'Letters from Iwo Jima [HD DVD]' - Poetry Connection

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DVD : Letters from Iwo Jima [HD DVD]

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starring: Ken Watanabe, Kazunari Ninomiya, Tsuyoshi Ihara, Ryo Kase, Shido Nakamura directed by: Clint Eastwood See Larger Image Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1 Audience Rating: R (Restricted) Binding: HD DVD Brand: Warner Brothers EAN: 0085391174431 Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Widescreen Label: Warner Home Video Manufacturer: Warner Home Video Number Of Items: 1 Publisher: Warner Home Video Release Date: October 02, 2007 Running Time: 140 minutes Sales Rank: 57839 Studio: Warner Home Video Theatrical Release Date: January 12, 2007 Related Items: Flags of Our Fathers (Two-Disc Special Edition) [HD DVD] Mel Gibson's Apocalypto (Widescreen Edition) Blood Diamond [HD DVD] The Fountain (Combo HD DVD and Standard DVD) [HD DVD] Pan's Labyrinth [HD DVD] see more 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: - 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 ... 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 ... Read More 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". ... Read More 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 ... Read More Rating: - Insightful view through the other side's eyes This is clearyly Clint Eastwood's greatest work. We all get to see Iwo Jima. We all know the image of the guys hoistng old Glory atop the Japanese Hill. We Americans have seen it in many films like the one with John Wayne but this time we get to see it through eyes of the other side that of the Japanese. From the ordinary grunt to the Japanese Navy officer who goes so gung ho that he tries to find himself an american tank to throw himself under but ultimately gets captured (This is based ... Read More see more

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