Clint Eastwood's _Letters from Iwo Jima_

In 2006, a film directed by Clint Eastwood was released in theatres around the world titled Letters from Iwo Jima. Unlike most war movies that are produced for the American public, this film entirely captures the World War II battle of Iwo Jima from the perspective of the enemy. For a rare change, Letters from Iwo Jima shows the cultural aspect and daily life the Japanese soldiers experienced during the war. Although the film was given many positive reviews and was noted as one of the best films of 2006, it still received mixed emotions from both the Japanese and American public. One of the main ideas of the film focuses on the idea that good and evil exist on both sides, and that although we share different ideas, thoughts, traditions, and customs, we are all human and share more in common than we think.

Eastwood draws interest from both Japanese and American audiences in Letters from Iwo Jima by letting the side of the battle be seen from the Japanese point of view. Not only is the film made by true Japanese actors, as oppose to Asian- American actors, but also the entire film is spoken in Japanese with English subtitles. This gains the appreciation of the Japanese not only because it is in their own language, but also because the characters are more realistic and authentic when played by Japanese born actors. The Battle of Iwo Jima played a great deal of importance during the war due to the fact that if the Americans captured it, they would be one step closer to being able to invade Japan’s mainland. Japan’s strategy entering the Battle of Iwo Jima was not to win the fight, but instead, kill as many Americans as possible. The Japanese had been trained to always fight to the end, never give up, and especially never surrender...

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...e soldiers committing suicide by blowing themselves up with grenades created considerable controversy.

Letters from Iwo Jima gives the American audience the rare opportunity to finally see World War II from a much different perspective than we are used to. In the final scenes of the movie, over 60 years later during modern day, Japanese archaeologists find letters that were sent to soldiers buried in the ground of Iwo Jima. These letters are symbolic of how despite the fact that we all come from a different background, everyone is still human and no matter what side we are fighting for we all have more in common than we originally think.

Works Cited

www.iwojima.com. 2011. IwoJima.com. 4 Feb. 2012 http://www.iwojima.com/battle/battlea.htm.

www.rottentomatoes.com. 2007. Flixster. 2 Feb. 2012

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