Letters from Iwo Jima

[afc7883]

I have not yet seen any comments about Letters from Iwo Jima, so I am assuming nobody else has seen it yet. I went to this movie with mixed feelings about a movie from the Japanese perspective in WWII, but came away from the theater feeling glad that I saw it, since it made me realize that not all Japanese were ruthless fanatics who were happy to die for the emperor as I had always believed. Some were, perhaps many...but there were also soldiers that were conscripted, but really wanted nothing more than to survive the war and return to their wives and family, just like our boys. The more I study this war, the more I begin to see the similarities rather than the differences. I also understand the need to dehumanize the enemy through propaganda, in order to motivate men to kill each other, because killing another human being goes against our own natural instincts.

This movie is well made and thought provoking, but jam packed with realistic battle scenes for those who require plenty of action...We already know who wins this one. If you missed it at the theaters, it is due for release on DVD on May 22nd. I thought it was great!

 

Dogdaddy

[Dogdaddy]

Well, it's May 22nd, and [iLetters from Iwo Jima[/i] has been released on DVD. I would strongly recommend this film to everyone (like I'm a critic or something!) interested in the Pacific War. You can now rent it, abd I hope the rentals include the 2nd DVD, which talks about the making of this movie and what it meant to the young Japanese actors who took part in it. Most of them knew nothing at all about this battle, as it has not been taught in their schools...don't ask me why! I enjoyed this movie immensely, although there is one scene in it which was pure Hollywood: An American combatant is shot, and then the Japanese commander orders his medic to care for the wounded Marine, and later exchanges friendly banter with him. I have never ever heard any Veteran's account of this type of "kindness" being shown to wounded Marines in the Pacific by the Japanese...quite the opposite. That one scene though can be forgiven in the entire context of the film.

 

 

Dogdaddy

[janis337]

I have the DVD. I found the movie absolutely fascinating Having been exposed to views from the Allied side for all of my life I found this view of the battle from the enemy's perspective curiously refreshing. I actually wound up really liking the character Saigo. I've seen the film in dubbed in English and I found it had lost its "spirit". The only way to see this film is in Japanese.

 

I give the film "two thumbs up"

[chambers]

I definately need to visit my local Blockbuster.

 

I'm saddened by the people who don't even know what Iwo is. I went to this littke kiosk to get a license plate made for my new Jap car and I wanted the flag raisers. The girl said she had never even heard of Iwo Jima. She was from Bulgaria.

 

Sigh....

[CaptO]

The girl said she had never even heard of Iwo Jima. She was from Bulgaria.

 

At least she was from out of the country. I'm worried about the ones from Hearltand, America that haven't heard of it. Me thinks our government education system filters out certain things so it can teach about "Global Climate Change".

[Dogdaddy]

I have the DVD. I found the movie absolutely fascinating Having been exposed to views from the Allied side for all of my life I found this view of the battle from the enemy's perspective curiously refreshing. I actually wound up really liking the character Saigo. I've seen the film in dubbed in English and I found it had lost its "spirit". The only way to see this film is in Japanese.

 

I give the film "two thumbs up"

 

 

Add my 2 thumbs up to that review also... Soldiers in these WWII movies need to speak their native language or it loses all sense of realism to me. Took me a few flicks to warm up to reading subtitles, but now I wouldn't have it any other way!

 

DD

[janis337]

At least she was from out of the country. I'm worried about the ones from Hearltand, America that haven't heard of it. Me thinks our government education system filters out certain things so it can teach about "Global Climate Change".

 

A week or two ago I was speaking to one of my nieces about the movie Valkyrie. She didn't know anything about it. I explained a little about the plot to liquidate the paper hanger, and she didn't know about that either. I was, "You know. World War II, the nazis, the Holocost................" Nope. It's all news to her. "You're kidding me !", says I. "No.", she replied, "We didn't have that yet."

 

Maybe it's the passage of time and generations removed but when I was growing up everyone knew about those things. An ugly chapter in the saga of mankind to be swept under the rug by politically correct soulless minions of orthodoxy? I hope not.

 

"There was no Holocost." "No one ever walked on the moon. It was all a hoax" "Mule muffins !!!!", I say to those people.

When my daughters were in their formative years I made damned sure that they watched the documentaries about the Holocost. They'd ask me why I wanted them to watch such things and I'd tell them, "Because the day will come when it will be your generation's job to make sure that it never happens again."

 

It pains me to see the young folks not being educated about such things. My youngest [now 23] knows that her birthday is two days before D-Day Invasion anniversary. They both know about Iwo Jima and Schindler's List and the Battle of the Bulge and Hiroshima.

[Walt's Daughter]

Janis, sad indeed! Shows you what our schools deem important enough to teach! Makes me want to scream out loud! Trust me, I make sure everyone around one is exposed to the war, in one way or another....

 

Yes, I have seems Letters, just failed to note it here. Sometimes it's hard for me to keep up on the forum. Lee and I LOVED the movie. We've seen it more than once.

 

[colinhotham]

How does it compare to "The Sands Of Iwo Jima" 1949. But then that was Hollywood!!!

Also the 1945 documentary The Shores of Iwo Jima. (you can get details of both from Google)

My father was the Royal Marine bandmaster that led the band at the London premiere of The Sands of Iwo Jima in

the early 50s.

Colin.

[janis337]

The Sands Of Iwo Jima. The only movie where John Wayne gets killed it. A fine movie.

 

"Letters", I believe, lets us see what it was like on the "other side". It is, in the very least, enlightening.