_ [Reviewed by Gary Cabana, THE Reel Reviewer]
Letters from IWO JIMA This isn't just the best film director Clint Eastwood has ever made, it's quite possibly the finest "foreign" movie he will EVER get a chance to make (add this to your MUST-SEE list)! 4 stars (out of 4) [(2006)USA/WB/Rated R] - (2 hrs. 23 min.) [In Japanese (subtitled) w/ some English & 'Broken English' dialogue] Directed by Clint Eastwood Written by Iris Yamashita Source: based on "Picture Letters From Commander in Chief" by Tadamichi Kuribayashi, edited by Tsuyoko Yoshida Lead characters/Cast Lt. General Kuribayashi (new commander) - Ken Watanabe Saigo (baker drafted into infantry) - Kazunari Ninomiya Lt. Colonel Baron Nishi (Olympic horseman turned officer) - Tsuyoshi Ihara Shimizu (ex-**Kempeitai/arrives 31 min. in) - Ryo Kase Review: I'm not going to say much about this film so as not to spoil it for first-time viewers, suffice it to say the deficiencies of the military expose in "Flags of our Fathers" are more than made up for in "Letters From Iwo Jima," director Clint Eastwood's Japanese viewpoint of WW2. Nearly all-Asian cast delivers top-notch performances as Eastwood sympathetically portrays the plight of an enemy stuck following orders that will cost most of them their lives. Yes, you have to read subtitles if you're not fluent in Japanese, but it's well worth the added trouble, and will become less necessary after multiple viewings which a masterpiece of this caliber demands. Check it out! Supporting characters/Cast Lieutenant Fujita (Kuribayashi's asst.) - Hiroshi Watanabe Admiral Ohsugi (sent home 44 min. in) - Nobumasa Sakagami Admiral Ichimaru (Osugi's replacement) - Masashi Nagadoi Lieutenant Ito (Air Force cmdr./beheads deserters) - Shidou Nakamura Sam (Captured U.S. marine) - Lucas Elliott Hanako (Saigo's wife/Flashbacks only) - Nae _____________________ **NOTES/terms: Kempeitai: Japanese military police of the Imperial Japanese Army from 1881 to 1945. Kempeitai also became the de facto police force of territory occupied by Japanese military. For this reason, many equate Kempeitai with the Gestapo of Nazi Germany (from Wikipedia-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kempeitai) Senninbari: a charm belt more commonly known in the west as the "Thousand Stitch Belt". As a part of the Zen culture of Imperial Japan, Japanese women created these senninbari for their men. These belts were believed to confer courage, good luck and immunity from injury(especially bullets) upon their wearers. (from Wikipedia-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senninbari) Dysentery: Illness involving severe diarrhea that is often associated with blood in the feces. It is caused by ingestion of food containing microorganisms, causing a disease in which inflammation of the intestines affect the body significantly.(from Wikipedia- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dysentery) _________ MAIN crew: Original Music by Kyle Eastwood & Michael Stevens Panavision cinematography by Tom Stern Editors: Joel Cox & Gary D. Roach Production designers: Henry Bumstead & James J. Murakam ______________ A look at how authenticity gets weaved into films Just the facts? Daily Variety explores how the truth behind this year's crop of pics gets massaged into Hollywood's own brand of cinematic veracity! LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA FACTOMETER RATING: 7 (out of 10) GENESIS: While researching his Iwo Jima epic "Flags of Our Fathers," Eastwood had several Japanese texts translated into English. The one that impressed him most was "Picture Letters From Commander in Chief," a collection of correspondence from Gen. Tadamichi Kuribayashi to his family, filled with emotional sentiments and playful sketches -- not at all the picture of the leader Eastwood had imagined. The documents served as a jumping-off point for a second film about the battle told from the Japanese point of view. LIBERTIES TAKEN: Features two significant interactions between Japanese and American troops: In the first, a Japanese officer orders his men to treat a wounded American soldier. Later, a deserter surrenders to the Americans, who shoot the prisoner. THE SPIN: Unlike pics that paint Japan as the aggressor, "Letters" depicts a defensive battle. Once Iwo Jima fell, Americans would have a launching pad to attack Tokyo, and these soldiers (including the cowardly lead character) are fighting to protect their homeland. ["Just the Facts" - Courtesy of Variety] ______________ Cinephilia: Picture (start-to-finish): 2 hrs. 18 min. End credits: 5 min. First kiss: none First battle: 51 min. in (Air Attack) Liquor consumed by Japanese: Johnnie Walker scotch _____________ MOVIE website-http://iwojimathemovie.warnerbros.com/lettersofiwojima/framework/framework.html _____________ Additional cast... Characters: Yuki Matsuzaki ... Nozaki (dies from dysentery**) Takashi Yamaguchi ... Kashiwara (soldier) Ikuma Ando ... Ozawa Takuji Kuramoto ... Ono Koji Wada ... Hashimoto Steve Santa Sekiyoshi ... Kanda Toshi Toda ... Colonel Adachi (Infantry cmdr.) Ken Kensei ... Maj. General Hayashi Takumi Bando ... Captain Tanida Eijiro Ozaki ... Lieutenant Okubo Hiro Abe ... Lt. Colonel Oiso Sonny Seiichi Saito ... Medic Endo Toshiya Agata ... Captain Iwasaki Yoshi Ishii ... Private Yamazaki Mark Moses ... American Officer (USA flashback) Roxanne Hart ... Officer's Wife (USA flashback) Evan Ellingson ... Kid Marine Hiroshi Tom Tanaka ... Hopeless Soldier Mathew Botuchis ... American Marine +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ INVICTUS Directed by Clint Eastwood Screenplay by Anthony Peckham Source: Book "Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game that Made a Nation" by John Carlin Starrring: Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon [(2009)USA/Warner Bros./Rated PG-13] - (2 hrs 14 min) Synopsis: The film tells the inspiring true story of how Nelson Mandela joined forces with the captain of South Africa's rugby team to help unite their country. Newly elected President Mandela (Morgan Freeman) knows his nation remains racially and economically divided in the wake of apartheid. Believing he can bring his people together through the universal language of sport, Mandela rallies South Africa's rugby team as they make their historic run to the 1995 Rugby World Cup Championship match. (From IMDbPRO.com/written by alfiehitchie) MOVIE website-http://invictusmovie.warnerbros.com/ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Still PLAYING in 2nd-run theaters!!! April 9, 2010 Naro Expanded Cinema (Norfolk,VA) Maumee Indoor Theatre (Maumee,OH) HELD OVER Deerfield Cinema 5 (Deerfield Beach,FL) Elvis Cinemas Tiffany Plaza 6 (Denver,CO) Mann Maple Grove 10 Cinema (Maple Grove,MN) Cinemark Sugar House 10 (Salt Lake City,UT) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ |
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