Letters from Iwo Jima

[morvwilson]

Just got to watch this film.
What I was told on this thread held true.
A much better film than Flags Of Our Fathers
Interesting that this was a side line project that was filmed at the same time! lol
thanks for the good tip!

[MrBoats]

I can't agree strongly enough. I was concerned it would glorify the Japanese defenders, but it turned out to be very even-handed and objective. I wish "Flags" had been half as good, but "Letters" is a classic. The scenes of the initial landings and the wait for the reaction reminded me of the landing scene in "Private Ryan." I had the same knot in my gut, knowing what was about to happen.

[KG Erwin]

I bought the collectors' 5-DVD set of the two movies, and for a Pacific War fan it's a great set to own.

As for the movies, I like both of them, but I'm predisposed to do so. "Letters" focuses more upon the battle itself, and it puts a human face upon our former enemies. I can't say enough about Ken Watanabe's portrayal of Kuribayashi.

As for the collectors' set, the documentary "Heroes of Iwo Jima" (hosted by fromer Marine Gene Hackman) actually does a better job of telling the flagraisers' story than "Flags" did.

[morvwilson]

I particularly liked the Saigo charactor. There is always a guy like him in every outfit. Likeable, but not quite competant and draws every unpleasant job.

[Doggie]

Yep, the poor Japanese were such swell guys

Too bad any movie that portrayed them as they really were would be worse than the most graphic slasher film imaginable.

[MrBoats]

Speaking only for myself,

I'm well aware of how brutal the Japanese were toward civilians and soldiers alike. I think that their behavior during the war has been glossed over to a large extent, as has that of the Soviet soldiers. I'm glad that books like "The Rape of Nanking" have been published to draw attention to the butchering of millions of people by the Japanese all over Asia.

Perhaps there should have been more scenes of Japanese soldiers torturing marines in the film. As it is, I think "Letters" does a remarkable job of depicting the battle from our enemy's point of view. I expected it to glorify them, and I was relieved when it did not. I think that there were decent Japanese soldiers as well as monsters. Their culture and doctrine certainly did give the monsters free rein.

We do need a "Schindler's List" set in China or the Phillipines. Something to remind the public of the other campaigns of genocide conducted in the 20th Century. Of course, that series of films would run into the dozens.

[Halsey]

ORIGINAL: Doggie

Yep, the poor Japanese were such swell guys

Too bad any movie that portrayed them as they really were would be worse than the most graphic slasher film imaginable.

I actually started booing in the movie theatre when the Japanese commander wouldn't let his troops shoot the wounded Marine.
He wanted to treat his wounds, and talk to him about the good ole days back in the USA.
What a crock that was!

I'll never waste my money again on a Clint Eastwood flick!!![:D]

[Warfare1]

ORIGINAL: KG Erwin

I bought the collectors' 5-DVD set of the two movies, and for a Pacific War fan it's a great set to own.

As for the movies, I like both of them, but I'm predisposed to do so. "Letters" focuses more upon the battle itself, and it puts a human face upon our former enemies. I can't say enough about Ken Watanabe's portrayal of Kuribayashi.

As for the collectors' set, the documentary "Heroes of Iwo Jima" (hosted by fromer Marine Gene Hackman) actually does a better job of telling the flagraisers' story than "Flags" did.

I have to echo KG Erwin's comments about the 5 disc set. This set, plus the book, "Flags of Our Fathers", does a remarkable job of depicting war in the Pacific from both sides.

http://www.amazon.com/Letters-Flags-Fat ... B000P1XITE

In addition, I also highly recommend the box set "Band of Brothers" which does a superb job of following Easy Company (101st) through the war in Europe. I cannot recommend this set highly enough. I am currently watching it for the second time, and it gets better the more I watch it. You and your family will treasure this collection for many years to come.

http://www.amazon.com/Band-Brothers-Dam ... B00006CXSS

Let's show movie makers what we are willing to spend our money on. And let's let the makers of the current Pacific War version of Band of Brothers know that their efforts will be rewarded.

With Remembrance Day almost upon us, both the 5-disc Pacific War collection and "Band of Brothers" will provide great viewing entertainment as well as helping us to remember the sacrifice of those who gave their tomorrow for our today.

[wesy]

Sure there were bad guys on all sides - here's another link to our own less than wonderful people. Trust me i'm not discounting the Japanese attrocities, but humans from all sides were guilty.

here are some less than swell allied folk

[Doggie]

ORIGINAL: wesy




here are some less than swell allied folk

He said: "We have this stereotypical idea that the Japanese were all cruel and robotic while the Allied forces were tough but fair in their treatment of the enemy.

It wasn't a "stereotype". Even the most rabid anti-Japanese propaganda films of the era were optimistic when compared to the reality of Japanese savagry. No western theater would have been allowed to present a true portrait of the routine depravity that was life in the service of the Emporer.

[MrBoats]

I have to agree with Doggie. The Nanking massacre alone could never be properly represented on film without an X rating. The real River Kwai story would sicken the strongest stomachs. There was great cruelty on all sides on all fronts (read Eugene Sledge's "With the Old Breed" for examples) but I believe that most of it on our side occured at the front in the heat of battle. Japanese prisoners in the U.S. were not routinely tortured and murdered as were Allied POW's. And our treatment of the Japanese during the occupation was the complete opposite of their practices in Asia.

My uncle served with the 28th ID in Europe; he said that prisoners were not taken unless absolutely necessary -- both sides had an unspoken agreement about that. As units were worn down to the nub they did not have spare soldiers available for watching POW's. I don't consider him to have been a war criminal. War is cruelty, as General Sherman said.

[Raverdave]

Who the hell are we to sit and pontificate about what our fathers did in the pacific in WW2.  You can read and watch as much as you like but it still cannot allow you to come anywhere close to being able to say what was right or not.  WW2 was "Total" war and that was the point that the troops of the day understood.  NONE of us can imagine what our feelings would have been, let alone our actions if placed in the same situation. 

[Raverdave]

Oh and one other point............i thought that both LFI and FOOF were simply an "ok" films.....6 out of 10.

[mjk428]

............i thought that both LFI and FOOF were simply an "ok" films.....6 out of 10.

I had high hopes for these films but sadly I'd go with 3 & 6 - with "Letters" the better of the two. "Flags" was pure BS. Hopefully Clint will bounce back or else retire.

[planetbrain]

I too thought that both movies were only average but LFI was the more interesting of the two if only because of an unusual perspective for westerners.
I find some uncomfortable truths behind FOOF that makes for a lot of irony,that Clint tried to cover in the movie, I guess. Take the most famous picture of WW2-the second raising of a US flag and turn it into a propaganda vehicle for raising bond money.
A hero in a flash for public consumption.

[KG Erwin]

ORIGINAL: planetbrain

...I find some uncomfortable truths behind FOOF that makes for a lot of irony,that Clint tried to cover in the movie, I guess. Take the most famous picture of WW2-the second raising of a US flag and turn it into a propaganda vehicle for raising bond money.
A hero in a flash for public consumption.

This may be the biggest reason why many folks didn't like the movie: "The uncomfortable truths". Actually, FOOF stayed faithful to the book, and James Bradley DID have a lot of input on how his book was to be translated into a film. The special-features DVD for FOOF makes this clear.

"A hero in a flash for public consumption". There's a modern equivalent of this -- the story of a West Virginia girl who got captured by the Iraqis. Same type of spin, only differing in the details.
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"It isn't about magic -- it's about tricks" -- Bruce Springsteen

[timtom]

ORIGINAL: Raverdave

Who the hell are we to sit and pontificate about what our fathers did in the pacific in WW2.  You can read and watch as much as you like but it still cannot allow you to come anywhere close to being able to say what was right or not.  WW2 was "Total" war and that was the point that the troops of the day understood.  NONE of us can imagine what our feelings would have been, let alone our actions if placed in the same situation. 

All true, but doesn't this equate issuing a moral carte blance?

[Veldor]

ORIGINAL: morvwilson

Just got to watch this film.
What I was told on this thread held true.
A much better film than Flags Of Our Fathers
Interesting that this was a side line project that was filmed at the same time! lol
thanks for the good tip!

I HATE sub-titled films. Or that was I did until I saw this movie.

I did not care much for Flags of our Fathers, but liked Letters from Iwo Jima enough to start looking for other sub-titled films I might otherwise have ignored.

Two I would definitely recommend to anyone who liked Letters from Iwo Jima are:

The Lives of Others (Das Leben der Anderen) 2007 - 5 stars
Black Book from Paul Verhoeven 2006 - 4 stars

The first movie is flawless, the second has a few too many bits of gratuitous Verhoeven style nudity for some (Think Basic Instict here) but is otherwise still an excellent film. Both German subtitled films.

[Fred98]

"The Lives of Others"  One of the great movies of the last decade.
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[Doggie]

ORIGINAL: Joe 98

"The Lives of Others"  One of the great movies of the last decade.
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Yeah, but it didn't get much play in the U.S. media because it portrayed communists in a bad light.[8|]