In Flags Of Our Fathers, Clint Eastwood took viewers on a look at one of the most famous moments of World War II, and the events that ensued. In Letters From Iwo Jima, Eastwood took a second look at the 1945 conflict, but from a Japanese point of view. The movie starts and ends some sixty years after the battle, as a team of archaeologists uncover a sack of unsent mail. It had been buried in one of the caves near the end of the battle for control of Iwo Jima. In the months before the conflict, Lt. General Tadamichi Kuribayashi (Ken Watanabe) takes command of the forces on the island, and notices officers routinely abuse and berate the troops. He also learns of losses on other fronts by Imperial forces. He orders the officers to stop and emphasizes that every troop is essential to the defense of Iwo Jima. The general also orders a change of plan in preparing for the American attack. Other officers expected him to meet the Americans at the beach for battle. Kuribayashi knows he won't get adequate support, so he orders caves dug into the mountains to make the fight as difficult as he can make it.

The other primary story involves Saigo (Kazunari Ninomiya), a private on the island who writes many letters to his wife, Hanako (Nae Yuki). He writes of the hope to reuinte with Hanako and their infant daughter. He also longs for the chance to reopen the bakery they owned. The couple was forced to close the shop due to the lack of supplies the war created. Also, Saigo has constantly heard the notion of death with honor, but has come to question that notion. First, his closest friend in the ranks dies suddenly from dysentery. Then, once the battle begins, he witnesses soldiers sacrificing their lives, contrary to the orders of Kuribayashi. Some troops learn that surrendering can be just as fatal an option as suicide. The devastation on all fronts continues as the battle heads for an inevitable conclusion.

Letters From Iwo Jima draws its inspiration from two different historical sources, including the correspondence Kuribayashi addressed to his family. Other characters in the screenplay of Iris Yamashita were created for the film. Most of the film's dialog is delivered in Japanese. As he did Flags Of Our Fathers, Eastwood takes a look behind the events of the battle, and creates a companion film that is every bit as memorable and as cynical as Flags Of Our Fathers. The Japanese were expected to wage all-out war, as they had from the onset of their involvement in World War II. During the battle, Japanese forces did exactly that, as approximately 99 percent of their forces died in battle. Yet, the film also examines the reasons that both Kuribayashi and Saigo had to live. Eastwood uses flashback sequences to show significant events from the past of both men. It is seen that Kuribayashi, at some point before the war, lived in America, and even befriended some of the military men he might have to face in combat. Saigo knows that his wife and infant daughter anticipate his potential return.

Both men also fought alongside men they admired. For Kuribayashi, that man was Baron Takeichi Nishi (Tsuyoshi Ihara), a lieutenant colonel who, like the general, had been to America (In real life, the men did not get along nearly as well as depicted in this film). After one comrade in arms dies, he and a private name Shimizu (Ryo Kase) face difficulties together on the island. Shimizu still believes in fighting with honor, even though an action of his in his days with the Japanese military police led to his demotion and shipment to Iwo Jima. Yamashita blends fact and fiction to give the whole tale a sense of realism. Eastwood's careful pacing gives a sense of how long the battle must have seemed to the troops.

The performances by both Watanabe and Ninomiya are moving. They are men at opposites in the chain of command, yet they are connected by their grim situation. They are far from loved ones, but they make the time to communicate just how important their families are to them. Saigo, though, gets ridiculed, for constantly writing to Hanako. Nobody would dare to do that to Kuribayashi, whose letters also included drawings. Both men find a way to retain some semblance of humanity as men die all around them. They have few scenes together, but both convey the horrors of war in their performances. Both believe that soldiers can dishonor their country, so each takes every measure they know to honor both their country and their fellow soldiers. Their performances, as well as the performances of the other actors, transcend the stereotypical portrayals of World War II Japanese citizens.

History has noted the brutality with which the Japanese could attack during WWII, and has also noted that many of their officers did not use Geneva Convention rules with regard to prisoner treatment. The battle of Iwo Jima shows troops making a stand, regardless of what might become of them. In Letters From Iwo Jima, soldiers are seen doing that, but they are also seen behaving in ways that can be seen as disloyal to their Empire. Clint Eastwood shows the latter group as not only loyal, but also as courageous, and, ultimatley, as human. They knew what they were expected to do for Japan. However, they also saw a different picture, one that involved a much smaller picture than one of a military power. They thought of the world they had created before the conflict. They knew that, with or without them, their world would continue to exist once the war came to an end. The little empires they brought into existence would need the encouragement to face the future as bravely as they faced their foes in lands that were far away from home.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Good for a Rainy Day
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age