| Letters from Iwo Jima | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Clint Eastwood |
| Screenplay by | Iris Yamashita |
| Story by |
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| Based on | Picture Letters from Commander in Chief byTadamichi Kuribayashi (author) Tsuyuko Yoshida (editor) |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Tom Stern |
| Edited by | |
| Music by | |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | |
Release dates |
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Running time | 140 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Languages | Japanese English |
| 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 Japanese-language Americanwar film directed and co-produced byClint Eastwood, starringKen Watanabe andKazunari Ninomiya. The film portrays theBattle of Iwo Jima from the perspective of theJapanesesoldiers and is a companion piece to Eastwood'sFlags 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 with a few English sequences, despite being co-produced by American companiesDreamWorks Pictures,Malpaso Productions andAmblin Entertainment.
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 the79th Academy Awards, for which it received four nominations, includingBest Picture and winningBest Sound Editing. 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 although it only grossed slightly better at the box office than its companion, it was much more successful compared to its budget.
In 2005, Japanesearchaeologists explore tunnels onIwo Jima, where they find something in the dirt.
In 1944Iwo Jima,Private First Class Saigo, aconscripted baker who misses his wife and newly born daughter, is digging beach trenches with his platoon whenLieutenant GeneralTadamichi Kuribayashi arrives to take command of the garrison. He saves Saigo from a beating by Captain Tanida for being "unpatriotic", and orders the garrison to tunnel underground defenses throughout the island.
Kuribayashi andLieutenant ColonelBaronTakeichi Nishi, a famousOlympic gold medalistshow jumper, clash with the other officers, who disagree with Kuribayashi'sdefense in depth strategy. Kuribayashi learns that Japan cannot send reinforcements and thus believes that the tunnels and mountain bunkers stand a better chance of holding out than relying entirely on the beach defenses. Poor nutrition and unsanitary conditions take their toll, and many die ofdysentery. Replacement troops arrive, includingSuperior Private Shimizu, whom Saigo suspects is a spy from theKempeitai sent to report on disloyal soldiers.
Soon, American aircraft and warships bombard the island. A few days later,U.S. Marines land and suffer heavy casualties, but they overcome the beach defenses and attackMount Suribachi. While delivering a message from Captain Tanida to Colonel Adachi, Saigo overhears Kuribayashi's retreat orders over the radio; Adachi instead orders his unit to commithonorable suicide. Many soldiers obey except Saigo and Shimizu, the former of whom convinces the latter to retreat and fight on.
The Mount Suribachi survivors make a run for friendly lines, but Marines ambush and slaughter them. Saigo and Shimizu reach safety but are accused by Lieutenant Ito of cowardice. They are about to besummarily executed when Kuribayashi arrives and confirms his order to retreat. Against Kuribayashi's orders, Ito leads an attack on US positions, and many soldiers are killed. Lt. Col. Nishi reprimands Ito for his insubordination; in response, Ito leaves carrying severalland mines and intends to throw himself under a US tank. Shimizu reveals to Saigo that he was dishonorably discharged from the Kempeitai because he disobeyed an order to kill a family's dog. Nishi befriends a wounded Marine and then reads a letter from the Marine's mother after he dies, garnering sympathy from the Japanese soldiers. Nishi is eventually blinded by shrapnel and orders his men to withdraw before committing suicide.
Saigo and Shimizu decide to surrender, but Shimizu and another surrendering soldier are spotted by an officer, who is ordered to shoot potential deserters, before Saigo can join them. Shimizu escapes and is found by a Marine patrol. Shimizu and another Japanese prisoner are then unlawfully executed by one of their guards. Saigo and the remaining soldiers flee to Kuribayashi's position, which is ill-supplied. Saigo befriends Kuribayashi, and a counter-attack is planned. Kuribayashi orders Saigo to stay behind and destroy any vital documents, saving his life for a third time.
That night, Kuribayashi leads a final night attack on a Marine encampment. Most of his men are killed, and Kuribayashi is critically wounded and dragged away by his aide, Lt. Fujita. Meanwhile, Ito has long abandoned his suicidal mission and is captured by Marines. The next morning, Kuribayashi orders Fujita to behead him with hisGuntō, but Fujita is shot and killed by a Marine sniper. Saigo arrives, having buried a bag of letters before leaving headquarters. Kuribayashi asks Saigo to bury him where he will not be found, then draws his pistol — aM1911 gifted to him in the US before the war — and commits suicide. Saigo dutifully buries him.
Later, a Marine platoon finds Fujita's body. Saigo reappears and attacks them, infuriated to see an American has taken Kuribayashi's pistol. Saigo is subdued and taken to the beach to recover alongside wounded Marines. Awakening on a stretcher, he glimpses the setting sun and smiles.
Returning to 2005, the archaeologists complete their digging and reveal the bag of letters that Saigo buried. As the letters spill out from the opened bag, the voices of the Japanese soldiers who wrote them are heard.
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Although the film is set in Japan, it was filmed primarily inBarstow andBakersfield inCalifornia. All Japanese cast except forKen 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 inLos Angeles for more scenes.
Ken Watanabe filmed a portion of his scenes on location on Iwo Jima.[3][4] Locations on Iwo Jima which were used for filming included beaches, towns, and Mount Suribachi.[5] Because the crew were only allowed to film minor scenes on Iwo Jima, most of the battle scenes were filmed in Iceland. Filming in Los Angeles lasted for approximately two months, and other locations across the US including Virginia, Chicago, and Houston.[6]
The filmmakers had to be given special permission from theTokyo Metropolitan Government to film on Iwo Jima, because the remains of more than 10,000 missing Japanese soldiers are there.[7][8][9] TheJapan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) operates a naval air base onIwo Jima, which is used by theUnited States Navy for operations such as nighttime carrier landing practice. Civilian access to the island is restricted to those attending memorial services for American Marines and Japanese soldiers.
The battleshipUSS 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 bothFlags of Our Fathers andLetters From Iwo Jima isCharles W. Lindberg, played by Alessandro Mastrobuono.
The film is based on the non-fiction books"Gyokusai sōshikikan" no etegami ("Picture letters from the Commander in Chief")[10] by GeneralTadamichi Kuribayashi (portrayed on screen byKen Watanabe) andSo Sad To Fall In Battle: An Account of War[11] 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.
Letters from Iwo Jima 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 websiteRotten Tomatoes reported that 184 out of the 202 reviews they tallied were positive for a score of 91%, and an average rating of 8.20/10, and a certification of "fresh". The site's consensus states: "A powerfully humanistic portrayal of the perils of war, this companion piece toFlags of Our Fathers is potent and thought-provoking, and it demonstrates Clint Eastwood's maturity as a director."[12]Metacritic gave the movie a score of 89 based on 37 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[13] Lisa Schwarzbaum ofEntertainment Weekly,Kenneth Turan of theLos Angeles Times, and Richard Schickel ofTime were among many critics to name it the best picture of the year.[14][15][16] In addition,Peter Travers ofRolling Stone andMichael Phillips of theChicago Tribune both gave it four stars, and Todd McCarthy ofVariety praised the film, assigning it a rare 'A' rating.[17]
On December 6, 2006, theNational Board of Review of Motion Pictures namedLetters from Iwo Jima the best film of 2006.[18][19] On December 10, 2006, theLos Angeles Film Critics Association namedLetters from Iwo Jima Best Picture of 2006. Furthermore, Clint Eastwood was runner-up for directing honors.[20] In addition, theAmerican Film Institute named it one of the 10 best films of 2006.[21] It was also named Best Film in a Foreign Language on January 15 during the 64th AnnualGolden Globe Awards, while Clint Eastwood held a nomination for Best Director.[22][23][24]
CNN's Tom Charity in his review describedLetters from Iwo Jima as "the only American movie of the year I won't hesitate to call a masterpiece."[25] On the "Best Films of the Year 2006" broadcast (December 31, 2006) of the television showEbert & Roeper,Richard Roeper listed the film at #3 and guest criticA. O. Scott listed it at number one, claiming that the film was "close to perfect".James Berardinelli awarded a three out of four-star review, concluding that although both 'Letters' and 'Flags' were imperfect but interesting, 'Letters from Iwo Jima' was more focused, strong and straightforward than its companion piece.[26]
On January 23, 2007, the film received fourAcademy Award nominations. Eastwood was nominated for his directing, as well as Best Picture along with producersSteven Spielberg andRobert Lorenz. It was also nominated for Best Original Screenplay. The film took home one award, Best Sound Editing.[27][28]
The film appeared on many critics' top ten lists of the best films of 2006, including 157 top ten lists in North America with 25 number one spots.[29][30]
The February 2020 issue ofNew York Magazine listsLetters from Iwo Jima as among "The Best Movies That Lost Best Picture at the Oscars."[31]
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."[32] Also, the Japanese newspaperAsahi Shimbun 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, incorrectJapanese grammar and non-native accents were conspicuous in those former films, jarring their realism for the Japanese audience. In contrast, most Japanese roles inLetters 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.[33] Owing to the lack of stereotypes,Letters from Iwo Jima was appreciated by Japanese critics and audiences.[34]
Since the film was successful in Japan, a tourist boom has been reported on theOgasawara islands, of whichIwo Jima is part.[35]
Despite favorable reviews, the film only grossed $13.7 million in the United States. Foreign sales of $54.9 million helped to boost revenue over production costs of $19 million.[2]
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General top ten
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The film is recognized byAmerican Film Institute in these lists:
Letters from Iwo Jima was released onDVD byWarner Home Video on May 22, 2007. It was also released onHD DVD andBlu-ray Disc. Furthermore, it was made available for instant viewing with Netflix's "Watch Instantly" feature where available. The film was re-released in 2010 as part ofClint Eastwood's tribute collection Clint Eastwood: 35 Films 35 Years at Warner Bros.The Two-Disc Special Collector's EditionDVD is also available in a Five-Disc Commemorative Set, which also includes the Two-Disc Special Collector's Edition ofFlags of Our Fathers and a bonus fifth disc containingHistory Channel's "Heroes of Iwo Jima" documentary andTo the Shores of Iwo Jima, a documentary produced by the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps.
The English-dubbed version of DVD was released on June 1, 2010.[37] This version was first aired on cable channel AMC on April 26, 2008.[38]
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