Letters From Iwo Jima

“Every [guy] thinks he knows what war is especially those who’ve never been in one. We like things nice and simple, good and evil, heroes and villains. There are always plenty of both. Most of the time, they are not who we think we are.” That opening narration from “Flags of Our Fathers” almost perfectly describes its companion film. After seeing “Flags of Our Fathers” and upon hearing about “Letters from Iwo Jima”, I knew that I had to see it also. “Letters from Iwo Jima” is an interesting film because it is Americans telling a favorable story about those who fought against them. Even more amazing is that this film was nominated for Best Picture and I can see why. The film to me seems to proclaim the message that we must not judge one another. Rarely do we see a film depicting World War II where good & evil is had on both sides. This film also shows how General Kuribayashi of Japan defended an island for 35 days when it was estimated by the US that it would only take three days to capture it.

“Letters from Iwo Jima” depicts people that would be the bad guys in almost any other movie but in this case, we care about them. One of the movie’s first shots shows the present day Japanese memorial on Mount Suribachi. This one shot connects this film to its companion, “Flags of Our Fathers”, because at the very end of that film after the credits, we see the American memorial that is next to the Japanese one. The two shots are almost identical in terms of cinematography. I am glad that the filmmakers were permitted to film some shots on the actual island. I like the scene later in the movie where Kuribayashi is walking around and you can tell that Ken Watanabe is actually on Iwo Jima. I like the match cut as we flashback from the archeologists digging to the soldiers digging. The start of this movie also shows Iwo Jima before it was bombed. Kuribayashi is established as a good leader as he makes wise decisions based on experience and what hasn't worked in the past. He also shows some compassion towards those serving under him. I also like the portrayal of Baron Nishi. As an interesting fact during the battle, the Americans tried to radio the Baron to surrender out of respect for him. They did not want him to have to die. This film also illustrates Japanese tradition, religion and ideology for those members of the audience who are unfamiliar with it. It contrasts the American soldiers' behavior on “Flags of Our Fathers”. Propaganda from the Japanese government was of course false about how the Americans would treat the Japanese if they lost the war or were captured but “Letters from Iwo Jima” portrays how these half truths were taken seriously. The flashback of Saigo and Hanako is important because we need to hope for Saigo that he will survive. This creates amazing drama because the major feeling concerning the Japanese on Iwo is that there is no hope at all. We are shown the Japanese solders in their tunnels and we visually understand how the Japanese were barely affected by all the bombing we saw in “Flags of Our Fathers”. I like Kuribayashi’s speech before the attack because it shows his loyalty to his country. He knows they will die but he must motivate all those on the island to utilize his strategy. The longer they can keep fighting the Americans, the longer it will be until they can reach mainland Japan. I also like the scene where Saigo has to empty the pot. It shows just how much the Japanese underestimated the size of the American armada just as the Americans underestimate the number of Japanese still alive on the island. I like the different viewpoint of the American landing and how it showed why Kuribayashi waited to start firing. Another relation between the two films is that we see what led the Japanese soldiers we saw on “Flags of our Fathers” to committed suicide. Shimizu, like Saigo, doesn’t want to die but his Kempeitai background is telling him otherwise. It is Saigo that makes him see clearly. Later, Shimizu sees others such as Ito disobeying orders and going against regulations. This confuses him until he hears Sam’s letter to his mother.

I love how Kuribayashi suddenly appears to save Saigo and Shimizu. Watanabe could have yelled his lines but they are calmly spoken at first. It is an interesting acting decision. I love the interrogation scene between Nishi and Sam because it contrasts what we were led to believe after seeing “Flags of Our Fathers”. We assumed that if the Japanese captured someone, they automatically weren’t going to have a quick or horrific death as was the case with Iggy. Also during this scene between Nishi and Sam, the Japanese soldiers have no idea really what they are talking about and that is interesting. I like how Saigo ends up befriending Shimizu. When they first meet, Saigo doesn’t believe that Shimizu is a spy but he begins to believe it as time goes on. Also the Kempeitai would take things from his bakery so he has prejudices. From his first scene with Saigo, you can tell that Shimizu is trying to hide where he was trained. It is revealed however that Shimizu has good in him by way of the flashback. I would like to think that Shimizu’s Kempeitai supervisor only wanted the dog killed so that Shimizu would learn obedience. The dinner with the Americans also gives us light at to how Kuribayashi views his opponents. Then comes the powerful scene where Nishi reads the letter from Sam’s mother that contains the line “Do what is right because it is right.” This teaches to those Japanese present that the Americans are not heartless; they are human beings. It is the lesson we the audience are learning about the Japanese solders in this movie. Shimizu, after hearing this letter, decides to surrender because he feels sorry for judging the Americans. He also makes this decision based on the fact that there is too much dissention on the Japanese side and there is no point in fighting for those who are disobedient. Unfortunately, there are bad soldiers on both sides. Shimizu’s death serves the story by communicating to us that if Saigo surrenders, he has no certain guarantee of seeing his family again. Drama must continue until the very end of the movie. The song that the children sing over the radio is powerful in that it contrasts the fighting we also hear slightly in the background. This song is why Kuribayashi leads the general final attack, a surprise attack at night which actually happened in real life. The song also gives justification for the attack in our minds as the audience. Ito ends up being captured while in hiding, which ironically is quite dishonorable in my eyes. Story-wise, it makes sense that Kuribayashi and Saigo have moments towards the end of the movie. We want to see Saigo do a good job as a soldier and Kuribayashi gives him this opportunity. Kuribayashi’s body was never found after the battle and so the film provides a possible answer as to what happened to him. I like how Saigo doesn’t look at the general when he shoots himself. Instead, Saigo is looking at the last part of island that is still Japanese controlled. I like the irony in the scene with the American soldiers at the end of the movie. To them Saigo is still trying to fight while in truth, he is only angry at them for taking his beloved general’s gun. Some films of this nature have our protagonist die at the end but this film was constructed in such a way that Saigo needed to live. It turns out that Saigo’s decision to bury the letters is the greatest service he did for his country.

I like how two-time Oscar winning director Clint Eastwood put his son Kyle in charge of the music of this movie. While there must be a connection between “Letters from Iwo Jima” and “Flags of Our Fathers”, differentiation is also important when you consider their stories. The score qualifies as one of my favorites. As mentioned, this movie was nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars and Clint Eastwood got a nomination for Best Director. The screenplay was also nominated but the sound editors, Alan Robert Murray and Bud Asman, won an Academy Award for their work on this film. Together, they would later win another Oscar for their work on Eastwood's "American Sniper". Ken Watenabe, who is an Oscar-nominated actor himself, did wonderful as did Kazunari Ninomiya and Tsuyoshi Ihara. This film, as well as “Flags of Our Fathers”, is a great time capsule for preserving the memory of the battle of Iwo Jima. The flag raised on Mount Suribachi was American but the pole was a Japanese water pipe. “Letters from Iwo Jima” tells an amazing untold story and sends the powerful message that we must not judge others.

4 Stars