Scan and Pan
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Letters from Iwo Jima
Flags of Our Fathers told the story behind the famous photograph of American soldiers raising the US flag on top of Iwo Jima's Mount Suribachi, but Letters from Iwo Jima focuses on the daily lives of Japanese officers and enlisted men stationed on the island from June 1944 through the Battle of Iwo Jima in February-March 1945. The main characters are Lieutenant General Kuribayashi, assigned by Prime Minister Tojo to lead the all-important defense of Iwo Jima; Saigo, a reluctant young enlisted man who was a baker before being drafted into the Imperial Japanese Army, and whose wife and baby are never far from his thoughts; Baron Nishi, a nobleman, equestrian, and Olympic gold medalist turned tank commander; Shimizu, a soldier thought to be a member of the secret police sent to spy on soldiers suspected of being unpatriotic; Kashiwara, Saigo's closest friend; and Lieutenant Ito, a fanatical and brutal officer.
Eastwood's direction of Flags of Our Fathers was more emotional and epic, while his direction here is more formal and intimate. His filmmaking style could almost be described as Japanese here. Flags of Our Fathers ended with a shot of a memorial to fallen American soldiers on present day Iwo Jima, mirrored by the opening shot here of a shot of a memorial to fallen Japanese soldiers. The story was conceived by Iris Yamashita and Paul Haggis (Crash, Flags of Our Fathers) with the screenplay being written by Yamashita. It's a finely detailed examination of the character of soldiers faced with an unwinnable battle, albeit a somewhat fictionalized account inspired by actual letters sent from soldiers stationed on the island.
One of the most moving moments comes when Nishi reads a letter to his soldiers that was found on a dead American soldier. The letter is from the soldier's mother, and the Japanese soldiers slowly realize that their enemy is just like them, young men sent to a remote island to kill or be killed.
As he did so well in Flags of Our Fathers, cinematographer Tom Stern uses harsh lighting and desaturated colors almost to the point of being monochromatic, finely illuminating the realities of war. Production designers Henry Bumstead and James J. Murakami do excellent work in recreating the island of Iwo Jima as it was before, during, and after the battle. Clint Eastwood doesn't repeat his role as composer this time, leaving that to his son Kyle Eastwood and Michael Stevens, who contribute a moving and evocative score.
Ken Watanabe is outstanding in his portrayal of Kuribayashi as a dignified officer who knows that his command is doomed but is determined to carry it through with honor, and Kazunari Ninomiya, best known as a member of the Japanese boy band Arashi, is equally good as Saigo, the emotional heart of the film. The characters are from opposite ends of the military structure, but the two men are more alike than not. Tsuyoshi Ihara as Nishi, Ryo Kase as Shimizu, Takashi Yamaguchi as Kashiwara, Shido Nakamura as Ito, Hiroshi Watanabe as Kuribayashi's aide, Ken Kensei as a senior officer who disobeys Kuribayashi's orders and commands his soldiers to commit suicide, and Nae Yuuki as Saigo's wife also deliver strong performances.
Flags of Our Fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima work as two parts of a whole, showing the common humanity of the men on both sides of the conflict, although Letters from Iwo Jima is the one nominated for a Best Picture Oscar. They're both brilliant in different but complementary ways and should be considered equals. Highly recommended.
With this Japanese language companion piece to Flags of Our Fathers, director Clint Eastwood has accomplished the unusual feat of making two great war films about the same battle from opposite sides.
Flags of Our Fathers told the story behind the famous photograph of American soldiers raising the US flag on top of Iwo Jima's Mount Suribachi, but Letters from Iwo Jima focuses on the daily lives of Japanese officers and enlisted men stationed on the island from June 1944 through the Battle of Iwo Jima in February-March 1945. The main characters are Lieutenant General Kuribayashi, assigned by Prime Minister Tojo to lead the all-important defense of Iwo Jima; Saigo, a reluctant young enlisted man who was a baker before being drafted into the Imperial Japanese Army, and whose wife and baby are never far from his thoughts; Baron Nishi, a nobleman, equestrian, and Olympic gold medalist turned tank commander; Shimizu, a soldier thought to be a member of the secret police sent to spy on soldiers suspected of being unpatriotic; Kashiwara, Saigo's closest friend; and Lieutenant Ito, a fanatical and brutal officer.
Eastwood's direction of Flags of Our Fathers was more emotional and epic, while his direction here is more formal and intimate. His filmmaking style could almost be described as Japanese here. Flags of Our Fathers ended with a shot of a memorial to fallen American soldiers on present day Iwo Jima, mirrored by the opening shot here of a shot of a memorial to fallen Japanese soldiers. The story was conceived by Iris Yamashita and Paul Haggis (Crash, Flags of Our Fathers) with the screenplay being written by Yamashita. It's a finely detailed examination of the character of soldiers faced with an unwinnable battle, albeit a somewhat fictionalized account inspired by actual letters sent from soldiers stationed on the island.
One of the most moving moments comes when Nishi reads a letter to his soldiers that was found on a dead American soldier. The letter is from the soldier's mother, and the Japanese soldiers slowly realize that their enemy is just like them, young men sent to a remote island to kill or be killed.
As he did so well in Flags of Our Fathers, cinematographer Tom Stern uses harsh lighting and desaturated colors almost to the point of being monochromatic, finely illuminating the realities of war. Production designers Henry Bumstead and James J. Murakami do excellent work in recreating the island of Iwo Jima as it was before, during, and after the battle. Clint Eastwood doesn't repeat his role as composer this time, leaving that to his son Kyle Eastwood and Michael Stevens, who contribute a moving and evocative score.
Ken Watanabe is outstanding in his portrayal of Kuribayashi as a dignified officer who knows that his command is doomed but is determined to carry it through with honor, and Kazunari Ninomiya, best known as a member of the Japanese boy band Arashi, is equally good as Saigo, the emotional heart of the film. The characters are from opposite ends of the military structure, but the two men are more alike than not. Tsuyoshi Ihara as Nishi, Ryo Kase as Shimizu, Takashi Yamaguchi as Kashiwara, Shido Nakamura as Ito, Hiroshi Watanabe as Kuribayashi's aide, Ken Kensei as a senior officer who disobeys Kuribayashi's orders and commands his soldiers to commit suicide, and Nae Yuuki as Saigo's wife also deliver strong performances.
Flags of Our Fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima work as two parts of a whole, showing the common humanity of the men on both sides of the conflict, although Letters from Iwo Jima is the one nominated for a Best Picture Oscar. They're both brilliant in different but complementary ways and should be considered equals. Highly recommended.
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