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Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Binding: Blu-ray
Brand: Warner Brothers
EAN: 0085391112884
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Widescreen
Label: Warner Brothers
Manufacturer: Warner Brothers
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Warner Brothers
Region Code: 1
Release Date: May 22, 2007
Running Time: 140 minutes
Sales Rank: 3771
Studio: Warner Brothers
Theatrical Release Date: 2006
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Editorial Review:
Description:
Nominated for 4 Academy Awards including Best Picture, Clint Eastwood's Letters from Iwo Jima tells the untold story of the Japanese soldiers who defended their homeland against invading American forces during World War II. With little defense other than sheer will and the volcanic rock of Iwo Jima itself, the unprecedented tactics of General Tadamichi Kuribayashi (Ken Watanabe, The Last Samurai) and his men transform what was predicted to be a swift defeat into nearly 40 days of heroic and resourceful combat. Their sacrifices, struggles, courage and compassion live on in the taut, gripping film Rolling Stone calls 'unique and unforgettable.' It is the powerful companion piece to Flags of Our Fathers.
Amazon.com:
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 Flags of Our Fathers. Where the earlier film employed a complex non-linear structure and epic-scale production values to dramatize 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 humanize 'the enemy,' revealing the internal and external conflicts of soldiers and officers alike, forced by circumstance to sacrifice themselves or defend their honor against insurmountable 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 Oscar-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 color) steadfastly avoids the glorification of war while paying honorable tribute to ill-fated men who can only dream of the comforts of home. --Jeff Shannon
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA
AWESOME DVD. GREAT SHAPE FAST DELIVERY AWESOME MOVIE. CLINT EASTWOOD IS JUST A GREAT DIRECTOR AND ACTOR AND I WOULD RECOMMEND THIS MOVIE TO ANYONE.
Rating: - Top of the line entertainment
Letters from Iwo Jima is an exceptional film. It covers a 40 day period prior to the invasion of US troops on Iwa Jima and the events that occur immediately after. Filmed in sepia tones that are highlighted for fiery explosions, the limited color range made the action more terrible and the drama more heightened.
Two officers lead the Japanese men on Iwo Jima, General Kuribayashi and Baron Nishi. The General is played to perfection by Ken Watanabe and the Baron is played with great zeal by Tshuyoshi Ihara. These two men are very worldly and sophisticated, both having lived in the USA. Whereas they are totally loyal to the Emperor and the cult of militarism that dominated Japan during World War II, they also are keenly aware that the Americans are not cowards and fools and that the fight for Iwa Jima will be a living hell. General Kuribayashi takes over command from Admiral Ohsugi, a conservative by-the-book mediocre military man. When General Kuribayashi's assessments are contrary to Admiral Ohsugi's we begin to see professional jealousies arise, ending with the Admiral leaving the island. General Kuribayashi found a situation where he was originally thought he had bombers and ships only to find he really had none. The island had very little fresh water, an insignificant amount in regard to the needs of a military campaign.
The middle ranking officers were certainly interesting in the film. Many of them regarded General Kuribayashi and Baron Nishi as American sympathizers ... Read More
Rating: - Much better movie experience than its twin, "Flags of Our Fathers"...
Where Clint's production of the best-selling book by James Bradley about the Iwo Jima fight came off as slightly disappointing, his retelling of the battle from the doomed Japanese soldier's point of view is brilliant. I normally do not like subtitles, but here the story is so interesting that the titles are just a minor annoyance. This one deserves the honors it brought to Eastwood, and to the major actors in it. The emotional wallop here is what eluded Eastwood when he recreated the American side of the month-long fight on that island in 1945. If you care about World War II, this is a "must see." If you hate the Japanese for the cruelty of their troops, and for their stubborn refusal to surrender even when battle outcomes were obvious, this film explains their reasoning. It will not convert you to their side, of course, but it does humanize their patriots. Watch both "Flags of Our Fathers" and "Letters from Iwo Jima" in the same week, and you will be a graduate of a mini-course in the psychology and horrors of war from two different major world cultures.
Rating: - Eastwood's WWII masterwork
Of the 2 war films that Clint Eastwood directed, "Flags of our Fathers" and "Letters from Iwo Jima", the latter film can qualify as Clint's masterpiece. With restraint and sensitivity, Eastwood has shown us how really futile war is and the sacrifices of the ordinary foot soldier, whether they be Japanese or American. In some quarters, many critics felt Clint should've taken Best Picture and Best Director but the Academy did finally give an long over-due Oscar to Martin Scorsese for "The Departed". But who's to say which is the better--like apples and oranges, these 2 films achieved their goals brilliantly. But getting back to "Letters", special mention should be given to the performances here given by Ken Watanabe as the commander and Kazunari Ninomiya as cook turned soldier. Their performances lend a special poignancy to this film as well as the other performers in this film. The battle scenes are just as powerful as those in "Saving Private Ryan" though one should remember that Spielberg was one of the producer of this film as well. In HD DVD, these scenes are brilliantly delinerated. Highly recommeded.
Rating: - The Defence of Iwo Jima, seen through Japanese eyes
It was a brave move by Eastwood to make not one but two movies about Iwo Jima, and braver still to show the pivotal conflict from each sides point of view. Where Flags of Our Fathers was flawed in its approach, muting the impact, `Letters..' is more perfectly formed, and arguably more complex in nature - and it's a success.
Through sepia, almost colourless photography, we see the defence of Iwo Jima from the viewpoint of several Japanese soldiers. We see them, and we hear them in the forms of their letters they write home, letters that they know may never reach their intended recipients. From this simple framework, we see the build up of defences as the new commanding officer arrives (Ken Watanabe, brilliant) and also from the viewpoint of the soldiers filling sandbags, through to the invasion of the hordes of Americans, and through to the final death throes of the last vestiges of defence.
The range of characters (working class disillusioned solider, aristocratic gentleman officer, honourable commanding officer sworn to his duty but grieved with it) is wider than we might expect, and makes the anti-war message very clear - we are all the same. Previous war movies have shown one man from the other side to be more complex or sympathetic to us, but here we see the whole Japanese cross section of society, and it presents us with a picture on one hand of a society different from ours, and yet so similar in the humanity of it. Even in one sub-section - the officers for example, a complex ... Read More
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