Product Description
-------------------
Two war dramas directed by Clint Eastwood. 's of Our
hers' (2006) is based on the book by James Bradley and Ron
Powers. In February 1945, even as victory in Europe was finally
within reach, the war in the Pacific raged on. One of the most
crucial and bloodiest battles of the war was the struggle for the
island of Iwo Jima, which culminated with what would become one
of the most iconic images in history: five Marines and a Navy
corpsman raising the American on Suribachi. But the
surviving raisers had no interest in being held up as
symbols and did not consider themselves heroes; they wanted only
to stay on the front with their brothers in arms who were
fighting and dying without fanfare or glory. 'Letters from Iwo
Jima' (2006) is based on the book 'Picture Letters from Commander
in Chief' by Tadamichi Kuribayashi. The island of Iwo Jima stands
between the American force and the home islands of
Japan. Therefore the Imperial Japanese Army is desperate to
prevent it from falling into American hands and providing a
launching point for an invasion of Japan. General Tadamichi
Kuribayashi (Ken Watanabe) is given command of the forces on the
island and sets out to prepare for the imminent attack. General
Kuribayashi, however, does not favour the rigid traditional
approach recommended by his subordinates, and resentment and
resistance fester among his staff.
.co.uk Review
-------------
Thematically ambitious and emotionally complex, Clint Eastwood's
s of Our hers is an epic with much to say about
war and the nature of heroism in America. Based on the
non-fiction bestseller by James Bradley (with Ron Powers), and
adapted by Million Dollar Baby screenwriter Paul Haggis (Jarhead
screenwriter William Broyles Jr. wrote an earlier draft that was
abandoned when Eastwood signed on to direct), this isn't so much
a conventional war movie as it is a thought-provoking meditation
on our collective need for heroes, even at the expense of those
we deem heroic. In telling the story of the six men (five
Marines, one Navy medic) who raised the American of victory
on the battle-ravaged Japanese island of Iwo Jima on February
23rd, 1945, Eastwood takes us deep into the horror of war (in
painstakingly authentic Iwo Jima battle scenes) while emphasizing
how three of the surviving -raisers (played by Adam Beach,
Ryan Phillippe, and Jesse Bradford) became reluctant celebrities
and resentful pawns in a wartime publicity campaign after
their -raising was immortalized by Associated Press
photographer Joe Rosenthal in the most famous photograph in
history.
As the surviving -raisers reluctantly play their public
roles as "the heroes of Iwo Jima" during an exhausting (but
clearly necessary) wartime bond rally tour, s of Our hers
evolves into a pointed study of battlefield valor and misplaced
idolatry, incorporating subtle comment on the bogus nature of
celebrity, the trauma of battle, and the true meaning of heroism
in wartime. Wisely avoiding any direct parallels to contemporary
history, Eastwood allows us to draw our own conclusions about the
Iwo Jima -raisers and how their postwar histories (both noble
and tragic) simultaneously illustrate the hazards of exploited
celebrity and society's genuine need for admirable role models
during times of national crisis. s of Our hers defies the
expectations of those seeking a more straightforward war-action
drama, but it's richly satisfying, impeccably crafted film that
manages to be genuinely patriotic (in celebrating the camaraderie
of soldiers in battle) while dramatising the ultimate futility of
war. Eastwood's follow-up film, Letters from Iwo Jima, examines
the Iwo Jima conflict from the Japanese perspective.
Critically hailed as an instant classic, Clint Eastwood's
Letters from Iwo Jima is a masterwork of uncommon humanity and a
harrowing, unforgettable indictment of the horrors of war. In an
unprecedented demonstration of worldly citizenship, Eastwood
(from a spare, tightly focused screenplay by first-time
screenwriter Iris Yamashita) has crafted a truly Japanese film,
with Japanese dialogue (with subtitles) and filmed in a
contemplative Japanese style, serving as both complement and
counterpoint to Eastwood's previously released companion film
s of Our hers. Where the earlier film employed a complex
non-linear structure and epic-scale production values to
dramatise one of the bloodiest battles of World War II and its
traumatic impact on American soldiers, Letters reveals the battle
of Iwo Jima from the tunnel- and cave-dwelling perspective of the
Japanese, hopelessly outnumbered, deprived of reinforcements, and
doomed to die in inevitable defeat.
While maintaining many of the traditions of the conventional war
drama, Eastwood extends his sympathetic touch to humanise "the
enemy," revealing the internal and external conflicts of soldiers
and officers alike, forced by circumstance to sacrifice
themselves or defend their honour against insurable odds.
From the weary reluctance of a young recruit named Saigo
(Kazunari Ninomiya) to the dignified yet desperately anguished
strategy of Japanese commander Tadamichi Kuribayashi (played by
O-nominated The Last Samurai costar Ken Watanabe), whose
letters home inspired the film's title and present-day framing
device, Letters from Iwo Jima (which conveys the bleakness of
battle through a near-total absence of colour) steadfastly avoids
the glorification of war while paying honorable tribute to
ill-ed men who can only dream of the comforts of home. --Jeff
Shannon
