LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA (Clint Eastwood, Warner Bros., 2006)

As I watched LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA (Clint Eastwood, Warner Bros., 2006) the other night for the first time, a few things struck me as remarkable. Some of these things I already knew and some I had never once considered and one I forget stupidly. Nothing can be said about the film without first discussing the cinematography by Tom Stern, which was incredibly well done. As I watched, the difference in POV dawned on me. And then I slowly realized how great at his craft Clint Eastwood is while realizing my memory must be going because how could I forget that? This was a fascinating and beautiful film and I can't believe I hadn't taken the time to watch it sooner. Beautiful is the most elegant way of describing this film and this beauty starts and ends with the cinematography. From the opening shots of Iwo Jima, wide panoramic giving a picture of the islands bleakness to one of the films final images, that of the rising sun over a distant Japan every shot is meticulously crafted and beautiful in result. The film is almost entirely shot in black and white and besides being exceedingly difficult to capture I wonder what the actual thematic reasoning was. The lighting set-ups, particularly in every cave scene was extraordinary. Vast shadows were created adding to the peril of impending doom for the Japanese soldiers. Throughout the film they injected bits of color at various moments, usually red and usually blood, adding depth and horror to the images being shown to us. Quite simply the film is as I said, beautiful. The film was a good thirty minutes into its narrative when I realized what a fascinating and unique POV I was watching. At least three American generations have been given a steady diet of American POV WWII films and the narrative to this film provided a refreshing and enlightening change. Regardless of which side you fell on, in the end the men fighting all had one goal. To get home safe and to see their families and loved ones again. The brutal and savage methodology of war had worn these men down and this provided another unique perspective. It was incredible to see the Japanese code of honor and willingness to die for the glory of their country. And this code surely hastened their defeat, to the point where it was sad watching. In the cave as the men one by one set grenades off, hugging them close to their chest is a particularly gruesome scene to endure. This fatalism that pervaded their military, especially their officers, was astounding. Hard to believe an entire generation of military officers buying into such lies fed them by their government. Quite tragic. Also tragic is my forgetting just how good Clint Eastwood is as a director. Maybe it's because he only does movies every other year or so, or because at this point in his career he isn't beholden to a constant media and publicity barrage but I always seem to forget how good his work is. He crafts shots that are simple yet effective. He uses sound perfectly whether it be in his use of score or in his overall sound design. He gets smooth performances from his actors and finally he creates a beautiful and haunting film. The type of film that resonates with you days after watching because it was so damn good. Here it is the next morning after having watched LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA and I have already had two conversations with people about how good a film it was. Great film.