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Letters From Iwo Jima (Clint Eastwood)
"Humanizes Everyone In The Time Of War"
"Letters From Iwo Jima" tells the story of the Japanese soldiers who fought on that island against the Americans. The story is told from multiple perspectives of the soldiers, all writing letters to their loved ones.
In my review of Flags of Our fathers I claimed it was too formulaic and unfocused. Letters is Eastwoods second time around with the same story, but from the opposite side. This gives us the result of a courageous film that is beautiful and bold, heart-wrenching and honest, and finally an Oscar worthy picture.
Letters out does Flags in every way possible. Not once in flags did I have any emotional connection with anyone, or did I care who lived or died. With Letters I connected with everyone, in their own unique way. The soldier who only wanted to go home to see his wife and baby, the general who wishes he could have washed the kitchen floor before he left, even the Kemeptai soldier who was so desperate3 to go home that he surrendered to the Americans. On that day these soldiers were the enemy, in this film we see who they really are. This film honours the men who fought in that war and not the government of Japan, who was the real enemy.
Truth be told, they were as much the victims of war as we were. Eastwood depicts this perfectly, in one scene the soldiers in one mountain cave were ordered to kill themselves. Imagine being he one to have to do that. In what was probably the most intense scene (of many) the remaining soldiers blow themselves up with their hand grenades as they cry in fear, remembering their loved ones before they die. In letters the Americans are the enemy and the language barrier is evident. After one soldier surrenders to the Americans, who is shot, along side a prisoner, simply because the two soldiers believe they will be sitting ducks with these two beside them. If a soldier was considered a coward, then they would be executed by the sword. The true horror of war is depicted in Letters and not Flags.
The film flows more smoothly then in Flags, where we would have random flashback sequences coming out of nowhere and serving no purpose. Here you can tell when they will flashback and the importance behind each one. Flags had beautiful cinematography and colours, Eastwood brings the exact same feel to Letters and it's just as beautiful. These colours connect the two films and the two opposing sides, they both fought on the same ground. With Eastwoods hand held camera movements in Flags I had no idea what was going on and my head felt like a top, again in Letters he betters himself and let's us actually see the action, while still containing the feel that it's crazy in there.
The film is in Japanese with one or two scenes spoken in English. As with Passion of the Christ, it adds to the experience of the film and puts you there. In films like Enemy At The Gates, where the Russians and Germans all spoke English, you feel like you're watching a movie. In the one of two scenes were English is spoken, a Japanese General reads a letter written by the mother of one of the American soldiers. The Japanese soldiers listen and understand that the Americans are not the ruthless monsters they were told, but in fact human. Just like them and they don't want to be on the battlefield just as much as they do. Everyone in the cast deliver honest and powerful performances. Watanbe, who is more comfortable in his native language; captures the screen in every scene he is in, playing both a strong minded general and a soft hearted human at the same time. He doesn't want to fight, but he wants to honour Japan at the same time.
The film does fault itself though. It is a very long film that kind of dragged itself to the finish line. I did find myself thinking that it was a long movie and when you start thinking that, it takes away from the overall enjoyable experience. Eastwood could have easily cut out one or two moments when the character are "writing their letters" to keep the film at a good running time. The second thing is something I would have liked to have seen added myself. I would have liked to have seen more connection between the two films. Sure in Flags we see that the Japanese in pieces all over the caves and we finally see why, but other then that and a few battle scenes that are used directly in both films there is not much else. Where was that one scene in Flags where the kid disappears from underneath the ground? That would have connected the two films better, to see one of the Japanese solders crawling up a tunnel and kidnapping a soldier. Hearing Phillippe's voice above ground crying out where the other soldier is, this would have connected the two better.
Letters is an excellent film with the message that no matter what side you're on in war, it's hell. That's exactly what I got from this film, and yes even Flags. Letters out does Flags in every way possible and betters its chances for that Oscar gold. It's one of the best war films ever made. It's not a perfect film, but it is the one that Eastwood wanted to make and it is exactly what the title says, it's actually Letter From Iwo Jima.
9/10
"Humanizes Everyone In The Time Of War"
"Letters From Iwo Jima" tells the story of the Japanese soldiers who fought on that island against the Americans. The story is told from multiple perspectives of the soldiers, all writing letters to their loved ones.
In my review of Flags of Our fathers I claimed it was too formulaic and unfocused. Letters is Eastwoods second time around with the same story, but from the opposite side. This gives us the result of a courageous film that is beautiful and bold, heart-wrenching and honest, and finally an Oscar worthy picture.
Letters out does Flags in every way possible. Not once in flags did I have any emotional connection with anyone, or did I care who lived or died. With Letters I connected with everyone, in their own unique way. The soldier who only wanted to go home to see his wife and baby, the general who wishes he could have washed the kitchen floor before he left, even the Kemeptai soldier who was so desperate3 to go home that he surrendered to the Americans. On that day these soldiers were the enemy, in this film we see who they really are. This film honours the men who fought in that war and not the government of Japan, who was the real enemy.
Truth be told, they were as much the victims of war as we were. Eastwood depicts this perfectly, in one scene the soldiers in one mountain cave were ordered to kill themselves. Imagine being he one to have to do that. In what was probably the most intense scene (of many) the remaining soldiers blow themselves up with their hand grenades as they cry in fear, remembering their loved ones before they die. In letters the Americans are the enemy and the language barrier is evident. After one soldier surrenders to the Americans, who is shot, along side a prisoner, simply because the two soldiers believe they will be sitting ducks with these two beside them. If a soldier was considered a coward, then they would be executed by the sword. The true horror of war is depicted in Letters and not Flags.
The film flows more smoothly then in Flags, where we would have random flashback sequences coming out of nowhere and serving no purpose. Here you can tell when they will flashback and the importance behind each one. Flags had beautiful cinematography and colours, Eastwood brings the exact same feel to Letters and it's just as beautiful. These colours connect the two films and the two opposing sides, they both fought on the same ground. With Eastwoods hand held camera movements in Flags I had no idea what was going on and my head felt like a top, again in Letters he betters himself and let's us actually see the action, while still containing the feel that it's crazy in there.
The film is in Japanese with one or two scenes spoken in English. As with Passion of the Christ, it adds to the experience of the film and puts you there. In films like Enemy At The Gates, where the Russians and Germans all spoke English, you feel like you're watching a movie. In the one of two scenes were English is spoken, a Japanese General reads a letter written by the mother of one of the American soldiers. The Japanese soldiers listen and understand that the Americans are not the ruthless monsters they were told, but in fact human. Just like them and they don't want to be on the battlefield just as much as they do. Everyone in the cast deliver honest and powerful performances. Watanbe, who is more comfortable in his native language; captures the screen in every scene he is in, playing both a strong minded general and a soft hearted human at the same time. He doesn't want to fight, but he wants to honour Japan at the same time.
The film does fault itself though. It is a very long film that kind of dragged itself to the finish line. I did find myself thinking that it was a long movie and when you start thinking that, it takes away from the overall enjoyable experience. Eastwood could have easily cut out one or two moments when the character are "writing their letters" to keep the film at a good running time. The second thing is something I would have liked to have seen added myself. I would have liked to have seen more connection between the two films. Sure in Flags we see that the Japanese in pieces all over the caves and we finally see why, but other then that and a few battle scenes that are used directly in both films there is not much else. Where was that one scene in Flags where the kid disappears from underneath the ground? That would have connected the two films better, to see one of the Japanese solders crawling up a tunnel and kidnapping a soldier. Hearing Phillippe's voice above ground crying out where the other soldier is, this would have connected the two better.
Letters is an excellent film with the message that no matter what side you're on in war, it's hell. That's exactly what I got from this film, and yes even Flags. Letters out does Flags in every way possible and betters its chances for that Oscar gold. It's one of the best war films ever made. It's not a perfect film, but it is the one that Eastwood wanted to make and it is exactly what the title says, it's actually Letter From Iwo Jima.
9/10