Letters from Iwo Jima (2006)

The story of the battle of Iwo Jima between the United States and Imperial Japan during World War II, as told from the perspective of the Japanese who fought it.

Director:

Clint Eastwood

Writers:

Iris Yamashita (screenplay), Iris Yamashita (story)

Stars:

Ken Watanabe, Kazunari Ninomiya, Tsuyoshi Ihara

Won 1 Oscar. Another 23 wins & 37 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ken Watanabe	...	General Kuribayashi
Kazunari Ninomiya	...	Saigo
Tsuyoshi Ihara	...	Baron Nishi
Ryo Kase	...	Shimizu (as Ryô Kase)
Shidô Nakamura	...	Lieutenant Ito (as Shidou Nakamura)
Hiroshi Watanabe	...	Lieutenant Fujita
Takumi Bando	...	Captain Tanida
Yuki Matsuzaki	...	Nozaki
Takashi Yamaguchi	...	Kashiwara
Eijiro Ozaki	...	Lieutenant Okubo
Nae	...	Hanako
Nobumasa Sakagami	...	Admiral Ohsugi
Lucas Elliot Eberl	...	Sam (as Lucas Elliot)
Sonny Saito	...	Medic Endo (as Sonny Seiichi Saito)
Steve Santa Sekiyoshi	...	Kanda

Storyline

The island of Iwo Jima stands between the American military force and the home islands of Japan. Therefore the Imperial Japanese Army is desperate to prevent it from falling into American hands and providing a launching point for an invasion of Japan. General Tadamichi Kuribayashi is given command of the forces on the island and sets out to prepare for the imminent attack. General Kuribayashi, however, does not favor the rigid traditional approach recommended by his subordinates, and resentment and resistance fester among his staff. In the lower echelons, a young soldier, Saigo, a poor baker in civilian life, strives with his friends to survive the harsh regime of the Japanese army itself, all the while knowing that a fierce battle looms. When the American invasion begins, both Kuribayashi and Saigo find strength, honor, courage, and horrors beyond imagination.

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Plot Keywords:

iwo jima | japanese military | uniform | firearm | u.s. military | 

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Taglines:

From Clint Eastwood, director of FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS, the battle of Iwo Jima seen through the eyes of the Japanese soldiers.

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Genres:

Drama | History | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for graphic war violence

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros [Germany] Warner Bros [France]

Country:

USA

Language:

Japanese English

Release Date:

2 February 2007 (USA)

Also Known As:

Red Sun, Black Sand

Filming Locations:

Iceland

Box Office

Budget:

$19,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$122,548, 24 December 2006, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$13,756,082

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$68,673,228

Company Credits

Production Co:

DreamWorks,Warner Bros.,Malpaso Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

141 min

Sound Mix:

DTS SDDS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The story of Lt. Ito strapping mines to himself and lying among corpses to attack a tank is based on the real-life story of Satoru Omagiri, as told in "The Rising Sun" by John Toland.

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Goofs

In the scene where General Kuribayashi recognizes Saigo in the tunnels, his clearly visible tunic collar insignia are that of a Chujo (Lieutenant- General), consisting on two silver five-pointed stars over a yellow strip. Instead Kuribayashy was promoted to full generalship (Japanese rank Taisho) in March 1945 before being sent to Iwo Jima, and he should wear a yellow collar strip with three silver stars.

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Quotes

General Tadamichi Kuribayashi: If our children can live safely for one more day it would be worth the one more day that we defend this island.

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Connections

Follows Flags of our Fathers (2006)

User Reviews

Brilliant - A must see movie

Not since Akira Kurosawa's "Rashômon" has anyone attained such exquisite insight into the human condition, having read "Flags of our Fathers" and growing up, having veterans tell me of their experiences on Iwo Jima,I would look back at them in awe at the fact that they were here sharing their very own story,and many times they to could not believe they were alive.It is amazing to see the sensitivity that Mr.Eastwood imbued into both tales. The scriptwriter Iris Yamashita brought me to tears only at the end of the film with the conundrum we still live with today.Peoples dreams are both sacred and profane and lives are cheap.