There are certain assumptions that American audiences, perhaps without realizing it, are likely to bring to a movie about World War II. The combat picture has been a Hollywood staple for so long â since before the actual combat was over â that it can sometimes seem as if every possible story has already been told. Or else as if each individual story, from G.I. Joe to Private Ryan, is at bottom a variation on familiar themes: victory against the odds, brotherhood under fire, sacrifice for a noble cause.
Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.
Start by marking âLetters from Iwo Jima: The Japanese Eyewitness Stories That Inspired Clint Eastwood's Filmâ as Want to Read:
Rate this book
See a Problem?
Weâd love your help. Let us know whatâs wrong with this preview of Letters from Iwo Jima by Kumiko Kakehashi.
Not the book youâre looking for?
Preview â Letters from Iwo Jima by Kumiko Kakehashi
Letters from Iwo Jima reveals the true story of the battle of Iwo Jima. At the heart of this story is the maverick general Tadamichi Kuriyabashi, devoted family man, brilliant leader and the first man on the island to know they were all going to die.
Kumiko Kakehashi's heart rending account is based on letters written home by the doomed soldiers on the island, most family..more
Published February 8th 2007 by George Weidenfeld & Nicholson
To see what your friends thought of this book,please sign up.
To ask other readers questions aboutLetters from Iwo Jima,please sign up.
Recent Questions
Best World War II History (nonfiction)
407 books â 431 voters
World War Two - Firsthand Accounts (nonfiction)
632 books â 467 voters
More lists with this book..
Rating details
|
Books like these are always hard to comment on. This is a true story based on their very real letters. As I said before, I have a respect for the Japanese. Especially for the Japanese soldiers in WWII. Even though both of my grandfathers fought in WWII, I still can't help but respect and honor these men. I especially have a high respect for every man who fought in the Battle for Iwo Jima. It was one of the bloodiest battles out of the whole war.
The book only made me tear up a couple of times, mo..more
Mar 11, 2010La pointe de la sauce rated it it was ok
No matter how many times the writter tried to make Kuribayashi a maverick, genius general, I just found myself disagreeing even more. He divides his time in Iwo Jima between constructing a vast cemetary of tunnels to fight a guerilla war -which he was bound to lose- and writting numerous letters instructing his family in minutae on how to proceed with their lives. The number of letters he writes is really what's astonishing; and on totally irrelevant subjects. He writes a number of letters from..more
Nov 18, 2015Joselito Honestly and Brilliantly rated it really liked it
How must you live your life? Oct 27, 2011Aly (Fantasy4eva) rated it really liked it
You can live normally for a while then lose it horrifically for a cause, like your countryâs war, then after many years be remembered and turned into a film by Clint Eastwood or some such Hollywood guy looking for some nice stories they can recreate on screen and win Academy awards for. Before the war, Lt. General Kuribayashi Tadamichi stayed in the US for about two years and had seen with his own eyes how nice, normal and likeable the average Americans are and how far..more
Shelves: boys-that-make-me-swoon, dark-and-gritty, i-ache-for-you, hilarious, movies
All I have to keep me company is my packet of Doritos *Tangy cheese flavour, hehehe*, and Strawberry flavoured water *which I must admit is pretty good*. Hey, what can I say. I'm experimenting :P
I just finished watching FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS *which is told from the Americans perspective*. I thought it was an ok movie. But I'm half an hour into this movie and I'm already loving it more! Sure, Ken Watanabe *gorgeous man* softened me up to the idea of giving it a go, but I was also very curious to s..more
203 pages which could have been whittled down to about a third of the amount. It's an interesting read but very repetitive. The author would have benefited from a good editor pointing out some of the clunky repeats of information. At the end of it I acknowledge the author's adoration of the subject, a Japanese colonel who fought the Americans at Iwo Jima, but I don't feel I really understand the colonel or his motivation. The fact that he knew they were beaten but still moved his men towards a g..more
Oct 02, 2017Chik67 rated it really liked it · review of another edition
La battaglia di Iwo Jima vista nel racconto degli ultimi mesi di vita del generale giapponese che comandava la guarnigione della terrificante isola del Pacifico. Senso del dovere senza fanatismo, serenità davanti alla morte, la tristezza là dove un'occidentale avrebbe messo la rabbia. Commovente e a tratti terribile.
Dec 04, 2017Tom rated it really liked it · review of another edition
Very interesting to learn of the Japanese side of the battle for Iwo Jima. This book should be read along with 'Flags of Our Fathers'.
Feb 26, 2018Alexander Curran rated it really liked it
'For our homeland. Until the very last man. Our duty is to stop the enemy right here. Do not expect to return home alive.'
The story of the battle of Iwo Jima between the United States and Imperial Japan during World War II, as told from the perspective of the Japanese who fought it. Ken Watanabe: General Kuribayashi (Review of film, which was similar to the book, although obviously more detail provided..) A film with powerful, historical significance. Told from the side of the Japanese as they pr..more
..but it isn't the letters. It is Kakehashi's analysis of the battle, with extracts of some letters. With her analysis, the language is rather colloquial. There's tautology and lots of 'When you read this letter, you can really feel etc ..'. Can I? It's probably the translation. I also felt that it requires more than translation for non-Japanese readers. All the stuff about digging up the bones needs some context. Otherwise it just seems unnecessarily morbid.
I think I'd rather have just read t..more
Feb 10, 2019OK Dad rated it really liked it · review of another edition
Received this book in a box sent to me by my Stepmother. She had been collecting some of my Dad's belongings in boxes to send me since his death in August 2015. When she fills a box, she sends it on.
This time it was filled with books, including this one. My father wasn't an avid book reader, so for him to have bought this book (inside the cover he wrote where he bought it and when) and read it cover to cover, is an important clue to how much he enjoyed the subject matter. I have recollections of..more
Dec 11, 2018Kay rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
In our modern era, it's good to read a book about a true hero, even if he fought for the enemy, the Japanese, in World War II. The word 'hero' in our modern culture has been so loosely applied that it's about equivalent to 'friend' on Facebook. This is a breath of fresh air about a real hero, who did the hard things he had to do but was also a considerable person when not fulfilling his military duty.
This book is written by a Japanese journalist, yet is elegant in expression while being well re..more
Feb 04, 2018Peter rated it liked it
'The are two sides to every story' goes the old adage.
Books like this are there to remind us that there are actually several. The letters of Lt. General Kuribayashi are not included in there entirety but rather quoted as inserts into the main text as it tells it's story. Alongside interviews with survivors and family members, these add to a well researched book about a very singular, a-typical Japanese officer and a 'quality human being' to boot, and therein lies the authors' aim. Obviously writte..more
Nov 22, 2017Mary Johnson rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
I loved this book. It gave me a new perspective on WWII and it was about a wonderful man of great character.
Jan 09, 2018Lindsey Stout rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
I loved this book. During WW2, Americans hated the Germans, but they dehumanized the Japanese. The racism with which the Japanese people were regarded often blinds us to the actual actions of Japanese generals and the like. This book takes a very personal look at General Kuribayashi's life and legacy, one that is often overlooked. His love for his family was heartbreakingly tangible, and his desire to stay by his soldiers side often resulted in rebelliousness. He was quite a guy. This is a fast..more
Those who have heard of the small island off the coast of Japan known as Iwo Jima have more than likely seen the famous Clint Eastwood film 'Letters from Iwo Jima' that depicts the epic thirty-six day confrontation between Japanese and American forces in 1945. While the film version itself is a masterpiece in it's own rights, I was most inclined to read the actual memoirs of the Japanese defenders who courageously fought and endured untold hardships thousands of miles from home. From her first b..more
Oct 14, 2016Carl rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
This was probably the saddest thing I've ever read. Worth every tear.
Apr 12, 2011Arminzerella rated it liked it · review of another edition
Shelves: world-war-2, iwo-jima, japan, japanese, war, 1940s, letters, nonfiction, history, book-club-selection
General Tadamichi was given the responsibility for organizing the defense of Iwo Jima in WWII. It was, for a time, considered to be of strategic importance, as enemy troops could use it as an airfield/refuel/launch point for attacks on Japan. Others higher up in the military chain of command later decided it was not worth protecting, but by then they had already committed over 20,000 troops to the cause â almost all of which lost their lives keeping the American invaders at bay for as long as th..more
Feb 14, 2016Sarah Crawford rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
This is the book based on General Tadamichi Kuribayashi's letters from Iwo Jima. It's an excellent book to read. It is not a dry history of the terrible battle; instead, it shows the soldiers as realistic, writing home to loved ones. It shows how advanced Kuribayashi's thinking was, also.
Instead of doing a defense of Iwo Jima in the traditional way, he did it his way, literally, and his way produced far more American casualties than if he had followed tradition. The book reveals a lot about the..more
Jun 22, 2009Tintin rated it really liked it · review of another edition
Saya membaca cerita pertempuran Iwo Jima sewaktu masih kelas 1 SMP, dari edisi khusus majalah Hai yang judulnya Iwo Jima. Sampul depannya bergambar seorang Jepang (mungkin itu jenderalnya?) dan beberapa kapal serta B-29 Amerika. Isinya tentang pertempuran di pulau belerang milik Jepang itu. Sama seperti membaca Citizen Soldier edisi Bahasa, terjemahan dalam edisi khusus itu juga 'belepotan' sehingga cukup menyesatkan. Misalnya, dalam edisi khusus disebutkan Batalyon Marinir 21. Ternyata setelah..more
Mar 17, 2010Rowan rated it really liked it · review of another edition
I very much enjoyed reading this book. It recalls and retells in a biographical format the letters and life of General Kuribayashi Tadamichi during his time in command on the island of Iwo Jima which was the scene of some of the fierest fighting in WW2 in pacific.
The real of strength of this book is the personal and direct insight it gives of the mentality of the Japanese Imperial Forces at the time. It certainly fills in alot of gaps in my own understanding as to why they were so brutal at tim..more
Oct 06, 2014Doug rated it really liked it · review of another edition
It was an interesting experience to read about a WWII battle in the Pacific from the point of view of the Japanese. So Sad to Fall in Battle is an account of the battle of Iwo Jima based largely on the letters of the Japanese commander, LTG Tadamichi Kuribayashi and written by a Japanese author. The Japanese were 'demonized' to my generation (born 1941) and few books published in the west deal with them as people. This account points out that on a certain level, the Japanese soldier thought and..more
Mar 12, 2008J.C. rated it liked it · review of another edition
A good account of war. the writing is not the best and there is a lot of repetition for such a short book. But overall I really enjoyed it. It is a short history of General Kuribayashi, who is the equivalent of General Patton or Douglas MacArthur in his popularity and contribution to history.
Written by a Japanese historian, there are a few small areas where the American military is lambasted, especially in regards to the fire bombing of Tokyo, and this writer did fail to mention some of the muti..more
Jun 16, 2009Karen rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
As the title suggests this is a collection of stories about the individual stories that are written by the Japanese soldiers to their loved ones back home. I have not read this book yet though the movie is very moving. Again I chose this book as a Japanese pick because I thought it would be a great pick for the Asian arts. ANd I would use it in the classroom to depict the fact that even on the Axis powers(Germany, Russia (for a while), Italy, and Japan) even their soldiers had the same hopes, fe..more
Perhaps I approached this book with the wrong mindset. Going in thinking of it as a secondary source of history, I was quite disappointed to find that there was no clear argument or narrative running through it. Kakehashi clearly adores her subject matter and his life, but I found it quite repetitive when she constantly goes back to how much of a family man he was or how much he cared for his soldiers, compared to the other officers of that time. Obviously, he was not like 'other people' who mig..more
Dec 07, 2011Cameron Faison rated it it was amazing
I thought this book was a wonderful story about the Japanese side during the Battle of Iwo Jima during WWII. I thought it was also a very dramatic story because it was mostly centered on a young Japanese soldier who is sending letters to his wife in Japan who is pregnant with his child. It is sad how everyday is a constant battle for survival for him in one of the bloodiest battles in the Pacific Theater of War during 1945. This story is also one of my favorite books because I love WWII stories..more
May 26, 2012Lana rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
Before beginning to write this review, I read many of the reviews that others posted. Some were positive, others not so. Some were middle of the road. I speak English, Japanese, enough Spanish to live in Spanish-speaking countries and enough Hebrew to get from here to Jaffa Gate in Jerusalem. I do not dislike anyone except those who preach violence, hatred and spread lies. I try not to judge others except that I always speak out against hatred and discrimination of ANY kind. I wonder, given the..more
Oct 14, 2013Sophie rated it liked it
I very much appreciated the subject, especially the author showing what an unusual Japanese the general was (he spent some time in America before the war) and a few things about the chain of command in Japan at the time.
What I liked most were the examples of 'last letters', which had to be patriotic and stoic else they were censored, and the demonstration of the general's manipulative 'kindness' - only the soldiers' loyalty to him, and not only the emperor, would have kept them from suicide. He..more
Letters From Iwo Jima is a tremendous book that opens your eyes to seeing the Japanese's point of view during war. We are usually exposed to stories about how the Japanese and Germans behave brutally but this book has brought new perspectives, especially to me, to see that not every Japanese were inhumane. There were some that did not want the war, but for the love of their country, and their loyalty to the emperor, they went ahead doing so. Such fierce discipline and culture the Japanese people..more
Jul 23, 2016Natalie Rooney rated it really liked it · review of another edition
Growing up, I had never been interested in learning about war. I didn't like the idea of war, fighting or violence, so I never really took an interest in reading about the wars that happened throughout the world. However, I really enjoyed reading these letters from a Japanese general in Iwo Jima. From the limited information I learned about Iwo Jima in school, this book expanded on that and really illuminated the atrocities that occurred during World War II at Iwo Jima. Thanks to this book, I've..more
Very gripping story of the Japanese defenders of Iwo Jima, pieced together primarily from letters and despatches sent back by the general who was in command there. It is sad that many details of the actual war there, particularly of the last days, are lost forever as the Japanese army was wiped out almost to the last man. The spirit and resolve of General Kuriyabashi, and the soldiers there is admirable all the more as they planned and fought even knowing it was a lost cause. This is one of very..more
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.Be the first to start one »
Recommend It | Stats | Recent Status Updates
See similar booksâ¦
See top shelvesâ¦
2followers
But of course there are other, contrasting stories, a handful of which form the core of âs harrowing, contemplative new movie and the companion to his which was released this fall. That film, partly about the famous photograph of American servicemen raising the flag on the barren volcanic island of Iwo Jima, complicated the standard Hollywood combat narrative in ways both subtle and overt. It exposed the heavy sediment of individual grief, cynicism and frustration beneath the collective high sentiments of glory and heroism but without entirely debunking the value or necessity of those sentiments.
âLetters,â which observes the lives and deaths of Japanese soldiers in the battle for Iwo Jima, similarly adheres to some of the conventions of the genre even as it quietly dismantles them. It is, unapologetically and even humbly, true to the durable tenets of the war-movie tradition, but it is also utterly original, even radical in its methods and insights.
In December 2004, with Mr. Eastwood almost nonchalantly took a tried and true template â the boxing picture â and struck from it the best American movie of the year. To my amazement, though hardly to my surprise, he has done it again; âLetters From Iwo Jimaâ might just be the best Japanese movie of the year as well.
This is not only because the Japanese actors, speaking in their own language, give such vivid and varied performances, but also because the film, in its every particular, seems deeply and un-self-consciously embedded in the experiences of the characters they play. âLetters From Iwo Jimaâ is not a chronicle of victory against the odds, but rather of inevitable defeat. When word comes from Imperial headquarters that there will be no reinforcements, no battleships, no air support in the impending fight with the United States Marines, any illusion of triumph vanishes, and the stark reality of the mission takes shape. The job of these soldiers and their commanders, in keeping with a military ethos they must embrace whether they believe in it or not, is to die with honor, if necessary by their own hands.
Continue reading the main story
The cruelty of this notion of military discipline, derived from long tradition and maintained by force, is perhaps less startling than the sympathy Mr. Eastwood extends to his characters, whose sacrifices are made in the service of a cause that the American audience knows to be bad as well as doomed. It is hard to think of another war movie that has gone so deeply, so sensitively, into the mind-set of the opposing side.
Since the fighting that Mr. Eastwood depicts is limited to a single, self-contained piece of the Japanese homeland, the bloody roster of Japanese atrocities elsewhere in Asia and the South Pacific remains off screen. But this omission in no way compromises the moral gravity of what takes place before our eyes. Nor does it diminish the power of the filmâs moving and meticulous vindication of the humanity of the enemy. (Mr. Eastwood also, not incidentally, exposes some inhumanity on the part of the American good guys, a few of whom are shown committing atrocities of their own.)
Any modern military organization depends, to some extent, on the dehumanization of its own fighters as well as their adversaries. (In âFlags of Our Fathersâ the Japanese are all but faceless, firing unseen from bunkers and tunnels dug into the mountainside; in âLetters From Iwo Jimaâ we see the grueling work and strategic inspiration that led to the digging of those tunnels.)
An army needs personnel, not personalities, and one of the functions of the art and literature of war â especially on film, which exists to consecrate the human face â is to compensate for this forced anonymity by emphasizing the flesh-and-blood individuality of the combatants. Think of the classic Hollywood platoon picture, with its carefully distributed farm boys and city kids, its quota of blowhards and bookworms, all superintended by a wise, crusty commander. Even as they approach stereotype, those characters give names, faces and identities to men who have gone down in history mainly as statistics.
Historians estimate that 20,000 Japanese infantrymen defended Iwo Jima; 1,083 of them survived. (The Americans sent 77,000 Marines and nearly 100,000 total troops, of whom close to 7,000 died and almost 20,000 were wounded.) The Japanese commander was Lt. Gen. Tadamichi Kuribayashi, whose illustrated letters to his wife and children, recently unearthed on the island, were a source for Iris Yamashitaâs script. Played by Ken Watanabe, Kuribayashi, who arrives on Iwo Jima with a pearl-handled Colt and fond memories of the years he spent in America before the war, is a dashing, cosmopolitan figure. He arouses a good deal of suspicion among the other officers for his modern ideas and for the kindness he sometimes displays toward the low-ranking soldiers.
The general is a practical man (those tunnels are his idea) in an impossible circumstance, and Mr. Watanabeâs performance is all the more heartbreaking for his crisp, unsentimental dignity. He anchors the film â this is some of the best acting of the year, in any language â but does not dominate it. Much as the Imperial Army may have been rigidly hierarchical, Mr. Eastwoodâs sensibility is instinctively democratic. As the battle looms, and even as the bombs, bullets and artillery shells begin to explode, he takes the time to introduce us to Saigo (Kazunari Ninomiya), a guileless baker with no great desire to give his life for the glory of the nation; Lieutenant Ito (Shidou Nakamura), who will settle for nothing else; Baron Nishi (Tsuyoshi Ihara), an Olympic equestrian who once hobnobbed with Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks; and Shimizu (Ryo Kase), who Saigo suspects is an agent of the secret police.
It is customary to use the word epic to describe a movie that deals with big battles, momentous historical events and large numbers of dead. But while some of Mr. Eastwoodâs set pieces depict warfare on a large scale, the overall mood of âLetters From Iwo Jima,â as the title suggests, is strikingly intimate. Even though the movie has a blunt, emphatic emotional force, Mr. Eastwood also shows an attention to details of speech and gesture that can only be described as delicate.
He is as well acquainted as any American director (or actor) with the language of cinematic violence, but he has no equal when it comes to dramatizing the ethical and emotional consequences of brutality. There is nothing gratuitous in this film, nothing fancy or false. There is the humor and the viciousness of men in danger; there is the cool logic of military planning and the explosive irrationality of behavior in combat; there is life and death.
As in âFlags of Our Fathers,â nearly all the color has been drained from the images, a technique that makes the interiors of the caves and tunnels look like Rembrandt paintings. The anxious faces seem to glow in the shadows, illuminated by their own suffering. At other times, in the hard outdoor light, Tom Sternâs cinematography is as frank and solemn as a Mathew Brady photograph.
A few scenes serve as hinges joining this movie to âFlags of Our Fathers.â While âLetters From Iwo Jimaâ seems to me the more accomplished of the two films â by which I mean that it strikes me as close to perfect â the two enrich each other, and together achieve an extraordinary completeness. They show how the experience of war is both a shared and a divisive experience, separating the dead from the living and the winners from the losers, even as it binds them all together.
Newsletter Sign UpContinue reading the main storyClint Eastwood Iwo Jima WikipediaThank you for subscribing.An error has occurred. Please try again later.You are already subscribed to this email.
Both films travel back and forth in time and space between Iwo Jima and the homelands of the combatants. In âFlags of Our Fathersâ the battle itself happens mainly in flashback, since the movie is in large measure about the guilt and confusion that survivors encountered upon their reluctant return home. In âLetters From Iwo Jimaâ the battle is in the present tense, and it is home that flickers occasionally in the memories of men who are certain they will not live to see it again.
âLetters From Iwo Jimaâ is rated R (Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian). It includes extremely graphic combat violence.
LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA
Opens today in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Directed by ; written (in Japanese, with English subtitles) by Iris Yamashita, based on a story by Ms. Yamashita and Paul Haggis; director of photography, Tom Stern; edited by Joel Cox and Gary D. Roach; music by Kyle Eastwood and Michael Stevens; production designers, Henry Bumstead and James J. Murakami; produced by Mr. Eastwood, Steven Spielberg and Robert Lorenz; released by Warner Brothers Pictures and DreamWorks Pictures. Running time: 141 minutes.
WITH: Ken Watanabe (Lt. Gen. Tadamichi Kuribayashi), Kazunari Ninomiya (Saigo), Tsuyoshi Ihara (Baron Nishi), Ryo Kase (Shimizu), Shidou Nakamura (Lieutenant Ito) and Nae (Hanako).
Letters From Iwo Jima
Clint Eastwood, Ken Watanabe, Kazunari Ninomiya and Tsuyoshi Ihara after a screening at the Berlinale 2007
Letters from Iwo Jima (ç¡«é»å³¶ããã®æç´IÅjima Kara no Tegami) is a 2006 American war film directed and co-produced by Clint Eastwood, starring Ken Watanabe and Kazunari Ninomiya. The film portrays the Battle of Iwo Jima from the perspective of the Japanesesoldiers and is a companion piece to Eastwood's Flags of Our Fathers, which depicts the same battle from the American viewpoint; the two films were shot back to back. Letters from Iwo Jima is almost entirely in Japanese, although it was produced by American companies DreamWorks, Malpaso Productions, and Amblin Entertainment. After Flags of Our Fathers underperformed at the box office, Paramount Pictures swapped the United States distribution rights to Warner Bros., who had the international rights.
The film was released in Japan on December 9, 2006 and received a limited release in the United States on December 20, 2006 in order to be eligible for consideration for the 79th Academy Awards. It was subsequently released in more areas of the U.S. on January 12, 2007, and was released in most states on January 19. An English-dubbed version of the film premiered on April 7, 2008. Upon release, the film received critical acclaim and did slightly better at the box office than its companion.
Plot[edit]
In 2005, Japanese archaeologists explore tunnels on Iwo Jima, where they find something in the dirt.
The scene changes to Iwo Jima in 1944. Private First Class Saigo and his platoon are digging beach trenches on the island. Meanwhile, Lieutenant GeneralTadamichi Kuribayashi arrives to take command of the garrison and immediately begins an inspection of the island defenses. He saves Saigo and his friend Kashiwara from a beating by Captain Tanida for 'unpatriotic speeches', and orders the men to begin tunneling underground defenses into Mount Suribachi. Kuribayashi and Lieutenant ColonelBaronTakeichi Nishi, a famous Olympic gold medalistshow jumper, clash with some of the other officers, who do not agree with Kuribayashi's defense in depth strategy: Kuribayashi believes the US will take the beaches quickly, and that the mountain defenses will have a better chance for holding out.
Poor nutrition and unsanitary conditions take their toll; many die of dysentery, including Kashiwara. The troops begin using the caves. Kashiwara's replacement, Superior Private Shimizu, arrives for duty. Saigo suspects that Shimizu is a spy from the Kempeitai sent to report on disloyal soldiers.
Soon, American aircraft and warships begin to appear and bombard the island, causing significant casualties. A few days later, the U.S. Marines land. The American troops suffer heavy casualties, but the beach defenses are quickly overcome, as Kuribayashi predicted, and the attack turns to the positions on Mount Suribachi. While delivering a request for more machine guns from his commander to the Suribachi garrison, Saigo overhears Kuribayashi radioing orders to retreat. The commander, however, ignores the General and instead orders his company to commit suicide. Saigo runs away with Shimizu, convincing him to continue the fight rather than die. They find two other soldiers, but one is incinerated by an American flamethrower, and they witness a captured Marine being bayoneted to death.
Saigo and the soldiers in Mount Suribachi try to flee with Lt. Colonel Oiso at night, but they run into Marines, who wipe out all except Saigo and Shimizu. They flee to friendly lines, but are accused by Lieutenant Ito of desertion. Ito raises his katana to execute them for cowardice, but Kuribayashi arrives and saves Saigo again by confirming his order to retreat.
The Japanese attack US positions but take heavy losses. The survivors are told to regroup with Colonel Nishi while Ito heads to the US lines with three mines, intending to throw himself under a tank. Nishi converses in English with a captured Marine, Sam, until Sam eventually dies from his wounds. Later, blinded by shrapnel, Nishi orders his men to withdraw and asks Lieutenant Okubo to leave him a rifle. Upon leaving, the soldiers hear a gunshot from Nishi's cave.
Saigo plans surrender, and Shimizu reveals that he was dishonorably discharged from the Kempeitai because he disobeyed an order to kill a civilian's dog. Shimizu escapes and surrenders to Americans, but is later shot dead by his guard. Meanwhile, Ito, desperate and malnourished, breaks down and, when found by the US Marines, surrenders. Okubo is killed as he and his men arrive at Kuribayashi's position. Saigo meets up with Kuribayashi, and one last attack is planned. Kuribayashi orders Saigo to stay behind and destroy all documents, including his own letters, saving Saigo's life a third time.
That night, Kuribayashi launches a final surprise attack. Most of his men are killed, and Kuribayashi is critically wounded, but Kuribayashi's loyal aide Fujita drags him away. The next morning, Kuribayashi orders Fujita to behead him; however, Fujita is shot dead by a Marine sniper before he can do so. Saigo appears, having buried some of the documents and letters instead of burning them all. Kuribayashi asks Saigo to bury him where he will not be found, then draws his pistol, an American M1911 â a gift Kuribayashi was given in the US before the war â and commits suicide. A tearful Saigo then buries him.
Later, a US patrol find Fujita's body. One Marine officer finds Kuribayashi's pistol and tucks it under his belt. They search the area and find Saigo with his shovel. Seeing the pistol in the Marine lieutenant's belt, Saigo becomes furious and attacks the Americans with his shovel. Too weak to fight, he is knocked unconscious and taken to the POW beach. Awakening on a stretcher, he glimpses the setting sun and smiles grimly.
Back in 2005, the archeologists complete their digging, revealing the bag of letters that Saigo had buried, and open it. As the letters spill out, the voices of the Japanese soldiers who wrote them resound.
Cast[edit]
Production[edit]Letters From Iwo Jima Dvd
The film was originally entitled Red Sun, Black Sand.[citation needed] Although the film is set in Japan, it was filmed primarily in Barstow and Bakersfield in California. All Japanese cast except for Ken Watanabe were selected through auditions.[citation needed] Filming in California wrapped on April 8, and the cast and crew then headed back to the studio in Los Angeles for more scenes before Eastwood, Watanabe and a skeleton crew made a quick one-day trip to Iwo Jima for some on-location shots.[citation needed]Principal photography finished in late 2006.[citation needed]
The filmmakers had to be given special permission from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government to film on Iwo Jima,[citation needed] because more than 10,000 missing Japanese soldiers still rest under its soil. Download vray for sketchup. The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) operates a naval air base on Iwo Jima, which is used by the United States Navy for operations such as nighttime carrier landing practice. Civilian access to the island is restricted to those attending memorial services for fallen American Marines and Japanese soldiers.
The battleship USS Texas (BB-35), which was used in closeup shots of the fleet (for both movies) also participated in the actual attack on Iwo Jima for five days. The only character to appear in both Flags of Our Fathers and Letters From Iwo Jima is Charles W. Lindberg, played by Alessandro Mastrobuono.
Sources[edit]
The film is based on the non-fiction books 'Gyokusai sÅshikikan' no etegami ('Picture letters from the Commander in Chief')[3] by General Tadamichi Kuribayashi (portrayed on screen by Ken Watanabe) and So Sad To Fall In Battle: An Account of War[4] by Kumiko Kakehashi about the Battle of Iwo Jima. While some characters such as Saigo are fictional, the overall battle as well as several of the commanders are based upon actual people and events.
Reception[edit]Critical response[edit]In the United States[edit]
The film was critically acclaimed, and well noted for its portrayal of good and evil on both sides of the battle. The critics heavily praised the writing, direction, cinematography and acting. The review tallying website Rotten Tomatoes reported that 180 out of the 198 reviews they tallied were positive for a score of 91% and a certification of 'fresh.'[5] Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly, Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times, and Richard Schickel of Time were among many critics to name it the best picture of the year.[6][7][8] In addition, Peter Travers of Rolling Stone and Michael Phillips of the Chicago Tribune both gave it four stars, and Todd McCarthy of Variety praised the film, assigning it a rare 'A' rating.[9]
On December 6, 2006, the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures named Letters from Iwo Jima the best film of 2006.[10][11] On December 10, 2006, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association named Letters from Iwo Jima Best Picture of 2006. Furthermore, Clint Eastwood was runner-up for directing honors.[12] In addition, the American Film Institute named it one of the 10 best films of 2006. It was also named Best Film in a Foreign Language on January 15 during the Golden Globe Awards, while Clint Eastwood held a nomination for Best Director.
CNN's Tom Charity in his review described Letters from Iwo Jima as 'the only American movie of the year I won't hesitate to call a masterpiece.'[13] On the 'Best Films of the Year 2006' broadcast (December 31, 2006) of the television show Ebert & Roeper, Richard Roeper listed the film at #3 and guest critic A. O. Scott listed it at #1, claiming that the film was 'close to perfect.' Roger Ebert awarded the film a perfect score (4 out of 4 stars) and raved about it as well. James Berardinelli awarded a 3 out of 4 star review, concluding with that although both 'Letters' and 'Flags' were imperfect but interesting, 'Letters from Iwo Jima' was more focused, strong and straightforward than its companion piece.[14]
On January 23, 2007, the film received four Academy Award nominations. Eastwood was nominated for his directing, as well as Best Picture along with producers Steven Spielberg and Robert Lorenz. It was also nominated for Best Original Screenplay. The film took home one award, Best Sound Editing.
The film also appeared on many critics' top ten lists of the best films of 2006.[15]
In Japan[edit]
The film was far more commercially successful in Japan than in the U.S., ranking number 1 for five weeks, and receiving a warm reception from both Japanese audiences and critics. The Japanese critics noted that Clint Eastwood presented Kuribayashi as a 'caring, erudite commander of Japan's Iwo Jima garrison, along with Japanese soldiers in general, in a sensitive, respectful way.' [16] Also, the Japanese newspaper Asahi Shinbun noted that the movie is clearly 'distinguishable' from previous Hollywood movies, which tended to portray Japanese characters with non-Japanese actors (e.g., Chinese-Americans, and other Asian-Americans). Consequently, incorrect Japanese grammar and non-native accents were conspicuous in those former films, jarring their realism for the Japanese audience. In contrast, most Japanese roles in Letters from Iwo Jima are played by native Japanese actors. Also, the article praised the film's new approach, as it is scripted with excellent research into Japanese society at that time. According to the article, previous Hollywood movies describing Japan were based on the stereotypical images of Japanese society, which looked 'weird' to native Japanese audiences. Letters from Iwo Jima is remarkable as the movie that tries to escape from the stereotypes.[17] Owing to the lack of stereotypes, Letters from Iwo Jima was appreciated by Japanese critics and audiences.[18]
Since the film was successful in Japan, a tourist boom has been reported on the Ogasawara islands, of which Iwo Jima is part.[19]
Nicholas Barber's review in the UK's The Independent on Sunday, argued that the movie was 'a traditional film wearing the uniform of a revisionist one' which proved Hollywood could be 'as mawkish about other country's soldiers as it can about its own', and that the Japanese characters were 'capable of being decent, caring fellows, just so long as they've spent some time in the United States'.[20] Kumkum bhagya episodes.
Despite favorable reviews, the film only grossed $13.7 million domestically in the United States. Foreign sales of $54.9 million helped to boost revenue over production costs of $19 million.[2]
Awards and honors[edit]
Won[edit]
Nominated[edit]
Other honors[edit]
The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists:
Letters From Iwo Jima CastHome media[edit]
Letters from Iwo Jima was released on DVD by Warner Home Video on May 22, 2007. It was also released on HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc. Furthermore, it was made available for instant viewing with Netflix's 'Watch Instantly' feature where available. The film was rereleased in 2010 as part of Clint Eastwood's tribute collection Clint Eastwood: 35 Films 35 Years at Warner Bros.The Two-Disc Special Collector's Edition DVD is also available in a Five-Disc Commemorative Set, which also includes the Two-Disc Special Collector's Edition of Flags of Our Fathers and a bonus fifth disc containing History Channel's 'Heroes of Iwo Jima' documentary and To the Shores of Iwo Jima, a documentary produced by the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps.
The English dubbed version DVD was released on June 1, 2010.[22] This version was first aired on cable channel AMC on April 26, 2008.[23]
References[edit]
External links[edit]
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Letters_from_Iwo_Jima&oldid=896772685'
Spike Lee and Clint Eastwood. Photograph: Alberto Rodriguez/Aaron Harris/Getty/AP
OK, here's what's happened so far: Spike has accused Clint of misrepresentation; Clint has accused Spike of misrepresenting his representation and encouraged him to shut his mouth; Spike has observed that Clint is not his father, and that he is pulling a Dirty Harry impression. Who is right in the battle of the Battle of Iwo Jima?
First, the quotes. While at Cannes promoting his new movie about the African-American soldiers who fought at the battle of Iwo Jima, Spike Lee criticised the absence of African-American actors in - Flags of our Fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima - Clint Eastwood's two films about the subject.
This is what he said:
'Clint Eastwood made two films about Iwo Jima that ran for more than four hours total, and there was not one negro actor on the screen. If you reporters had any balls you'd ask him why. There's no way I know why he did that .. But I know it was pointed out to him and that he could have changed it. It's not like he didn't know.
'He did two films about Iwo Jima back to back and there was not one black soldier in both of those films. Many veterans, African-Americans, who survived that war are upset at Clint Eastwood. In his vision of Iwo Jima, Negro soldiers did not exist. Simple as that. I have a different version.'
Ok. Clear enough? Last Friday, in the Guardian, Clint hit back with a specific and, it should be said, fierce rebuke:
'Has he ever studied the history? They [African-American soldiers] didn't raise the flag.
'The story is Flags of Our Fathers, the famous flag-raising picture, and they didn't do that.
'If I go ahead and put an African-American actor in there, people'd go 'This guy's lost his mind'.
'I mean, it's not accurate. A guy like him should shut his face.'
Of course, Spike Lee has not earned a reputation for being one of the world's most outspoken directors by keeping his face shut and so, this weekend, he spoke again, to ABCnews.com:
'First of all, the man is not my father and we're not on a plantation either. He's a great director. He makes his films, I make my films .. A comment like 'A guy like that should shut his face' - come on Clint, come on.
'If he wishes, I could assemble African-American men who fought at Iwo Jima and I'd like him to tell these guys that what they did was insignificant and they did not exist.
'I'm not making this up. I know history. I'm a student of history. And I know the history of Hollywood and it's omission of the one million African-American men and women who contributed to world war II. Not everything was John Wayne, baby.
'Even though he's trying to have a Dirty Harry flashback, I'm going to take the Obama high road and end it right here. Peace and love.'
Which is all very gallant, but unfortunately for Spike and his pacifism, we now open the floor to you.
Due to a high volume of active users and service overload, we had to low down the quality of video streaming. Premium users remains with the highest video quality available. Sorry for the inconvinience it may cause. Donate to keep project running.
Example Example Example
Country:
Comments are closed.
|
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |