Letters From Iwo Jima English
| Letters from Iwo Jima | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Clint Eastwood |
| Produced by |
|
| Screenplay by | Iris Yamashita |
| Story by | |
| Based on | Picture Letters from Commander in Chief by Tadamichi Kuribayashi (author) Tsuyuko Yoshida (editor) |
| Starring | |
| Music by | |
| Cinematography | Tom Stern |
| Edited by | |
| Distributed by |
|
| |
| 140 minutes[1] | |
| Country | United States |
| Language | Japanese |
| Budget | $19 million[2] |
| Box office | $68.7 million[2] |
Letters from Iwo Jima (硫黄島からの手紙Iōjima 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.
- 3Production
- 4Reception
- 4.1Critical response
- 4.2Awards and honors
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 — a gift Kuribayashi was given in the US before the war — 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]
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Ken Watanabe | General Tadamichi Kuribayashi |
| Kazunari Ninomiya | Private First Class Saigo |
| Tsuyoshi Ihara | Lieutenant Colonel Baron Takeichi Nishi |
| Ryō Kase | Superior Private Shimizu |
| Shidō Nakamura | Lieutenant Ito |
| Hiroshi Watanabe | Lieutenant Fujita |
| Takumi Bando | Captain Tanida |
| Yuki Matsuzaki | Private First Class Nozaki |
| Takashi Yamaguchi | Private First Class Kashiwara |
| Eijiro Ozaki | Lieutenant Okubo |
| Alan Sato | Sergeant Ondo |
| Nae Yuuki | Hanako, Saigo's wife (in a flashback) |
| Nobumasa Sakagami | Admiral Ohsugi |
| Masashi Nagadoi | Admiral Ichimaru |
| Akiko Shima | lead woman (in a flashback) |
| Luke Eberl | Sam, wounded American Marine (credited as Lucas Elliot) |
| Jeremy Glazer | American Marine Lieutenant |
| Ikuma Ando | Ozawa |
| Mark Moses | American officer (in a flashback) |
| Roxanne Hart | Officer's wife |
Production[edit]
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. 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 sōshikikan' 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]
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]
| Academy Awards record | |
|---|---|
| 1. Best Sound Editing | |
| Golden Globe Awards record | |
| 1. Best Foreign Language Film | |
Won[edit]
- 79th Academy Awards:
- Best Sound Editing (Alan Robert Murray and Bub Asman)
- Berlin Film Festival:
- Cinema for Peace Award
- 12th BFCA Critics' Choice Awards:
- Best Foreign Language Film
- 19th Chicago Film Critics Association Awards:
- Best Foreign Language Film
- 13th Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Awards:
- Best Foreign Language Film
- 64th Golden Globe Awards:
- 32nd Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards:
- Best Picture
- 78th National Board of Review Awards:
- Best Picture
- 11th San Diego Film Critics Awards:
- Best Director (Clint Eastwood)
- Best Picture
- Japan Academy Prize:
Nominated[edit]
- 79th Academy Awards — Best Picture - Clint Eastwood, Steven Spielberg & Robert Lorenz
- 79th Academy Awards — Best Director - Clint Eastwood
- 79th Academy Awards — Best Original Screenplay - Iris Yamashita & Paul Haggis
- 64th Golden Globe Awards — Best Director - Clint Eastwood
- 12th BFCA Critics' Choice Awards — Best Film
- 12th BFCA Critics' Choice Awards — Best Director - Clint Eastwood
- 19th Chicago Film Critics Association Awards — Best Picture
- 19th Chicago Film Critics Association Awards — Best Director - Clint Eastwood
- 19th Chicago Film Critics Association Awards — Best Original Score
- 19th Chicago Film Critics Association Awards — Best Screenplay, Original - Iris Yamashita
- 2007 MPSE Golden Reel Awards — Best Sound Editing in a Feature Film: Dialogue and Automated Dialogue Replacement
- 2007 MPSE Golden Reel Awards — Best Sound Editing in Sound Effects and Foley for a Feature Film
|
General top ten
|
Other honors[edit]
The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists:
- 2008: AFI's 10 Top 10:
- Nominated Epic Film[21]
Home 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]
- ^'LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA (15)'. British Board of Film Classification. January 2, 2007. Retrieved October 12, 2015.
- ^ abc'Letters from Iwo Jima'. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved July 5, 2009.
- ^Kuribayashi, T. (Yoshida, T., editor) 'Gyokusai Soshireikan' no Etegami. Shogakukan, Tokyo, April 2002, 254p, ISBN4-09-402676-2(in Japanese)
- ^Kakehashi, K. So Sad To Fall In Battle: An Account of War (Chiruzo Kanashiki). Shinchosha, Tokyo, July 2005, 244p, ISBN4-10-477401-4(in Japanese) / Presidio Press, January 2007, 240p, ISBN0-89141-903-9(in English)
- ^'Letters from Iwo Jima (2006)'. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved August 23, 2009.
- ^Schwarzbaum, Lisa (January 7, 2007). 'The year's best films: Lisa Schwarzbaum's list'. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 29, 2015.
- ^Turan, Kenneth (December 17, 2006). 'Bypassing the escape clause'. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 29, 2015.
- ^Corliss, Richard (December 20, 2006). '10 Best Movies - TIME'. Content.time.com. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
- ^McCarthy, Todd (December 7, 2006). 'Review: 'Letters From Iwo Jima''. Variety. Retrieved January 29, 2015.
- ^'Eastwood's 'Letters' named 2006's best'. CNN. Archived from the original on December 17, 2006. Retrieved December 6, 2006.
- ^'Awards for 2006'. National Board of Review of Motion Pictures. Archived from the original on January 10, 2007. Retrieved December 7, 2006.
- ^'Awards for 2006'. Los Angeles Film Critics Association. Archived from the original on December 20, 2006. Retrieved December 10, 2006.
- ^'Review: 'Letters from Iwo Jima' a masterpiece'. CNN. Retrieved January 9, 2007.
- ^Berardinelli, James. 'Letters from Iwo Jima'. ReelViews. Retrieved January 29, 2015.
- ^'Metacritic: 2006 Film Critic Top Ten Lists'. Metacritic. Archived from the original on December 13, 2007. Retrieved January 8, 2008.
- ^'Letters from Iwo Jima'(PDF).[permanent dead link]
- ^{{Asahi Shinbun, December 13, 2006: それまでのアメリカ映画では、日本を描いた作品や日本人の設定でありながらも、肝心の俳優には中国系や東南アジア系、日系アメリカ人等が起用されたり、日本語に妙な訛りや文法の間違いが目立ち、逆に英語を流暢に話すといった不自然さが目立つことが多かったが、本作品ではステレオタイプな日本の描写（文化や宗教観等）や違和感のあるシーンが少なく、「昭和史」で知られる半藤一利も、細部に間違いはあるが、日本についてよく調べている.}}
- ^'キネマ旬報社'. Kinejun.com. September 21, 2012. Retrieved October 4, 2012.
- ^映画「硫黄島2部作」で…硫黄島ブームArchived December 19, 2007, at the Wayback Machine 小笠原新聞社 2006年12月19日
- ^Barber, Nicholas. 'Review: 'Letters from Iwo Jima.' The Independent, 25 Feb. 2007. Archive link: https://web.archive.org/web/20070930155755/http://arts.independent.co.uk/film/reviews/article2298399.ece
- ^'AFI's 10 Top 10 Nominees'(PDF). Archived from the original(PDF) on July 16, 2011. Retrieved August 19, 2016.
- ^'Letters From Iwo Jima (Ws Sub Dub Ac3 Dol Ecoa) (2006)'. amazon.com. Retrieved March 20, 2010.
- ^'Clint Eastwood's Iwo Jima Now in English (2008)'. AMC (TV channel). Archived from the original on February 6, 2010. Retrieved March 20, 2010.
- Further reading
- Eliot, Marc (2009). American Rebel: The Life of Clint Eastwood. Harmony Books. ISBN978-0-307-33688-0.
External links[edit]
| Wikiquote has quotations related to: Letters from Iwo Jima |
- Letters from Iwo Jima on IMDb
- Letters from Iwo Jima at Rotten Tomatoes
- Letters from Iwo Jima at Metacritic
- Video interview with Letters from Iwo Jima special effects artist Vincent Guastini at Interviewing Hollywood
- Gerow, Aaron (2006). 'From Flags of Our Fathers to Letters From Iwo Jima: Clint Eastwood's Balancing of Japanese and American Perspectives'. Japan Focus. Retrieved May 29, 2009.
- Ikui, Eikoh (2007). 'Letters from Iwo Jima: Japanese Perspectives'. Japan Focus. Retrieved May 29, 2009.
See a Problem?
Preview — Letters from Iwo Jima by Kumiko Kakehashi
Kumiko Kakehashi's heart rending account is based on letters written home by the doomed soldiers on the island, most family...more
More lists with this book...
The book only made me tear up a couple of times, mo...more
You can live normally for a while then lose it horrifically for a cause, like your country’s 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
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
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
I think I'd rather have just read t...more
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
This book is written by a Japanese journalist, yet is elegant in expression while being well re...more
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
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
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
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
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
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