Customer Reviews

Letters from Iwo Jima [Blu-ray]

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General Kuribayashi is sent to Iwo Jima to lead Japanese troops against an American invasion. The General soon realizes that this is a futile task, but he wants to ensure that his men do their utmost to defend the island without a needless waste of life.

Recently, I experience a certain amount of trepidation when watching a Clint Eastwood film. I admit that Eastwood has made some great movies; however, I get really annoyed when movies like his Million Dollar Baby are mistaken for great cinema. Movies whose sole purpose is to show how cruel life can be and that let their characters wallow in self- pity from one devastating event to the next are depressing, mediocre cinema... and, I might add, blatant Oscar hunting! But now I will get down off my soap box and consider his latest effort, Letters from Iwo Jima, without prejudice.

Letters from Iwo Jima is great cinema: it provides an unflinching depiction of war, does not glorify one side or the other, and implies there are no heroes, just soldiers. In fact, at times it portrays the Americans as cruel invaders with no regard for the rules of war. This movie also hammers home what an unnecessary waste of life war actually is, and how absurd it seems that, after thousands of years of human evolution, governments are still settling their differences with violence.

Apart from its moral message, there is much more to be admired in this film. The images of Iwo Jima are stark and colourless, which helps depict the bleak atmosphere that surrounds the soldiers. The use of colour does not stop there: when the soldiers are remembering happier times in their lives, the colours are vibrant and enriching. This technique has been used many times before, but not always with such great affect. The performances are also tremendous. Ken Watanabe is outstanding as the tormented and forward-thinking General, and Kazunari Ninomiya is sublime as the baker whom fate and circumstance made a soldier.

Letters from Iwo Jima will no doubt come to be considered a classic war film, and deservedly so.

War is hell,of hat there is no doubt.We tend to malign our enemies maliciously during times of crisis/war.In this instance the Japanese were portrayed as small,bespectacled dirty fighters often referred to as Nips or Japs.The truth was the Japanese were indeed hard soldiers to contend with on the battlefield,stopping at very little to win the tiniest piece of ground,even to the extent of banzai or suicide charges(on the ground-kamikazes in the air).But to propagandize the public and sheer up support for the war machine(very necessary in times such as WW2)these kind of images helped to propel the US and the rest of the allies ever onward to ultimate victory.
Underneath the Japanese soldier lay....a human being like anyone else.Their Samurai code and service and discipline structures gave them an attitude which took the Western powers a while to get a handle on.When they finally did they took the fighting to the Japanese in their own style.30,40 years ago,this movie would not have stood much of a chance of getting noticed or being accepted altogether.Memories of those that fought against them were still very much tender.Even today it is still tough for those that fought in such hell holes as Iwo Jima,to accept another or different side to that piece of battlefield history.It was a bold step on Eastwood's part to undertake its making,but undertake it he did and to much acclaim.
Letters from Iwo Jima(released in Dec/06) was the second release which dealt with that terrible battle.His first epic was Flags of our Fathers(told from the U.S. perspective),but personally I find this one much more compelling than the first.The story in "Letters" dealt with the small(in comparison)Japanese garrison ordered to hold the island at all costs.We see the day to day life amongst the troops and their struggle to survive on little hope,meager rations and a strict and unbending command structure.In fact what makes this movie work so well is the pall of the little hope this garrison has against the superior forces of the Americans.It is truly a miracle they accomplished and held out as much they did,as long as they did.We see the human but tragic side of the Japanese,a side we the Japanese antagonists have more often than not,just refused to see.Again it is a rational thought process as we,especially the soldiers themselves,would like to try and forget all the horrors that battle,as so many others of WW2,bring to mind.Many others would also say they got as good as good as they gave.Of that I cannot argue.
This movie stirs up those and a plethora of other emotions as you watch it,but Eastwood's camera doesn't dwell on any one thing too long.The movie does not take a side,it projects what it was like to be a Japanese soldier during the battle for Iwo Jima,and nothing more.Eastwood,remarkably and successfully,juggles a very controversial topic masterfully.If it had been handled any other way it would have been a disaster.
This two disc edition has been transferred beautifully and is clear and crisp in its original widescreen a/r.Extras are abundant and include:A featurette on the making of the movie,a look at the cast members and a clip from the 2006 premiere and press conference in Japan for the movie.
A highly recommended DVD for war buffs out there and for everyone else looking for good plain entertainment.The movie takes no sides and Eastwood and company gives a surprisingly accurate portrayal of the life of the Japanese soldier during one of the most bloodiest battles of the Pacific during WW2.

Whereas Flags Of Our Fathers falls flat, Letters From Iwo Jima rises to become certainly a front-runner as one of the best war films ever. The main reason this movie works so well is the acting which is beyond first-rate and the way the characters are drawn in a fantastic script. There are some "holy ____!" moments especially one suicide scene and a "flame-on" of a soldier in another. The way the movie was shot also helps evokes the barrenness of the real Iwo Jima and the way the island was turned into scorched earth.

The extras are worthy of Oscar consideration as beyond the ubiquitous "making of" is a look at how they cast the film with the various Japanese actors' backgrounds and how they were chosen for their roles revealed. There is also thrown in the Japanese premiere and press conference which was a nice bonus touch (why don't more DVDs put those on their extras).

If you understand Japanese (the movie is subtitled in English), they have tried to accurately recreate the way the Japanese language was spoken and used back in 1945 but early on you'll hear one soldier refer to Americans as "American" rather than "America-jin." That was sort of odd.

Also, as a huge cultural insight into the Japanese psyche back then and comparing it to the way it is now will be endlessly fascinating to any person who has spent any length of time in Japan. I'll leave that at that otherwise I'm apt to go off on some social anthropological rant.

Anyway, on so many levels this movie works whether you're a fan of war movies or not.

First of all, you don't need to be a fan of war movies to enjoy "Letters from Iwo Jima". This movie shows the Japanese side of the battle for control of the barren little island, from the points of view of two main characters.

The first is Private Saigo, a baker snatched away from his wife and unborn child and sent to Iwo Jima. Saigo is not a very good soldier, and usually gets assigned all the dirty jobs by the cruel Captain Tanida.

The other is Lieutenant General Tadamichi Kuribayashi, the new commander of the island, who does not subscribe to traditional Japanese war strategies and gets a lot of flak for his Western way of thinking. His one main supporter among the officers is his friend Lieutenant Colonel Baron Takeichi Nishi, a former Olympic equestrian.

The forces on Iwo Jima are already depleted and weakened by the harsh conditions, bad food and dysentery from the water, and are asked to fight against insurmountable odds without support from the mainland. When the huge onslaught begins, the Japanese soldiers take refuge in the caves and tunnels, and must choose to die fighting for their country, or by taking their own lives. Just before the final charge, General Kuribayashi entrusts Saigo with one last task, which he performs admirably.

The actual fighting takes second place to the human tragedies and heroics, making for a moving and educational viewing experience.

Here's a brief summary to the tune of "Message in a Bottle" by The Police

Japan's army base, an island in the sea, oh
Another brutal day, where no one cares for me, oh
More hard labor than any man should bear
Relieve me because I've fallen to despair, oh

I've sent a farewell note to my girl
I've sent a farewell note to my girl
I hope that someone gets my
I hope that someone gets my
I hope that someone gets my
Message in a bunker, yeah
Message in a bunker, yeah

Ages have passed since I wrote my note
But I would have known this right from the start
Only luck can keep us together
War may take my life but
Love lives in my heart

I've sent one last love note to my girl
I've sent one last love note to my girl
I hope that someone gets my
I hope that someone gets my
I hope that someone gets my
Message in a bunker, yeah
Message in a bunker, yeah

Woke up this morning, don't believe what I saw
Hundred thousand soldiers making for the shore
Seems we're all alone and staying alone
We're just hungry soldier boys, wanting to go home

I've sent one last love note to my girl
I've sent one last love note to my girl
I hope that someone gets my
I hope that someone gets my
I hope that someone gets my
Message in a bunker, yeah
Message in a bunker, yeah
Message in a bunker, yeah
Message in a bunker, yeah
Sending out an S.O.S.
Sending out an S.O.S.
Sending out an S.O.S.
Sending out an S.O.S.
Sending out an S.O.S.
Sending out an S.O.S.

Rated: 4.5 stars

Amanda Richards