LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA

Review: This tells the story of the battle of Iwo Jima between the United States and Imperial Japan during World War II. It is told from the perspective of the Japanese who fought it.
Director: Clint Eastwood
Actors: Ken Watanabe, Kazunari Ninomiya, Tsuyoshi Ihara, Ryo Kase, Shido Nakamura, Hiroshi Watanabe, Yuki Matsuzaki, Takashi Yamaguchi, Eijiro Ozaki, Nae, Lucas Elliot Eberl and Sonny Saito
Year: 2006
Genre: Drama, History and War
Conclusion: 4/5
This is a very long film standing in at 2 hours 21 mins. Shot back-to-back with a film called Flags of our Fathers (2006). One of the actors is Ken Watanabe who has a worldwide success in films and not just in Japan but other countries as well. Very strong performances especially from Ken Watanabe. Clint Eastwood has done a fantastic job directing this and with great dignity. The battle scenes throughout the film are really impressive and well handled. One thing I did enjoy was that I felt like I could actually get to know all of the characters and what they were all going through. It is said to be true that most of the young cast knew nothing about the incidents on Iwo Jima as it is not taught in Japanese schools. As the film was such a success there was an upsurge of tourist requests to visit the island. The island is protected so special permission has to be granted to visit its shores. I did find this to be a real emotional film. The film is about people facing gloom, hardship, dignity and kindness. At the Academy Awards in 2007 this won 1 Oscar and that was for Best Achievement in Sound Editing. At the Golden Globe Awards in 2007 this won for Best Foreign Language Film.