LETTERSFROMIWOJIMA

A companion film to the mediocre Flags of Our Fathers, which told the story of the taking of Iwo Jima in World War II; this film sees it from the Japanese side. The first shots reveal that this will be a grim saga; almost all the color is drained out, and the dunn-colored island and the caves underground provide no relief. The film is told through two of the Japanese participants; commanding General Kuribayashi (Ken Watanabe), and Saigo (Kazunari Ninomiya) a young and perhaps to-good-to-be-true private who acts as our witness to the coming battle.

We’re introduced to many of the Japanese officers and men during the run-up to the battle; each character is not rounded, but represents the different viewpoints and factions within Japanese society and the military. Besides the two leads, only Baron Nishi (Tsuyoshi Ihara) gets more than a few words in the film. He’s from the old Japanese nobility, with his horse and whiskey, his scarf and his good treatment of an American prisoner.

Many reviewers have expressed surprise at the importance of the battle to both the Americans and the Japanese. If the Americans could get control of the island, their air power would be within striking range of the Japanese mainland cities. The Japanese knew this, plus Iwo Jima was considered part of the Japanese Home Islands. The Japanese were determined to hold on as long as possible, and make the cost high. Japan still believed that their soldiers spirit and willingness to die would overcome American logistics and materiel strength. Like the Battle of Stalingrad in Europe, the Battle of Iwo Jima pitted the unstoppable force against the immovable object, with predictably devastating results.

In order to withstand the hundreds of naval guns just offshore, the Japanese are forced to hunker down in caves carved out of the volcanic stone; they fight and die as they scurry through the honeycomb of tunnels; they don’t have enough food, water, or ammunition to fight the well-equipped American force they face. Some of the Japanese soldiers are fanatics, or become fanatics, and few manage to keep their sanity in the hell that's unleashed. Think about these statistics: In the actual Battle of Iwo Jima (February 19–March 26, 1945), of the over 22,000 Japanese soldiers entrenched on the island, 21,703 died either from the fighting, ritual suicide, or executed on the battlefield by the Americans. Only 1,083 were taken prisoner. The American forces suffered 27,909 casualties, with 6,825 killed in action. Those slaughterhouse statistics impacted the American side in the decision to use the atomic bomb six months later instead of landing on the Japanese mainland.

In war young men become brutalized and life is very cheap. The Japanese were brainwashed to believe that they had to die for their Emperor, and were primed to drink the Kool-Aide. The film shows some of these horrors, but takes a lot of care to humanize the Japanese soldiers by using supposedly direct quotes from real letters they sent home, a technique as old a film. You can read on other reviews of this film all the emotional shadings that are imparted during the film, but the danger is in turning a grim battle into soap opera. The first war films were also from this mold, and the style was later rightly rejected as too sentimental. This film is supposedly about the most brutal American vs Japanese battle of World War II, not a cave exploration. For this, blame Iris Yamashita's script, in which sweetness is constantly threatening to go out of control.

If you think you'll learn much about strategy, tactics, or actual fighting, forget it. This film is about character studies - on the model of, and done better by All Quiet on the Western Front (I930); in this it follows the formula that the public doesn't care about how the fight went down. We only learn that war is a horrible waste, fought for reasons that make no sense. Certainly true, and just as certainly a cliche´. Tacitus, at the time of Christ, had already given the final verdict on war, "they make a desert, and call it peace."

To really feel the tragedy Iwo Jima, look up the actual films and pictures taken during and after the battle. Look at mangled, twisted bodies, cut in half, headless and turned into a pulp. Get a feeling for the charnel house atmosphere. Most of us, if confronted with the reality of Iwo Jima, would be retching our guts out. Imagine what happened emotionally to the men that witnessed that hell. Understand why most armies now prohibit picture-taking on a battlefield.

It won't sell; the Hollywood rule is that real war cannot be shown; audiences won't accept it. So it all comes back to a bit of sanitized fantasy with two-second cuts to reality every five minutes. The question, in these days of atomic war when millions can be turned to toast as easily as you make a phone call; is it right to make a war film in which war is merely background to a story of wonderful people, boiled down to "Dear Mom" letters; a formula guaranteed to bring the praise of critics? Why pick out the bloodiest battle that America and Japan fought for sentimental treatment? Yes, real soldier letters and so forth, but aren't most soldiers of all sides writing similar letters? The question is; is this a real break-through in the subject of war or give us at least an understanding of why so many died on Iwo Jima, or is it a sentimental journey through what in real life was a meat-grinder? Martin Scorsese doesn't make war films, because he doesn't deal in this kind of shadow play; he'd rub your nose in it, whether you liked it or not - better not to even go there. For a taste of real war; see The Battle of San Pietro (I943), a documentary made by John Huston.

Letters from Iwo Jima is only a fair update on the typical war film; Eastwood is a conservative director of "Oscar Packages", full of banal observations, received opinions and heartfelt emotions; the only difference being that this film follows the battle from the Japanese side and speaking Japanese with English subtitles, which was done before in Tora, Tora, Tora (I970). The message that in war bad things sometimes happen and that "ordinary Japanese were people too, like us", are hardly startling discoveries; the war film as genre may be an anachronism; real war is not something anybody needs to see as entertainment anymore. The film does have good performances by Ken Watanabe and Tsuyoshi Ihara. Letters takes place in the darkened underground caves that mirror the hopeless situation of the Japanese forces - trapped in the lower depths, along with the filmmakers.

Scenes from the film: Trailer --- Trailer II --- Japanese commander rallies the troops --- General Kuribayashi & Baron Nishi

The Battle of Iwo Jima
February I9 - March 26 I945



THE MOST FAMOUS IMAGE OF WWII - IWO JIMA





JAPAN'S ALLIES DURING THE WAR




WARNING - THE FOLLOWING PHOTOS SHOW THE REAL HORROR OF THE BATTLE OF IWO JIMA
NOT FOR CHILDREN - NOT FOR CHILDREN - NOT FOR CHILDREN









WARNING --- WARNING --- WARNING --- WARNING --- WARNING --- WARNING --- WARNING --- WARNING --- WARNING


The following graphic photos of the Pacific Theatre of
World War II are not here for sensational purposes
or for entertainment.

These pictures are the least upsetting
and yet still give a real sense of what
took place on the battlefield at Iwo Jima
in the year I945.





The pictures get grim further down.
Children and young people;
this is NOT FOR YOU.








AMERICAN CASUALTY ON BEACH - IWO JIMA









AMERICAN DEAD.






SCENE ON BEACH AFTER LANDING.








ADVANCING BEHIND COVER OF A TANK.









ARTILLERY POSITION.








USING NAPALM AGAINST HIDDEN SNIPERS
















MEDIC DOING HIS JOB










JAPANESE SOLDIERS EMERGE FROM CAVES