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Amazon.co.uk Review
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 dramatise 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 humanise "the enemy," revealing the internal and external conflicts of soldiers and officers alike, forced by circumstance to sacrifice themselves or defend their honour 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 colour) 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
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Blu-ray
As far as the film goes, Letters from Iwo Jima is a classic. It's a truly heart-wrenching story, and a testament to both the Japanese army's struggle to protect their homeland and Clint Eastwoods' directing ability. Enough about the story, let's talk about the High Definition aspects.
Visual: Letters from Iwo Jima is a film that's done entirely in a semi-desaturated way. Draining colour in the same way the film drains hope from the Japanese armys' situation. All in all, the effect is marvelous and I think it adds so much atmosphere to the film. There's virtually zero grain, blacks are deep and detail is sharp throughout. Visually, this film deserves a 5/5; the transfer is so clear and sharp that the picture is always breathtaking.
Audio: Dolby TrueHD really does the job here. Explosions are deep and resounding, and speech is clear and perfectly audible. The films' audio is well-levelled throughout so whether you're in the middle of an action sequence, or a quiet speech, there's no need to keep changing the volume around.
Extras: Sadly no directors commentary, but you do get the standard behind-the-scenes footage, on-the-set photos and so on..There's also a cool featurette where the cast talk about their characters, which is an interesting addition.
Overall, Letters from Iwo Jima is a great example of a blu-ray disc. Pristine quality matched with a great story. I would have liked to see more extras, but all in all this is definitely a film to add to the collection, war-film fan or not. Hope this helps.
Visual: Letters from Iwo Jima is a film that's done entirely in a semi-desaturated way. Draining colour in the same way the film drains hope from the Japanese armys' situation. All in all, the effect is marvelous and I think it adds so much atmosphere to the film. There's virtually zero grain, blacks are deep and detail is sharp throughout. Visually, this film deserves a 5/5; the transfer is so clear and sharp that the picture is always breathtaking.
Audio: Dolby TrueHD really does the job here. Explosions are deep and resounding, and speech is clear and perfectly audible. The films' audio is well-levelled throughout so whether you're in the middle of an action sequence, or a quiet speech, there's no need to keep changing the volume around.
Extras: Sadly no directors commentary, but you do get the standard behind-the-scenes footage, on-the-set photos and so on..There's also a cool featurette where the cast talk about their characters, which is an interesting addition.
Overall, Letters from Iwo Jima is a great example of a blu-ray disc. Pristine quality matched with a great story. I would have liked to see more extras, but all in all this is definitely a film to add to the collection, war-film fan or not. Hope this helps.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Blu-ray
Letters From Iwo Jima [Blu-ray][Region Free]
All movie audio tracks: DD 5.1 und Dolby TrueHad 5.1 in japanese only!
All movie subtitles : English, Spanish, French
Some bonus material have also subtitles in english and french
All movie audio tracks: DD 5.1 und Dolby TrueHad 5.1 in japanese only!
All movie subtitles : English, Spanish, French
Some bonus material have also subtitles in english and french
7 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
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 (for example, 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 range of views, opinions and impact is observed. Rarely has an American movie shown such a sophisticated approach to a one-time enemy, and ultimately a sympathetic approach to the horror they endured, just as our soldiers did. One of the key moments comes in the capture of an American soldier, and how even if some of the soldiers can not separate the propaganda they have learned from what they see, the words of his mother in a letter are so universally maternal, that they can not help but see what is common between them is greater than that which is different.
It feels like quite a long movie, and the pace is stately in an almost Japanese style which may put some off, however this pushes the movie beyond some flash bang war movie to satisfy the bloodthirsty, and creates that difficult thing - a movie about the war, showing the war, yet a firm indictment of the effects of war.
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 (for example, 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 range of views, opinions and impact is observed. Rarely has an American movie shown such a sophisticated approach to a one-time enemy, and ultimately a sympathetic approach to the horror they endured, just as our soldiers did. One of the key moments comes in the capture of an American soldier, and how even if some of the soldiers can not separate the propaganda they have learned from what they see, the words of his mother in a letter are so universally maternal, that they can not help but see what is common between them is greater than that which is different.
It feels like quite a long movie, and the pace is stately in an almost Japanese style which may put some off, however this pushes the movie beyond some flash bang war movie to satisfy the bloodthirsty, and creates that difficult thing - a movie about the war, showing the war, yet a firm indictment of the effects of war.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Iwo Jima
This is a very good production ; very interesting for my generation who lived the
second world wartime . Read more
second world wartime . Read more
Published 3 months ago by Thor Jomar Hafstad
A Fantastic film
I've seen this film more times than I can count, and it never gets old. I'm really interested in WW2, so I saw this film as soon as it came out:
It absolutely blew me away. Read more
It absolutely blew me away. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Dom D.
CRUELY IRONIC
It's clear that Eastwood made this movie in an attempt to portray the Japanese in a humane and sympathetic way ; unfortunately , all he's managed to do is reinforce the worst WW2... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Colin Powis
Must See, it Changes you!
The movie is absolutely fantastic. a perfect combination of action with all the emotional stories and family scenes added in! Read more
Published 10 months ago by Rob
alternate view
reasonable film , showing an alternate view of the action on Iwo Jima , from the japanese point of view, not all the japanese wanted to fight to the end apparently.
Published 10 months ago by George Nuttall
Simple & simplistic movie
The Japanese WW2 soldier has almost been portrayed as blindly following orders and routinely carrying out of terrible acts of barbarism. Read more
Published 12 months ago by haunted
clint fails me with a reading film
I wanted a good old American film where people speak in American. so i get the new clint eastwood film. and what am i doing from the second it starts? READING!! Read more
Published 19 months ago by Maskoolio
Film okay, DVD lousy
Discs
- Subtitles are in a super-bold, grey font. Almost impossible to read. Fortunately there is a second set of subtitles for the hard of hearing. They are normal. Read more
- Subtitles are in a super-bold, grey font. Almost impossible to read. Fortunately there is a second set of subtitles for the hard of hearing. They are normal. Read more
Published 22 months ago by Jackal
Interesting but flawed
Don't expect blood and guts action with this one, instead it is a slow portrayal of the Japanese defence of the island. Read more
Published on 6 April 2010 by Mr. R. J. Wilson
The other side of the story....
Being a fan of Clint Eastwood's, I went to see Flags of our fathers and appreciated it, though I did not find it Oscar material. Read more
Published on 25 Nov 2009 by Joseph
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