastwood was so fascinated by the stories of the Japanese defense of Iwo Jima while filming Flags of our Fathers that he decided to tell the tale from the other side of the rifle and rushed this film into production. It was an inspired choice since the film was nominated for best picture at the Academy Awards.
The island of Iwo Jima is an important property in World War II. The Americans can use it as a refueling base to attack the Japanese mainland and the Japanese are well aware of it and will defend it to the end. The tale is mainly told from the eyes of two main characters; General Kuribayashi and Saigo.
General Tadamichi Kuribayashi (Ken Watanabe) has just been named the commanding officer over the island and is arriving to assume command as we begin the picture. Those under his command are a diverse bunch. They include Private Saigo (Kazunari Ninomiya) who was drafted into the army and is more interested in getting home to his pregnant wife Hanako (Nae).
Other soldiers include ex-Olympic equestrian Baron Nishi (Tsuyoshi Ihara), Shimizu (Ryo Kase), a seemingly straight-laced soldier from a Japanese West Point, Lt. Fujita (Hiroshi Watanabe), the General’s loyal aide, and numerous other soldiers. Each of these men will face their mortality and sense of honor when the American forces lay attack to this tiny island.
I should admit up front that I’ve not seen Flags of our Fathers and that might be a good thing. Eastwood states in the special features that he wanted each project to be a separate entity, so don’t expect to see any of the Flags actors pop up in Letters. It also speaks of Eastwood’s inspiration and dedication that he was inspired by the writings he read while researching Flags that he decided to tell the tale from the enemies view.
He shows the Japanese with an unflinching eye in that we see that there are some that “do what is right because it is right” and others that have a deluded sense of honor. The characters with true honor are the General and Baron Nishi (who takes in a wounded GI and makes his men treat his wounds). Others are not so honorable, even though they tend to think so. Some officers tell their soldiers to shoot Red Cross medics and another commanding officer forces his men to commit suicide when they’re losing their position (and honor) even though the General orders them to fall back to headquarters and regroup.
Saigo is a neutral party that acts almost likes the eyes of the audience to witness both the honor and terror that go along with war. War is hell and there are even some Americans that are less than honorable (a GI executes two prisoners just so he doesn’t have to guard them any longer). It’s a bit of a conundrum for the viewer since you’re technically rooting for the enemy.
I can recall my realization when watching Das Boot in realizing that rooting for the poor submariners to stop getting attacked that it mean sinking an American ship more than likely. I wonder if the Japanese (or whomever) have the same thoughts when they watch one of our war movies? Whatever the case, Eastwood has crafted a fine film even if it was an afterthought. It’s full of great performances and is a worthy of your attention.
Letters from Iwo Jima is presented in anamorphic widescreen (2.35:1) and enhanced for 16x9 televisions. Disc one has the film with disc two reserved for the special features. The first is the 20 minute “Red Sun, Black Sand: The Making of Letters from Iwo Jima.” It has interviews with director/producer Clint Eastwood, producer Robert Lorenz, executive producer/co-writer Paul Haggis, screenwriter Iris Yamashita, production designer James Murakami, costume designer Deborah Hopper, directory of photography Tom Stern, and editor Joel Cox.
Next is the 18 minute “The Faces of Combat: The Cast of Letters from Iwo Jima” and interviews Japanese casting associate Yumi Takada, casting associate Matt Huffman, Ken Watanabe, Kazunari Ninomiya, Ryo Kase, Tsuyoshi Ihara, and Hiroshi Watanabe. The “Images from the Frontline: The Photography of Letters from Iwo Jima” is 3 minutes of stills and production photos set to the film’s soundtrack music.
There’s also 16 minutes of footage of the “11/15/06 World Premiere at Budo-Kan in Tokyo,” 24 minutes of “11/16/06 Press Conference at the Grand Hyatt Tokyo, and the 2 minute theatrical trailer.
Letters from Iwo Jima is a fine film and a worthy piece of film. Fine performances by Ken Watanabe, Kazunari Ninomiya, and Tsuyoshi Ihara (my personal favorite behind Watanabe) only enhance the honor bestowed on their characters. Some nice special features round out the appreciation for a fine piece of cinema.
Letters from Iwo Jima (Two-Disc Special Edition) is now available at Amazon . It is available for pre-order at AmazonUK for a July 9th release. Visit the DVD database for more information.
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