Letters from Iwo Jima is the second part of Clint Eastwood's ambitious project. When I first heard that he was planning to make two films, back to back, featuring both sides of the Battle of Iwo Jima, I was hooked. It is an amazing idea, and one that completely pays off.
The first film was Flags of Our Fathers, which centered on those involved in the raising of the flag on Mount Surabachi and the resulting photograph which captured the imagination of a nation. This second film focuses more on the battle itself, albeit from the perspective of the Japanese. Still, it is not an action movie - it is a brave and moving film that focuses on a few of those in the trenches and what they experienced.
Is this film complete fact? No, but neither is it complete fiction. There are a lot of holes on the Japanese side of the event. There are few survivors of the battle and the battle is not taught in Japanese schools. There are a number of letters from General Tadamichi Kuribayashi that were found, although the final fate of the leader is unknown. Despite that, the film — with its intriguing screenplay from Iris Yamashita — paints a compelling picture of what it may have been like for those who were there.
Letters from Iwo Jima puts a face on the enemy. It shows something that is probably true in many wars, that they are fought by the leaders, and that many people on both sides of the line in the field are the same. It is a brave film for Clint Eastwood, showing us something that we have not seen before.
The politics of the war are stripped away and the focus is placed squarely on those on the island. It shows the philosophical differences, the importance of honor, and how not everyone shared the view of the imperialist state, just wishing to do their job and return home. A good portion of the fighting force was conscripted and sent off to fight, and most likely die. In fact, they were pretty much told to expect to die, either by the hand of the enemy, or by their own. I cannot imagine what it would be like to be on the receiving end of those orders.
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